Namib Desert: Another Planet on Earth

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A gem along the coast of South Africa, Namib Desert of Namibia will prove to you that even the most lifeless natural creations on this Earth could compete to any man-made structures in this digital era.

LOCATION

Namib comes from the word Nama that means “vast place” – and what a vast place indeed. Namib is a coastal desert that stretches along the Atlantic coasts of Angola, Namibia, and South Africa.

It has a length of more than 1,200 miles and covers an area of 31, 274 square miles that gradually ascends in elevation of 120 miles inland to the foot of Great Escarpment.

CLIMATE

Namib Desert has endured semi-arid to arid temperature from 55 to 80 million years. It has an average annual precipitation of 2 millimeter to 200 millimeter. Namib Desert has varied climate, but usually, summer daytime ranges up to 45 degrees Celsius and the nights are freezing. However, the climate along the coasts of the desert is relatively stable.

Namibia, where most of Namib Desert is mostly located has an average 300 days of sunshine. The main rainy season is in January where the land turns lush-green, however, the presence of rain still occurs at around April to May. The winter starts at June up to September where the landscape turns brown and frost occurs at night. At October, the temperature starts to rise until March.

TRANSPORTATION

Transportation is available at via Hosea Kutako International Airport located 45 kilometer east of Windhoek, Namibia’s capital. International flights depart and enter the country multiple times a week which are usually from Johannes and Frankfurt carriers.

Other carriers include British Airways, South African Airways, LTU and TAAG. Taxi and shuttle are available outside the airport that will send you to your destinations. However, 4WD vehicles are required in traversing the desert.

ATTRACTIONS

Namib-Naukluft National Park

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Namib-Naukluft National Park is the largest game park in Africa and fourth largest in the world with an area of 19,216 square miles. This park includes many tourist attractions that are really a must-see if you’re going in a safari vacation. This hyper-arid region boasts a number of floras and faunas that continues to survive despite the climate.

The towering sand dunes that reach up to 1000 feet in this park were the result of the wind bringing in the fog in this area. The literally rusting sand of orange to red is the testament that this desert is millions of years in age.

Here are the locations that will satisfy your wanderlust cravings.

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Sossusvlei is the main attraction of the Namib-Naukluft National Park located at the Namib Desert. Access to this part of the park is through the Sesriem gate, which will lead you to 60 kilometer concrete road to Sossusvlei proper.

Sossusvlei is a clay pan of elliptical shape that was peppered by salt-rich sand and surrounded by high reddish-orange dunes.

Elim Dune

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The best time to visit Elim dune would be before sunrise or sunset as the light cascades over the sands, which will result to spectacular view of contrasting colors of shades of orange to dark red.. It was located in the branching road towards Sossusvlei, which is 5 km away from the Sesriem gate.

Dune 45

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Dune 45 gets its name from its location of the Sesriem gate. It lies 45 km away from the gate that can be reached through 2×4 vehicles. The red tint of the sand was due to rich iron-oxide content, which it has acquired after five million years.

Big Daddy

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This dune dwarfs the others at 325 meters high. It was located between Sossusvlei and Deadvlei and is facing another high dune called Big Mama.

Deadvlei

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Deadvlei means “dead marsh,” which the place was called due to 900-old petrified trees scattered around the area. It used to be an oasis; however, the river that watered the place changed its course leaving the desert floor to be colored a shiny-white because of the salt panning around the area. It beautifully contrasted among the blackened acasia trees giving the place a surreal impression like you just stepped out of earth into another planet.

Over-all, the Namib Desert will not just give you stunning views of landforms, but of the sky as well. The low density population hinders the place from suffering from pollution, which is excellent for an uninterrupted view of the sky.

http://laurenceourac.com/namib-desert-another-planet-on-earth/

Images:

(1) https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFn8rJyqzoUZkVjnx2KGj3iS_Sar-8umAhzZqxVWPpsOfBefaN28kFaYQmdrdgTzUbX38IJCv1dVT6HkroCquGgOuMMc6-i-dcfsHduel-hfxwjnevH7bkSnCgDyJgxELk0FWSliRuzTGb/?imgmax=800
(2) http://photos.safaribookings.com/library/namibia/xxl/Namib_Naukluft_National_Park_021.jpg
(3) http://www.hdwallpapersos.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/109510_b46553d7b5770076bc44f21d28276143_large.jpg
(4) http://www.namibia-tours-safaris.com/assets/images/banner-namibia-highlights-safari-1.jpg
(5) http://www.asherworldturns.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/IMG_1454.jpg
(6) http://gallery.photo.net/photo/6623815-md.jpg
(7) http://image2.redbull.com/rbcom/010/2014-05-07/1331649641199_10/0012/0/95/0/1745/2479/800/10/deadvlei-namibia-desert-tree.jpg