The Living Desert
Photos: The Living Desert
November 2, 2011
The goal of the day was to get out into the sand dunes of the Namibian desert and learn more about this fascinating ecosystem. We arranged for a tour with Living Desert Adventures. Our guide, Chris, though a bit quirky, was excellent.
The tour provided a great mix of not only seeing the dunes, but also the creatures that live there. Chris was able to track down sidewinder snakes, shovel lizards, beetles, spiders, geckos and even a chameleon for us all to see and photograph. We also had a great drive through the dunes and the magical scenery that comes along with it.
We were also quite impressed with Chris’ consideration for the environmental impact on the dunes and desert. He explained and showed photographs demonstrating how many of the tourist activities in Namibia have everlasting impact on the land. His biggest pet-peeve was clearly quad bikes and the inconsiderate actions of their drivers leave tire tracks throughout the desert that can be seen for years to come. Driving on the dunes themselves does not cause the same damage as the dunes are constantly changing and reforming daily with the wind. The tour is also very careful to use set tracks to go from one dune or desert area to the next to greatly minimize the impact on the environment.
After the tour, we spent the remainder of the afternoon heading north of town along the beachfront path. Despite being a gray day along the coast, it was still a nice walk. We ended the day with a light dinner at The Garden Cafe – our second visit there this week.