Windhoek Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in Apr)
Namib Desert Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in Apr)
Sand, Sun and Serenity in Namibia 🇳🇦
Desert Explorers Adventure Center offers the ultimate desert safari in Namibia!
With a personal tour guide by your side, you'll embark on an unforgettable adventure through the desert. They not only guide you but also capture those precious moments. Whether it's the awe-inspiring landscapes or the incredible wildlife, this safari will leave you in awe. They know all the ins and outs of the desert and will guide you through every step of the way.
Don't miss out on this incredible experience, get ready for a wild and fun-filled experience with Desert Explorers Adventure Center!
#namibia #desertsafari #desertadventure
Namibia's Death Valley - just the name is enough to send shivers down one's spine
The Namib Desert, said to be Africa's oldest desert, lends its name to the country of Namibia. Deep within this desert lies a place whose very name evokes a sense of dread: Death Valley.
Yet, this 'terrifying' location attracts a large number of tourists from around the world every year. What kind of landscape could possibly draw such crowds?
The Namib Desert is also known as the Namibian Red Desert, where the sand dunes under the sunlight take on a rust-red color.
🏜️ The world's tallest sand dune
In the Namib Desert, there's a dune called Big Daddy, which stands at 400 meters tall and is said to be the tallest dune in the world.
🏜️ The world's oldest sand dune
Dune 45 is the oldest dune on Earth. In the early morning or evening, the sunlight casts the dune's curves into the shape of an eagle, creating a magical and majestic sight.
🏜️ Death Valley is located deep within the Red Desert. Hundreds of years ago, this place was a marshland, but the intense sunlight evaporated all the water, turning it into a dry, saline land. The trees here have turned into petrified-like forms, standing erect in the dried marsh for thousands of years without decaying.
The journey to Death Valley is not an easy one. From the parking lot at the main entrance to Death Valley, it's almost 10 kilometers. Although you can take a shuttle, you still need to walk a considerable distance. Moreover, walking in the scorching desert sun can be extremely challenging.
🏨 There are many hotels and resorts near the Namib Desert, and staying nearby overnight to enter the desert early the next morning is the choice of most people. Of course, some choose to spend the night in the desert, as it is a global dark sky reserve, and the night sky filled with stars is enough to dazzle your eyes. However, for the average tourist, hotels are a safer option.
The setting sun casts a red glow over the desert, and the antelopes call out, leaving dust in their wake—Namibia's 'Desert Sunset Safari'
At first hearing, one might mistake 'Namibia' for a 'unit of length', a minuscule measure in the microscopic world.
In fact, it is the name of the newest country in Southwest Africa, derived from the 'Namib Desert'. This region is considered to be the oldest desert in the world, with a history of at least 80 million years. It receives less than 10 millimeters of rainfall annually, is almost completely barren, and most areas are uninhabited and inaccessible. 'Namib' in the local language means 'vast and arid plains'.
The Namib Desert, like the deep sea, has always drawn people to explore it. The British writer Thomas Browne once said, 'There is an Africa within everyone, primitive and mysterious', and it is said that all humans originated from Africa.
I have always longed to explore this primitiveness and mystery, eagerly awaiting the opening act of my first African adventure.
After a bumpy five-hour bus ride from the capital, I finally arrived at the Namib Desert Lodge, only for the sky to darken and a torrential downpour to suddenly pour down. My first encounter with the desert was met with rain, and I didn't know whether to feel worried or happy.
The weather in arid Africa is like 'a child's face', where the rare rain stops as suddenly as it starts. When the clouds part and the sun rises, the sky becomes as clear and bright as a polished mirror.
After 5 PM, the registered tourists split into two off-road jeeps and headed to a private estate reserve for the magnificent 'Desert Sunset Safari' under the lingering light of the setting sun, amidst the grandeur and majesty, on the red sand dunes, inviting deeper exploration.
This is the most spectacular, dramatic, and surreal place on the African continent, with its majestic atmosphere, stunning beauty, wild strength, clean purity, mysterious unpredictability, diverse variability, and remote wonder.
