Namib Desert

On the road again as we leave Fish River Canyon behind us and head further north under a vivid blue sky and warm sunshine, the weather so far has been incredible, warm and dry with cool nights, we have a distance of 210kms to cover to our next overnight stop which is the farming town of Bethanien.

The landscape is dry and dusty with low scrub bush , but is dotted with trees that have huge communal nests built by weaver birds, we also spot some oryx and springbok along the way.
We continue north and cross dry river beds and drive through some stunning gorges.

In the morning we leave Bethanien early as we have just over 400kms to cover to reach our next destination....the Namib Desert and the incredible dunes of The Sossusvlei.

We spend the next three nights at the incredibly beautiful Hoodia Desert Lodge, which is one of the most stunning places we have ever had the privilege of staying in. The rooms are spread out in a line some distance from the main lodge, it gives a sense of remoteness and privacy that reflects its surroundings, we loved the huge outdoor shower ! The main lodge, dining room and outdoor deck area with plunge pool was breathtaking to say the least.

And just when you thought it couldn't get any better an oryx trotted past as we were enjoying lunch out on the deck.......magic.

On the first morning we had to get up very very early as we had to

make our way to the Sossusvlei Desert Lodge which was our pick up point for our Hot Air Balloon ride over the desert, truly one of the most memorable and exciting experiences we have ever had.

The scenery from the gondolier was extraordinary, even more so because there were two other balloons up in the air that morning, all travelling fairly close to each other as they rode the wind.

We spotted Oryx on the ground as they cast long shadows as the sun rose over the horizon, the peacefulness and tranquility was only

broken by the roar of the gas burners as they were fired up to give the balloon lift.

We floated and drifted for an hour before we made quite a soft landing on the desert sand. Eric the captain then, to our amazement, gently floated the balloon upwards off the ground again and landed the gondolier on the trailer.....wow !

The morning was finished off with a champagne brekky in the desert.