March to a different dune
down the almost vertical slope. At ground level is Deadvlei, a dry, cracked salt pan. Dotted with black, withered, petrified trees, which contrast dramatically with the white surface, red dunes and blue sky, it’s like a child’s vivid drawing.
The scenery evolves further during the rest of our week-long trip. Leaving Sossusvlei, we go from terracotta sand to red, rocky Martian landscapes, with a break at the eccentric, apocalypticseeming pit stop of Solitaire, one of the only places to get fuel for miles. It’s littered with rusting 1950s trucks, but its on-site bakery does a mean German-style apple pie. En route to the small seaside town of Walvis Bay, we stop for photos at the sign for the Tropic of Capricorn, then drive through what looks like a massive slate mine, sheer cliffs of sparkling rock rising above the gravel road. Walvis Bay is home to a large lagoon, populated by thousands of flamingos in every shade of pink, from pastel to neon – Insta-heaven.
More photogenic animals – if not quite as fragrant – await a hundred miles north, along what’s memorably known as the Skeleton Coast, thanks to the ships that have been wrecked along it over the centuries, some of which you can still see. The Cape Cross seal colony is a barking – literally – collection of marine mammals, who sprawl over the sand, clambering on top of each other or taking refreshing dips in the Atlantic – yet another of so many marvellous sights we’ve seen along the way. And guess what? We didn’t even get a flat tyre…
The sand sinks under us, giving a workout akin to 12 hours on a step machine
Namibia is now on the UK travel corridor list, though some flight stopove stopovers may not be. Chec Check travel advice before befor going abroad