Along the way, the host introduced the interesting and stubborn growth of desert life; a few oryxes with beautiful patterns seemed to await the arrival of distant guests with the demeanor of desert masters; from a high platform, one could look down upon the village below, where the beautiful play of light and shadow of African football and the red heart sculpture shone brightly at dusk.
The wilderness, solitude, freedom, and howling wind, the Creator has piled up all the beauty of intense conflict here, creating the most spectacular drama.
When the sky is filled with rosy clouds and the moon begins to rise, a champagne celebration is set up on the mountain top. The African continent is never short of romance, and I capture my own silhouette in the midst of this grand drama with my camera.
Wild Serenity in Namibia
A surreal canvas unfolds in Namibia's Namib Desert, where dunes, sculpted by the wind's gentle touch, dance beneath the African sun. Silence reigns as golden sands stretch endlessly, interrupted only by the haunting allure of Deadvlei's ancient, petrified trees.
Review:
Namibia's magic whispers through the dunes, inviting you to witness sunrise at Dune 45—the shifting hues are a mesmerizing spectacle. Climb Big Daddy for a panoramic sweep of the desert's grandeur, and lose yourself in Sossusvlei's ethereal landscapes.
Recommendations: 🌄 Catch sunrise at Dune 45 for an otherworldly experience. 🚗 Opt for a 4x4 excursion to explore hidden desert gems. 📷 Photograph Deadvlei's stark contrasts during the golden hours.
Namibia's quiet magnificence etches itself into your soul. Embrace the solitude, marvel at the untouched beauty, and let the desert's serenity redefine your notion of vastness. #NamibMagic #DuneDreams #SossusvleiSilence #DesertWanders
#freehotelstay#localguides#familytrip
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Deadvlei Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in Apr)
Deadvlei Nambia - Frozen in time
Deadvlei, located in the heart of the Namib Desert in Namibia, is a surreal and otherworldly landscape frozen in time. The stark, white clay pan contrasts sharply with the surrounding red sand dunes, and the iconic skeletal camel thorn trees that dot the landscape are estimated to be over 900 years old.
The journey to Deadvlei is not for the faint of heart. The route takes travelers through some of the most remote and inhospitable landscapes on Earth. However, the payoff is more than worth it. Visitors are transported to a different world, where time seems to have stopped.
The vast expanse of Deadvlei provides endless opportunities for exploration and photography. As the sun rises and sets, the colors of the clay pan and the surrounding dunes shift dramatically, providing a constantly changing backdrop for the ancient trees.
Deadvlei is a truly unique and unforgettable destination that should be on every traveler's bucket list. It is a testament to the incredible power of nature and the enduring spirit of life, even in the harshest of environments.
Solitude and silence stretch powerfully—Namibia's "Death Valley"
Having just witnessed the ever-changing light and shadow of Dune 45, I immediately arrived at the nearby millennia-old static "Death Valley," where the visual and psychological impact is immense.
From Dune 45, walking deeper into the desert, you reach "the driest valley in the world"—"Death Valley." The sights here and the awe they inspire are incomparable to the usual seas and mountains. In this silent desert, the solitude of life, the silence of sound, and the infinite extension of the dunes all create a unique solemn atmosphere, evoking a natural reverence.
In the hinterlands of the Sossusvlei dunes, 900 to 1000 years ago, a severe drought struck. As the dunes shifted, they blocked the rivers, and the groundwater was quickly depleted. Rainfall became scarce, and plants lost their source of life. Trees slowly died under the scorching sun, their charred branches starkly contrasting with the rust-red dunes, leaving an unforgettable impression.
Death Valley is aptly named. For nearly a thousand years, there have been no signs of life here. Black withered branches, red dunes, and white parched land resemble a hell cursed by the gods and scorched by fire, carrying a bizarre beauty.
The famous dead lake basin in this desert has been a location for numerous films and advertisements. Lone dead tree branches have stood here for centuries, embodying a unique desolation and grandeur.
At this moment, I am reminded of the phrase: "All the splendor of the world is but a handful of sand."
For 900 years, there have been no signs of life here. The marshes dried up, the animals disappeared, but the dead trees were reborn in another form.
