April 10, 2023
We were late docking in Walvis Bay, Namibia due to the fact that we had left Cape Town 5 hours late due to a storm that prevented us from leaving the narrow bay. The skies were overcast as we docked but the weather forecast said it would clear later in the morning.
Namibia (super fun to say) Namibia officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. Namibia gained independence from South Africa on 21 March 1990, following the Namibian War of Independence. Namibia is one of the least densely populated countries in the world.
Walvis bay the largest coastal city in the country with a population of 62,096 people and 100,000 flamingos. Our tour guide joked that each Namibian has their own flamingo!!
I headed off to Dune 7, the tallest peak in Namibia to do some dune surfing in a 4X4. I had so much fun in Dubai doing this that I wanted one more chance for a dune ride. The name Dune 7 is because it is the seventh dune after crossing the Tsauchab River. It is 1256 feet high!!!
On our way to the dunes we stopped at the Walvis Bay Lagoon to photograph the masses of flamingos that inhabit one of the biggest natural wetlands in the Southern Hemisphere. Unfortunately it was still overcast so the pictures don’t reflect the beauty of the flamingos.
Next we headed to the top of a dune that overlook the salt flats. Walvis Bay Salt produces approximately 1 million tons of salt per year through solar evaporation of seawater. Most of the salt is for industrial use but the company also produces table salt under the “Cerebos” brand. They flood the land with seawater then let it evaporate. It takes 5 years for the evaporation process to complete.
Back in the 4×4 driving along the shore we headed toward the dunes. At the top of a small dune we stopped at a loo (rustic port-a-potty) while the drivers let air out of the tires. A group of guys started heading out into the dune and so the ever curious me followed thinking they saw something. Well they were just headed out to relieve themselves so I got to see something I really didn’t want to!
Let the fun begin! We cruised up and down the steep dunes for about an hour then stopped at the top of Dune 7 just above Sandwich Harbor. At that point we were given the option of walking down the dune to the picnic below or to ride down. Of course I walked down sinking up to my knees in sand!!!
After the picnic we sand surfed back to the main road then back to the ship!
Oh yeah…another best day ever!!!
Now we have 8 at sea days until we reach Tenerife, Spain. I have been traveling 100 days and only 20 days till I am back home.
