Desolate, gigantic and inviting. (Namib Desert)

Member Name: B-DISE

Product:	Namib Desert
Date:	27/03/08 (93 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Extraordinary.

Disadvantages: You need lots of liquids.

How can a desert ever charm one and arouse the curiosity to explore it's vast surroundings? A desert as a holiday destination? No, not possible, or can it be that there are still people out there being exhilirated by the thought of discovering an unspoiled beauty.

I dare you, take a step into the landscape through my eyes and you might be surprised how a barren picture in your mind could change once you take that leap of faith into the unkown. No, let me invite you to read, enjoy and then take your next step of faith by exploring this extraordinary destination within the borders of Namibia, experiencing the Namib Desert and surroundings personally.

Widely thought to be one of the oldest deserts, the Namib Desert stretches along the entire coastline, an 80 to 120 kilometer wide belt(50 to 70 mile). It varies from altitude 900 to 2000 meters(3000 to 6500 feet). Rising to 350 meters(1150 feet) the sand dunes around Sossusvlei are said to be the highest in the world. The colors of the dunes change constantly from apricot to gold to ivory-white and watching these wonderful changes is as exciting as climbing the dunes! Now do you not think it is worth exploring? The last time I ventured into this wonderful landscape I had to swop a Namibian radio station's shirt with a bike rider's shirt from South Africa. Well yes, it was a bit of fun in between my sightseeing although I still imagine he did that on purpose!

The Namib Desert proudly has a fascinating diversity of animal and plant life. From the "Dancing White Lady", a strange spider of the dunes to one of the plants that has been on earth longer than most others, known as the "Welwitschia Mirabilis". The variety of plant and wildlife in the desert will amaze you and charm you into coming back for more every time!

Two rivers cross the desert, the Kunene and Orange river, also forming the northern and southern borders of Namibia. In some areas the Namib Desert is not wider than 50 kilometers(31 miles), but moving inland it stretches to about 200 kilometers(125 miles).

Truly amazing gravel plains, rocky hills in chains, dry river-beds, two permanent river mouths, massive mountains east, salt and dune fields as far as the eye could see, would be any nature lover's dream to be able to explore. Oh, truly believe me, it is there, it is waiting silently to flaunt it's beautiful splendors, sharing with anyone interested.

Moving to the south you find a sea of sand, shifting it's massive weight changing before one's very eyes the look of their gigantic dune waves frequently. Yes, there are traces of old streams that failed eventually to reach the ocean and underground? Yes, underground the rivers though may cross the wasteland, always given away by being surrounded with greenery, although dry-looking to the normal eye.

Further up north the lands level eventually to a harder plain which occasionally have a granite mountain rising here and there. Very little soil are found here and it is confined to a few flood plains. Here you too will finally see the graveyard of a thousand ships where many survived the wrecks only to die in the desert. You will find yourself being at the Skeleton Coast which is amongst the most dramatic and unusual coastlines in the world, barren an stretching as far as 500 kilometer up the Namibian Coastline. History fanatics find the Skeleton Coast exhilirating to explore.

Imagine this, seeing cape fur seal colonies, inland desert elephants, lion, brown hyeana, giraffe and oryx to name only a few of the rich and abundantly wildlife in this windswept, desolate and misty landscape. The Namib Desert is waiting patiently for those who dare to explore it's vast beauty.

For more information visit, go2africa.com and thank you once again for joining in and reading.

Summary: One of the oldest deserts.