Trees that died centuries ago were quickly dried by the wind and did not rot like in other places. They have stood for centuries on the already cracked marshland, presenting another sign of life.
It is astonishing that the white clay depressions have not been buried by the sand, but rather have been washed bare, exposing the skin of the years.
It is this valley that pushes the cruel beauty of the desert to the extreme: a small basin surrounded by towering dunes, the azure sky, the orange-yellow dunes, and the gray-white soil form a striking backdrop, with the dead camel thorn trees stretching their powerful branches...
The trees, quietly rooted in the earth, silent and speechless, yet witness the passage of time. They seem to be telling their own story.
The tree is a child of the earth, born and grown here. It has witnessed the change of seasons and endured the baptism of wind, rain, thunder, and lightning.
Yet, it always maintains its reticence and silence, as if to tell the world: I can only stand here, silently guarding this land. I need no words, only to exist.
Namibia's Death Valley - just the name is enough to send shivers down one's spine
The Namib Desert, said to be Africa's oldest desert, lends its name to the country of Namibia. Deep within this desert lies a place whose very name evokes a sense of dread: Death Valley.
Yet, this 'terrifying' location attracts a large number of tourists from around the world every year. What kind of landscape could possibly draw such crowds?
The Namib Desert is also known as the Namibian Red Desert, where the sand dunes under the sunlight take on a rust-red color.
🏜️ The world's tallest sand dune
In the Namib Desert, there's a dune called Big Daddy, which stands at 400 meters tall and is said to be the tallest dune in the world.
🏜️ The world's oldest sand dune
Dune 45 is the oldest dune on Earth. In the early morning or evening, the sunlight casts the dune's curves into the shape of an eagle, creating a magical and majestic sight.
🏜️ Death Valley is located deep within the Red Desert. Hundreds of years ago, this place was a marshland, but the intense sunlight evaporated all the water, turning it into a dry, saline land. The trees here have turned into petrified-like forms, standing erect in the dried marsh for thousands of years without decaying.
The journey to Death Valley is not an easy one. From the parking lot at the main entrance to Death Valley, it's almost 10 kilometers. Although you can take a shuttle, you still need to walk a considerable distance. Moreover, walking in the scorching desert sun can be extremely challenging.
🏨 There are many hotels and resorts near the Namib Desert, and staying nearby overnight to enter the desert early the next morning is the choice of most people. Of course, some choose to spend the night in the desert, as it is a global dark sky reserve, and the night sky filled with stars is enough to dazzle your eyes. However, for the average tourist, hotels are a safer option.
Namibia's Red Desert Luxury Play Method You Should Know About N Things!
🏜️The oldest desert in the world is the Namib Desert in Namibia, a World Natural Heritage site, located in the largest national park in Africa, Namib-Naukluft National Park. The representative main visual of Namibia that we have seen countless times everywhere is the Death Valley here, next to the Sossusvlei Salt Marsh.
Over 900 years ago, the climate suddenly became dry, and the sand dunes cut off the river that supplied water here. The camel thorn trees died, and the intense sunlight scorched them. The climate was too dry, and the trees didn't even have a chance to decompose and rot, so they became the black tree branches that are now over a thousand years old, and the desert behind them is called the Red Desert because of its reddish color.
🎫Tickets:
Drive in the morning to get a registration number at the entrance, remember this number and drive directly into the gate to the shuttle bus at the farthest end to get into Death Valley.
Generally, you won't drive to the farthest end yourself, because pure sand is too dangerous and easy to sink.
Come back and take this car, get off the car and buy a ticket for 180 Namibian dollars/person in the small house.
When leaving by car, buy a park ticket in the green house on the left hand side near the park gate, 650 for a car with 4 people. Give the slip to the park gate guard, register and leave.
You can re-enter within the same day with the ticket, such as going to Dune 45 at sunset. But you must leave by 19:45.
🏨Hotels:
From a personal preference and experience perspective, the feeling of seeing the Red Desert Death Valley is far less than staying in a desert luxury hotel.
If you want to enjoy both the luxury hotel and the Red Desert, you need to stay in the desert for two nights.
