Namib-Naukluft Park
Sossusvlei Sand Dunes, the highest in the world. The name 'Sossusvlei' applies to an area that encompasses the great plain of the Tsauchab River together with the red dunes that march along like giant sentinels to the south and north of the plain. Sossusvlei's name, a combination of Afrikaans and the native Nama words meaning "dead-end marsh," derives from its having no natural outfall for rains.
Deadvlei
Also located in the Namib-Naukluft Park is a white clay pan located near the more famous salt pan of Sossusvlei, inside the Namib-Naukluft Park in Namibia. Also written DeadVlei or Dead Vlei, its name means "dead marsh. The trees pictured are Camel thorn trees
Sesriem Canyon
Carved by the Tsauchab rivier in the sedimentary rock, about a kilometer long and up to 30 meters deep. The name Sesriem is Afrikaans, and stems from a legend told by local farmers. It means "six belts", these early settlers returning from the Dorsland Trek[3] had to attach six leather reins (from the oxen pulling their wagons) to reach buckets down into the canyon to scoop up water.
Dune 45
Dune 45 is a star dune in Sossusvlei, Namibia. Its name comes from the fact that it is at the 45th kilometer of the gravel road that connect the Sesriem gate and Sossusvlei. Standing over 170m, it is composed of 5 million year old sand that is detritus accumulated by the Orange River from the Kalahari Desert and then blown here.
We rose before sunrise to capture the sun as it began to rise from the dessert. We hiked up Dune 45 as the valley was flooded with light.
We rose before sunrise to capture the sun as it began to rise from the dessert. We hiked up Dune 45 as the valley was flooded with light.
Skeleton Coast
Traveling by boat we headed to Pelican Point from Swakopmund to see the Cape Fur Seals, various birds, dolphin and Whale. The cape fur seals are a main stay along the Skeleton Coast, so named
for the bleached whale and seal bones which once covered the shore when the whaling industry was still active, as well as the skeletal shipwrecks caused by rocks offshore in the fog.
for the bleached whale and seal bones which once covered the shore when the whaling industry was still active, as well as the skeletal shipwrecks caused by rocks offshore in the fog.
More than a thousand vessels litter the coast. Portuguese sailors used
to refer to this are as "the gates of hell," one reason given for
explorer Diogo Cão's stone cross which he erected along these shores in
1486.
The White Lady
Located close to the road from Khorixas to Hentie's Bay, in the area of Uis, on the Brandberg massif. The "White Lady Group" is found in a cave known as "Maack Shelter" and portrays several human figures as well as oryxes. The "White Lady" is the most detailed human figure in the group. To reach The White Lady it is necessary to hike for about 45-60 minutes over rough terrain, along the gorge of the - normally - dry Tsisab river.
The "White Lady" is actually a medicine man with decorated legs and arms. He holds a bow in one hand and perhaps a goblet in the other. Because of the bow and the oryxes, the painting has also been interpreted as a hunting scene. The painting was probably made of ochre, charcoal, manganese, hematite, with blood serum, egg white and casein used as binding agents.
The "White Lady" is actually a medicine man with decorated legs and arms. He holds a bow in one hand and perhaps a goblet in the other. Because of the bow and the oryxes, the painting has also been interpreted as a hunting scene. The painting was probably made of ochre, charcoal, manganese, hematite, with blood serum, egg white and casein used as binding agents.
TWYFELFONTEIN
Twyfelfontein is situated in the Huab valley of the Mount Etjo formation in southern Kunene Region of Namibia, an area formerly known as Damaraland. The rocks containing the art work are situated in a valley flanked by the slopes of a sandstone table mountain.[1] An underground aquifer on an impermeable layer of shale sustains a spring in this otherwise very dry area.
Twyfelfontein valley has been inhabited by Stone-age hunter-gatherers of the Wilton stone age culture group since approximately 6,000 years ago. They made most of the engravings and probably all the paintings. 2,000 to 2,500 years ago the Khoikhoi, an ethnic group related to the San (Bushmen), occupied the valley, then known under its Damara/Nama name ǀUi-ǁAis (jumping waterhole). The Khoikhoi also produced rock art which can clearly be distinguished from the older engravings.
Twyfelfontein valley has been inhabited by Stone-age hunter-gatherers of the Wilton stone age culture group since approximately 6,000 years ago. They made most of the engravings and probably all the paintings. 2,000 to 2,500 years ago the Khoikhoi, an ethnic group related to the San (Bushmen), occupied the valley, then known under its Damara/Nama name ǀUi-ǁAis (jumping waterhole). The Khoikhoi also produced rock art which can clearly be distinguished from the older engravings.
Himba
The Himba are an ethnic group of about 20,000 to 50,000 people living in northern Namibia, in the Kunene region. They are mostly a nomadic, pastoral people, closely related to the Herero, and speak Otjihimba, a dialect of the Herero language.
Etosha National Park
_Staying at the Epacha Game Lodge & Spa on the Epacha Game Reserve, located along the southern boundary of Etosha National Park. This Photo came together as we slowly drove away from a watering hole in Etosha, as we left so did the pictured Oryx. We followed it as a parade of zebra and springbok headed in the opposite direction. we stopped our vehicle and watched as this convergence of wild life took shape.
OKONJIMA NATURE RESERVE
West of the Waterberg Plateau, the vast plains are occasionally broken by the remnants of ancient Sandstone outcrops, which once covered large areas of northern Namibia. Nestled among the Omboroko Mountains lies Okonjima – a Herero name meaning Place of the Baboons. This is much more than just a lodge. Okonjima is also home to The Africat Foundation.
