March 17, 2023
Today we went down into the Sesriem Canyon which was formed millions of years ago by the Tsauchab River and was a vital source of water for people living in the desert.
The sun was rising as we walked from our kalala to the main lodge.
After breakfast, we parted ways as Brent's group would be doing both the dunes and Dead Vlei that we did yesterday, as well as the Sesriem Canyon that would be the main focus of my day.
The sky was a brilliant blue with gorgeous white cloud formations. The colors of the desert really stood out today as we drove to the national park for our canyon adventure.
The ostriches were closer today. It was fun watching them search for food in the desert sands. A springbok was also grazing near the ostriches.
We watched an oryx amid the golden sands and red dunes.
We passed through the private entrance and enjoyed more amazing scenery as we drove to the main park entrance.
We wandered around the main park entrance and saw some birds in the trees eating berries.
The land grew rockier as we approached the canyon.
The Sesriem Canyon was formed long before humans lived in the desert. However, once humans arrived it was a valuable source of water. It was named by Afrikaans explorers because they used "ses" (six) "riem" (leather straps) to lower buckets into the canyon to scoop up the water.
The return journey to the lodge brought more beautiful views, as well as springbok and oryx.
Brent's trip was ambitious! They did the dunes,
Dead Vlei,
and the canyon.
Along the way, they also saw a puff adder, beetles and interesting plants and trees.
Back at the lodge, we were greeted by a pied crow perched on the deck.
We relaxed and watched more oryx at a waterhole while a springbok grazed nearby.
In the evening, Brent and a couple others went on an ATV ride.
While they were exploring, I went with others on an evening walk to the riverbed (they passed us by on their return to the lodge.)
Gabriel showed us different bird feathers, like this one from a pied crow.
As we passed by the waterhole, it was surrounded by thirsty weaver birds flying down to dip their beaks in the water.
He also showed us different kinds of animal dung like the black-backed jackal
and the oryx. The females leave individual pellets that they drop as they walk along, but the males leave large piles that also serve to mark their territory.
He explained how as the trees die, they still stay standing for a long time because of the dry desert conditions. The termites slowly eat away at the layers of bark. The first to go is the outer layer that protects the tree. Next goes the inner bark, phloem, which carries the nutrients to the tree. Finally, they eat away at the xylem, which is the sapwood that carries water to the tree. He had us guess which of the two trees had been decaying the longest.
It was the front one he is touching because it was eaten down to the xylem and the one in the back only down to the phloem.
However, some plants that look as dead as the trees are actually only dormant. As soon as a rain falls, it will quickly grow green.
Next he showed how to brush away the sand to check for the burrows of tiny animals like scorpions and geckos. There was no one in the first he checked.
The trees growing along the riverbed were still green.
He showed how the leaves curl to collect moisture from the fog during times that the river is dry.
The ant hills in the Namib desert grow down into the ground instead of up from the ground.
The sun was just beginning to set when we began our journey back to the lodge.
On the way back, we found a baby common barking gecko just ready to emerge from the safety of its burrow. They are called a barking gecko because of the barking sound they make if threatened. Like other geckos, they can grow back their tail if a predator gets a hold of it.
Back at the lodge, we enjoyed the amazing colors of the setting sun as we waited for our final dinner at Sossusvlei.