1️⃣Desert Quiver Camp
The price is lower, about a thousand, only includes breakfast. Dinner can be ordered from the hotel's menu of ingredients, and you can barbecue yourself in front of the room. The ingredients are very cheap, the quantity is large, and they are all marinated, just grill them directly. Including large antelope meat, steak, chicken wings, onions, potatoes, etc. Drinks can only be ordered at the bar, so it is recommended to buy them from the supermarket and bring them.
There is a pool under the hill where you can watch the sunset, the scenery is very good.
It is especially suitable for star shooting, with very little light pollution.
The guest rooms are spacious, with bathrooms, toilets, and washrooms all available, and the quality is good.
The breakfast is very rich, you have to go to the Sossusvlei Lodge opposite to eat. The hotel is more upscale than Quiver Camp, a standard desert luxury boutique hotel.
Disadvantages: The room has no internet, only the pool bar has.
Plugs: European standard, Swiss and South African, Swiss sockets with European ends can also be used.
It is recommended to stay here when going to the Red Desert.
2️⃣Le Mirage Resort
It is said to be the best resort in the area, a 20-minute drive from the Red Desert, a luxury resort hotel that looks like a black castle + yellow castle.
The room rate includes breakfast and dinner, the breakfast quality is relatively poor, and there are few types. Dinner is a set meal, with a choice of large antelope meat and chicken.
The potato soup tastes like mashed potatoes with water and instant noodle seasoning, it's very delicious, suitable for Chinese taste.
The hotel looks good, but it's messy and can't be photographed.
The room is spacious and good-looking, and there is a fun room without a roof on the top floor, with all open-air beds, toilets, and bathrooms, suitable for taking big shots.
There is a massage bath in the grass next to the pool, the temperature is relatively high, can be used for relaxation.
Internet: The room has no internet, only the front desk and pool bar have.
It is recommended to stay here and not go anywhere.
The main source of guests for these hotels is said to be mostly Germans and French.
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Bluecrane Safaris Namibia Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in Apr)
On arrival at Windhoek Airport in the afternoon, you will be greeted and connect a scheduled chrater flight to Sossusvlei.
On road transfer to your camp in the private Kuala Wilderness Reserve, which is the gateway to Namibia's Sand Sea with its towering dunes and clear starry skies. Settling into this new surroundings and discuss with your guide on what you would like to see or do in coming days. You may enjoy a refreshing dip at your private plunge pool, before the mouth-watering dinner to be served. Your day is filled with exciting and unique activities in the world-famous Sossusvlei and especially Deal Vlei and 'The Big Daddy'. After breakfast, you will get on a 4x4 vehicle for a nature drive, encounter with the desert-adapted wildlife, such as ostrich, springbok, gemsbok, spotted and brown hyena and cheetah are occasionally present.
After an early breakfast, you will transfer to the airstrip for flight to Swakopmund. Upon Arrival you will enjoy a private road transfer to your hotel in Swakopmund.
Private leisure by the beach in the afternoon while the coastal town is famous for mouth-watering seafood.
In morning you will enjoy a Kayaking activity with the Cape Fur Sea in a colony of up to 50,000 cape fur sealsl!
After kayaking our representative will take you on a Sandwich Harbour 4x4 Excursion into the Namib Naukluft Park, now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Giant sand dunes run straight into the ocean, creating beautiful sceneries and unique landscapes.
After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airstrip for light aircraft flying to world-renowned Etosha National Park. After enjoying lunch at camp, head out to the grassy plains around a huge salt pan for game drive. “Etosha” means “White Place”, offer the most beautiful scenery as a lake after heavy rains and attracts large flocks of pink candy-floss colored flamingo.
Wake up early in the morning to search for your favorite wildlife on a game drive into neighbouring Etosha National Park to view the astonishing variety of life found in this spectacular environment. The area hosts a vast array of animals including the Big Five, as well as giraffes, and rare and unusual species like the black-faced impala, Hartmann’s mountain zebra.
In the afternoon, you could take a nature walks, photographic hides, lounging by the pool, or relaxing on your private deck are all wonderful ways to enjoy and reflect on your journey of a lifetime.
On arrival at Windhoek Airport in the afternoon, you will be greeted and connect a scheduled chrater flight to Sossusvlei.
