Capt. Daley's Sea Stories Namibia Expedition Sossusvlei, 5 of 6 24 March 2011 The name "Sossusvlei" roughly means "dead end marsh". "Vlei" is the afrikaans word for "marsh", while "sossus" is Nama for "no return" or "dead end". Sossusvlei is a drainage basin without outflows for the ephemeral Tsauchab River. This area is characterized by high sand dunes of vivid pink to orange color, due to a high percentage of iron in the sand and consequent oxidation processes. The oldest dunes are those of a more intense reddish color. These dunes are among the highest in the world; many of them are above 1,000 feet, the highest is nicknamed Big Daddy, and is 1,245 feet high. Fauna in the Sossusvlei area is relatively rich. It mostly comprises small animals that can survive with little water, including a number of arthropods, small reptiles and small mammalians such as rodents or jackals. Bigger animals include oryxes, springboks and ostriches. During the flood season, migrant bird species appear along the marshes and rivers. Much of the fauna is endemic and highly adapted to the specific features of the Namib. Most notably, the Namib Desert Beetle has developed a technique for collecting water from early morning fogs through the bumps in its back. (c) Capt. Gregory C. Daley, 2011 info@captaingreg.net http://www.captaingreg.net These photos have been resized up from their original images. The original images are 5616 pixels by 3744 pixels with higher resolution. If you would like a copy for your personal use, please email me and I will email the original image to you at no charge. If you wish to purchase an image for commercial use, the charge is $ 100 USD per image. Contact me at info@captaingreg.net
The Sociable Weaver earned its name by building nests which house hundreds of families. The bird is small and yellowish green. The Weaver feeds on insects. I was always glad to see them around my boat!
A young kudu in the Moringa Valley
An adolescent kudu his horns have not developed the characteristic corkscrew shape yet.
We were astonished to find that the staff had prepared a surprise breakfast for us in the valley.
Such an elegant breakfast for being in the middle of a desert
AndBeyond knows no limits in making their safaris memorable.
Here, at the end of the Moringa valley, in the middle of the desert, is a waterfall. What a picturesque place for breakfast!
Moringa Valley has several families of giraffes in residence.
Walking
Running
Baby Giraffe
Can you spot the leopard? The guide saw him from over 200 yards out. Even pointing at him, I had trouble seeing him.
There he is. How the guide spotted him is beyond me.
He is in the cave. You can zoom in on the photo to see him better.
Here is a closer look at a Sociable Weaver community nest.
Yet another beautiful African desert sunset
This is one of three other lodges in the area. We spoke to some folks who stayed here who were very disappointed.
Long, wide, open, unimproved roads that s Namibia.
Driving conditions were challenging. The two ladies in this rent car managed to roll it. The good news was that they were in front of a hotel when it happened. People came out and helped them. Given the desolation of Namibia, these ladies were very lucky!
They were not injured!
Diane found a scorpion on the bathroom floor. She put a glass over it to let the staff deal with it later. They probably just took the glass off and shooed the scorpion back outside.
Diane s pet scorpion