Issue 11 | ...Celebrating the world’s richest continent | http://www.nomadafricamag.com | 29NAMIB DESERT
EXPLORE THE DUNES OF THE
Gallivant | Explore Namib Desertn a world full of contrasts I had
never seen before, I felt exhilarated
and as minuscule as one of those
millions of grains of sand.
Flying low, I could almost have
touched the dunes, so it seemed.
Just a Fata Morgana. Fata Morganas are
mirages seen right above the horizon.
Many a desert traveller has been de-
ceived into seeing an oasis or waterhole,
only to find out it was nothing but sand.
We had actually seen such a Fata Mor-
gana a few days before, while driving
through a flat area: in the distance, both
of us and our guide were sure we saw
the undulating sea moving at the hori-
zon. That image lasted for quite a while
as we kept on driving. But, there was no
sea for miles around.
Halfway through our 2500-mile trip in
Namibia, my husband and I arrived in the
modern city of Swakopmund shortlyafter noon and headed straight to the
Swakopmund airport. I had wondered
why our adventure was scheduled for
the early afternoon instead of in the
early morning hours when the light
would have been softer. It was because
of the fog, but more about that later. Our
flying object was a five-passenger high-
wing Cessna 210. The wings of a high-
wing plane are set on the top of the
airplane, thus affording an unobstructed
view of the scenery below. Make sure
you select this aircraft type, if you decide
to fly over the desert.
Being a photographer, I carried a camera
backpack, which our pilot wanted to
store in the cargo compartment. "Oh no,
please don't," I pleaded, "I have to have
my bag with me as I will need all my
lenses to capture the beautiful sights."
"You are lucky," our pilot said, "as we
have only four passengers today, youcan have the two back seats to yourself."
Wonderful! Not only did I have more
space than I needed, but I had also left
and right views of the panorama. And so
began my 2:10-hour fantastic experi-
ence.
As we took off at 2 p.m., the sun was ra-
diant in a mild blue sky. It took only a few
minutes to reach the dunes. None of us
uttered a word; we were enthralled by
and in awe of the stunning scenery! We
were flying south of Swakopmund, al-
most to Sossusvlei, home to the famous
red Dune 45. I had already been to this
dune; this one is most impressive seen
from the ground, especially early morn-
ings or late afternoons, when the low
sun bathes the dunes in colours ranging
from golden to purple, and the fog
paints abstract motives. But back to our
flight.
Flying as high as 300 m. / 984 ft. and asi
Seeing the vast expanse and high dunes of the Namib Desert at
ground level did not prepare me for the awe-inspiring beauty of an airborne experience.
The arid desert is interminable, unforgiving and inhospitable. Yet, flying as low as
60 m. / 197 ft., the dunes looked harmless, almost inviting. Looking down, I thought:
were I to fall, I would surely land in a soft-feathered bed.Words & Photographs: RENATE STRUB