On road transfer to your camp in the private Kuala Wilderness Reserve, which is the gateway to Namibia's Sand Sea with its towering dunes and clear starry skies. Settling into this new surroundings and discuss with your guide on what you would like to see or do in coming days. You may enjoy a refreshing dip at your private plunge pool, before the mouth-watering dinner to be served. Your day is filled with exciting and unique activities in the world-famous Sossusvlei and especially Deal Vlei and 'The Big Daddy'. After breakfast, you will get on a 4x4 vehicle for a nature drive, encounter with the desert-adapted wildlife, such as ostrich, springbok, gemsbok, spotted and brown hyena and cheetah are occasionally present.
After an early breakfast, you will transfer to the airstrip for flight to Swakopmund. Upon Arrival you will enjoy a private road transfer to your hotel in Swakopmund.
Private leisure by the beach in the afternoon while the coastal town is famous for mouth-watering seafood.
In morning you will enjoy a Kayaking activity with the Cape Fur Sea in a colony of up to 50,000 cape fur sealsl!
After kayaking our representative will take you on a Sandwich Harbour 4x4 Excursion into the Namib Naukluft Park, now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Giant sand dunes run straight into the ocean, creating beautiful sceneries and unique landscapes.
After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airstrip for light aircraft flying to world-renowned Etosha National Park. After enjoying lunch at camp, head out to the grassy plains around a huge salt pan for game drive. “Etosha” means “White Place”, offer the most beautiful scenery as a lake after heavy rains and attracts large flocks of pink candy-floss colored flamingo.
Wake up early in the morning to search for your favorite wildlife on a game drive into neighbouring Etosha National Park to view the astonishing variety of life found in this spectacular environment. The area hosts a vast array of animals including the Big Five, as well as giraffes, and rare and unusual species like the black-faced impala, Hartmann’s mountain zebra.
In the afternoon, you could take a nature walks, photographic hides, lounging by the pool, or relaxing on your private deck are all wonderful ways to enjoy and reflect on your journey of a lifetime.
On arrival at Windhoek Airport in the afternoon, you will be greeted and connect a scheduled chrater flight to Sossusvlei.
On road transfer to your camp in the private Kuala Wilderness Reserve, which is the gateway to Namibia's Sand Sea with its towering dunes and clear starry skies. Settling into this new surroundings and discuss with your guide on what you would like to see or do in coming days. You may enjoy a refreshing dip at your private plunge pool, before the mouth-watering dinner to be served. Your day is filled with exciting and unique activities in the world-famous Sossusvlei and especially Deal Vlei and 'The Big Daddy'. After breakfast, you will get on a 4x4 vehicle for a nature drive, encounter with the desert-adapted wildlife, such as ostrich, springbok, gemsbok, spotted and brown hyena and cheetah are occasionally present.
After an early breakfast, you will transfer to the airstrip for flight to Swakopmund. Upon Arrival you will enjoy a private road transfer to your hotel in Swakopmund.
Private leisure by the beach in the afternoon while the coastal town is famous for mouth-watering seafood.
In morning you will enjoy a Kayaking activity with the Cape Fur Sea in a colony of up to 50,000 cape fur sealsl!
After kayaking our representative will take you on a Sandwich Harbour 4x4 Excursion into the Namib Naukluft Park, now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Giant sand dunes run straight into the ocean, creating beautiful sceneries and unique landscapes.
After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airstrip for light aircraft flying to world-renowned Etosha National Park. After enjoying lunch at camp, head out to the grassy plains around a huge salt pan for game drive. “Etosha” means “White Place”, offer the most beautiful scenery as a lake after heavy rains and attracts large flocks of pink candy-floss colored flamingo.
Wake up early in the morning to search for your favorite wildlife on a game drive into neighbouring Etosha National Park to view the astonishing variety of life found in this spectacular environment. The area hosts a vast array of animals including the Big Five, as well as giraffes, and rare and unusual species like the black-faced impala, Hartmann’s mountain zebra.
In the afternoon, you could take a nature walks, photographic hides, lounging by the pool, or relaxing on your private deck are all wonderful ways to enjoy and reflect on your journey of a lifetime.
