Namibia Day 3: Travel Day

travelphotography

Sep 14

Day three in Namibia started off quietly enough with a walk at Klein Aus Vista to watch the sunrise. Shortly after getting back from the walk we discovered a flat tire. Presumably it was a slow leak from a puncture that had happened on the way back from viewing the desert horses the previous evening. It wasn't completely flat so we were able to drive slowly into Aus to the petrol station/garage. The man there was able to fix the puncture in a very short amount of time, and we did not have another problem with the tire during the whole trip - so the repair held!

Everything we had read warned us that flat tires were considered a given while travelling in Namibia. This turned out to be our only one. We had a spare tire but never needed to use it. We did get a chip in our windshield from a passing vehicle kicking up a stone. With the bumpy gravel roads in Namibia this chip had turned into a much larger crack by the time our trip was over.

After our stop to get our tire repaired we hit the road for the Desert Homestead which is near Sesriem and the famous dunes at Sossusvlei. We decided to take the scenic route even though it added about an hour to our trip. The manager/owner at the Desert Horse Inn had strongly recommended this route and so had our guide book. Our only concern was whether the C27 would be drivable without 4 wheel drive. We did not have any problem, however I think if there had been rain we might have had trouble.

First view of the famous Namibian Sand Dunes

The views along the way were worth the extra distance. We caught our first views of the apricot colored sand dunes, saw more types of mountain ranges then we would thought existed, and saw quite a few animal species. It was my first sighting of bat-eared foxes. We saw a mother and three partially grown kits. They were just beautiful and were searching for insects with those large ears of theirs. We saw bat-eared foxes several more times in Namibia, and each time we saw an adult with partially grown kits.

We finally arrived at the Desert Homestead just in time for sunset - which was amazing.

Sunset as viewed from our chalet at the Desert Homestead

After dinner and unpacking I tried my hand an star photography for the first time. Had a lot of fun with it as the milky way, and the stars in general were so spectacular out here without any light pollution except for the little bit coming from the lodge and chalets.