Namibia > Flying over the sand dunes

Namibia - The old Amtsgericht recalls German influences in Namibia

Today we have a free day, so there’s no reason to get up early. Only Ramon is already up at seven to go sea kayaking. He takes our laundry bags with him, which need to be handed in before nine. We don’t need to get up before nine. Around half past nine we sit down for breakfast. Afterwards, we stroll into the town of Swakopmund. It’s remarkable to see that the town is so complete with all its amenities, while just a few hundred meters away the desert begins. At the lighthouse we are approached by yet another seller of “something.” He asks our names. When we walk back from the pier, he comes up to us and shows that he has specially engraved our names. Unfortunately, we’re not interested. We visit several shops, have a drink at a café, and visit the Woermann Tower—an old tower of the Woermann factory. We can get the key at a nearby store. From the tower, we have a nice view over Swakopmund.

Namibia - A flight over the Sossusvlei sand dunes

In one of the souvenir shops I buy a soapstone giraffe figurine. In the next shop, a carved wooden elephant. After lunch in Swakopmund, we return to the hostel. At 2:30 p.m., we are picked up and taken to the airport. We pay 1,360 NAD in the departure hall (or whatever passes for one) for the scenic flight over Sossusvlei. At exactly three o’clock, we sit two by two in the Cessna. Ryan, our pilot, positions his plane at the end of the line of Cessnas taking off. The other planes probably take a different route because soon we are alone in the air. The strong wind lifts a lot of desert sand, limiting visibility. Fortunately, this clears quickly, and the view is magnificent. We fly about 300 kilometers south to the canyon and the Sossusvlei sand dunes. The desert and sand dunes are stunning from above. Sometimes it’s tricky to capture them properly on camera in the small plane. After Sossusvlei, Ryan begins the descent. We fly low over the old diamond huts and the shipwrecks along the Skeleton Coast.

Namibia - The pilot of the Cessna

Along the coast, we head north again and gain some altitude. After seeing the salt pans, flamingos, and Walvis Bay from the air, we approach Swakopmund. After two and a half hours, Ryan safely lands the plane on the runway. The minibus then brings us back to Hostel Villa Wiese after this fantastic experience. In the room, I start repacking the luggage and securely pack the new souvenirs. In the evening, Cheryl and Thomas take us to a restaurant in the city center (they return on their own). I order ostrich—delicious! We walk back through the town to the hostel. In the bar, we decide to end the evening with a drink. We sit there together with the Djoser group until the bar closes.