Namib-Naukluft National Park Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in Apr)
The world famous Namibia Red Desert
standing on the sand dunes of the Namib
wind sand over the cheek
Liyang fascinated eyes
hot through the foot
this ancient red desert
me Came to take away the temperature
I left the foot
but will eventually be erased by time
Ps. Come to the desert must buy a red skirt in advance ~
The Namib Desert, named after Naama, means a place without everything, one of the oldest and driest deserts in the world.
In fact, after entering from the entrance of Namib Park, all the way to the west, the desert will gradually turn from brown to red. At the 45th kilometer, there will be a huge sand dune, the most beautiful red sand dune in the legendary curve. "The wonders of the world are very important, often in danger." The Namib Desert is the oldest desert in the world. The evolution of billions of years of nature, the dry hot winds weather the rocks in the mountains into fine sand and dust. An innocent sand sea. Sussex Sand Dunes lies in the depths of the desert. Because of the high iron content, it is all red, and the "Red Desert" comes from this. Sunlight gives it a silky graceful curve, red gives it the mysterious light of the flow, the light and the shadows are in harmony, half black and half red, black and quiet, red intoxicated, not like a real place.
Due to the special nature of Africa, there are relatively many devices carried this time.
body three: A7R2, A7R3, A9; lens three: Batis 18mm f/2.8, FE 85mm f/1.4 GM, FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS. In fact, these three lenses are positioned very clearly, landscapes, portraits and animals (landscapes).
There are also accessories such as Phantom 4 and Osmo.
Main model A9+ FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS.
Sossusvlei Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in Apr)
Sossusvlei is the ultimate bucketlist destination for the world traveller! Each day the sun rises and we have the choice to sleep in and keep dreaming or get our of bed and make them happen!
The Whispering Dunes of Namibia's Sossusvlei
My journey to Sossusvlei in the heart of Namibia's Namib Desert was an expedition into one of the most surreal landscapes on Earth. This vast salt and clay pan, surrounded by high red dunes, presents a tableau of stark beauty and contrasting colors that seem to whisper tales of the ancient forces that sculpted them.
Arriving at dawn, I was greeted by the sight of the dunes ignited by the first rays of sunlight, their colors shifting from burnished gold to deep red. The stillness of the morning, broken only by the soft rustle of the shifting sands, offered a profound sense of solitude and connection to the natural world.
Climbing the dunes, notably Dune 45, known for its accessibility and stunning vistas, was both a physical challenge and a spiritual ascent. The view from the crest, overlooking a sea of sand waves frozen in time, was breathtaking. The shadows cast by the morning sun created an ever-changing landscape of light and dark, highlighting the dunes' curves and the vastness of the desert.
Venturing further into the heart of Sossusvlei, I encountered Deadvlei, a white clay pan characterized by its dead acacia trees that stand as stark silhouettes against the backdrop of vibrant dunes. This scene, both haunting and beautiful, felt like stepping into a painting where time stood still. The contrast of the blackened trees, white pan, and red dunes encapsulated the harsh, yet mesmerizing, beauty of the Namib.
The silence of the desert was a canvas for reflection, allowing the whispers of the wind to carry thoughts and dreams across the sands. The enormity of the landscape and the enduring presence of the dunes served as a humbling reminder of the Earth's age and the fleeting nature of human existence.
Sossusvlei's allure lies not only in its visual spectacle but also in its ability to evoke a deep emotional response. The experience of walking across its pans, climbing its dunes, and standing in the shadow of its ancient trees was a journey through a landscape that defies words, yet speaks directly to the soul.
As the day waned and the heat of the desert began to swell, the changing light painted the landscape in ever softer hues, offering a final testament to the desert's ethereal beauty. My departure from Sossusvlei was not just a physical journey back to civilization but a departure from a place that had imprinted itself on my heart, leaving behind memories of its silent dunes and timeless vistas.
Visiting Sossusvlei was an encounter with the raw and unspoiled beauty of our planet, a reminder of the wonders that lie in the most remote corners of the Earth, whispering the ancient stories of nature's grandeur.
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