Walvis Bay: Sandwich Harbour

Day 2 in Walvis Bay. And what a fantastic day it was!

Today, 10 friends from Insignia joined us on a tour I organized to Sandwich Harbour. We met up at 7:45a in the Martinis Bar and off we went walking down the gangway, across the pier, and out to the Harbor Front Gate to meet the tour operator.

We set off in a convoy of three 4x4 vehicles. First on the paved highway leading out of the city … then on to a dirt road. With the 4x4 gears engaged, we began our adventure, making sure not to stray off into the virgin soil where, under a thin crust, lies quicksand!

Our first stop was at the top of a dune that our Toyota Portal climbed easily. This was the overlook for the salt works . Here, our guides explained the process and told us that the pink algae in the water helps promote salt production. Something new I learned … only the top 10 cm or so of salt is scraped off, the remaining salt left for the next harvest.

Rolling back down the dune, we followed a rough road between small dunes to a lagoon where we found the flamingos. While normally both the greater and lesser flamingos can be found here, today we only saw the more colorful lesser flamingos. What a sight they made when one group took off in flight en masse.

At another stop along the way, one of the guides explained about the particles of magnetite that give patches on the dune a darker color. He swirled the sand around first. Then, using a magnet, he collected the iron particles, leaving behind just the sand. Sonia volunteered for the next part of the demonstration, which consisted of pouring the iron particles in her hand, and using the magnet under her hand to move the particles around. Fascinating.

Later, we saw where the sand had a pink/purple tint. This, we were told, is due to particles of tourmaline, garnet, and ruby being mixed with the sand. Our guide said that a close up of this sand would reveal the different particles, and also show us the mica and iron that is mixed in with it all.

Then we entered the restricted Sandwich Harbour section of Namib Naukluft National Park. This area is accessed by permit only … which our drivers had picked up when we stopped at the office so I could pay for the tour. What a difference water makes to the scenery. Gone was the desert/moon landscape of yesterday. Replaced instead with dunes that had fresh-water plants growing on them. Our guide said that digging down just 6 feet, one can find fresh water.

Our ride took us along the Atlantic Ocean, with the rough surf on our right … the dune belt running to our left. Our playground was essentially where the dunes meet the ocean. Soon after we began the drive along the ocean — possible only during low tide — we stopped to photograph three black-backed jackals that remained unperturbed by our presence.

We made a couple of stops along the shoreline to view the dunes where they stretched along the water. What our guide yesterday had said about the Atlantic taking the sand away from the dunes and then redepositing it to form new dunes became clear now that we were seeing the rough surf. At one point, some of us attempted to get some height by climbing a dune, but it was impossible. The sand was very loose … not the least bit compacted. I took a running start to see if I could make some headway, but fell to my knees after about four steps with no progress upward.

Then we turned inland. “Time to climb some dunes,” our guide said, explaining that we’d be driving up some steep, tall dunes and that he’d have to get some speed going in order to get to the top. The guides had all let air out of their tires already, so we buckled up for the crazy drive up and off we went. It was lots of fun. Mui was in the front seat trying to take some videos. We’ll have to see what kind of luck he had!

The view of Sandwich Harbour from the top was amazing. I slogged through the sand to a high point for some photos. And then we all played around a bit. Our guide was great, taking panoramas with us at both sides of the same shot. I could have spent hours hiking along the crest of the dunes. But all too soon we had to get going.

We were told that the drivers are able to go down dunes with up to a 38° slant. The ones we negotiated seemed a heck of a lot steeper. Eventually, the crazy ride down and around the dunes ended in an open space amidst the dunes … just our three vehicles in the entire space … not another soul anywhere near us. The vehicles parked, the rear hatches flung open, and like magic, oysters, a variety of meats and snacks, and champagne appeared on a table covered with a white table cloth. After toasting our adventure with bubbly, we all dug in.

The return drive along the coast was at speed to beat the incoming tide. Back in town, some of us decided to head to Anchors for two delicacies that the restaurant is famous for … as recommended by CD Ray. So, our drivers dropped us off at the restaurant instead of taking us to the port. Even with ordering only starters, the portions were huge … definitely enough to feed more than the eight of us. Calamari … melt-in-your-mouth-like-butter tender; cocochas … deep fried hake throats and cheeks in light batter with chili mayo; and a whole octopus tentacle. The draft beer I ordered was refreshing.

After our delicious al fresco meal overlooking the marina — made all the more pleasant because the sun had finally broken through the morning overcast — we walked back to the ship … maybe a mile. It was warmer than the chilly 55F that it had been when we left the ship at 7:45a, but still comfortable.

Another Namibian port tomorrow. Already, Mui and I are looking at when and how to revive old plans we had made to explore Namibia by land.Read more