Journeying deeper, we were surrounded by the intense orange and red star-shaped dunes. Formed over five million years ago, the changing light gives them their animate appearance, with mornings and evenings the best times of day to see their three-dimensionality. The fascinating play of shadows in the Namib never ceased to amaze me. As my guide Enos said: “Every day is a new day.” Words from a man who has entered Sossusvlei four times a week for ten years of his life.
Our final destination was the iconic Big Daddy, Sossusvlei’s tallest dune. A well-trodden trail traverses the dune’s ridge, with a steep hike to the summit. As you incline, the white expanse of Deadvlei slowly appears, a dramatic contrast against the rust-orange sand and piercing blue sky. Around 900 years ago, the climate dried and dunes separated Deadvlei from the river which once sustained desert life. Too dry to decompose, the skeletal trees were scorched black in the sun, forming the stark forest which exists today. After taking in the sprawling desert vistas from Big Daddy, long lunar leaps are the fastest (and most fun) way to enter the eerie expanse of Deadvlei.
As the sun dips and the blanket of dusk falls, each minute brings a different shade to the mountains, a different light to the sky and a different feel to the air. One by one the stars make an appearance, and on this night, Venus shone particularly bright. When I reminisce about my Sossusvlei experience, the word ‘silence’ comes to mind. Never have I experienced a silence which can be only described as deafening.
