Travels in Geology: The desert geology of Namibia: A writer and her father explore otherworldly dunes, oases and meteorites
by Kathrina Szymborski Wednesday, June 6, 2018
Any minute now a giant sandworm will burst out of the ground and devour me, I thought as I collapsed on the sand. Just like in Frank Herbert’s book, “Dune,” about an alien desert planet.
I had just climbed Dune 45, the world’s most photographed dune, in Namib-Naukluft National Park, Namibia. The sand slipped out from under my feet with each step I took up the 170-meter-high dune. The wind, tame in the valley below, hurled sharp grains of sand against my face. The sun seared my skin. I suddenly understood why the desert Fremen people in “Dune” only moved at night.
Why? Stunning scenery, wildlife and lonely desert roads
Time needed: 10 days
With its good, unsealed roads and beautiful desert scenery, nothing beats Namibia. You can even tick off the Big Five (elephant, lion, leopard, rhino and buffalo) if you have a keen eye and a bit of luck.
Begin in the capital of Windhoek, before driving south to the towering dunes around Sossusvlei, which are at their most beautiful at dawn. Continue your desert journey to the charmingly Germanic seaside town of Swakopmund before driving up a small portion of the Skeleton Coast and heading inland to Etosha National Park. You might want to stop at a secluded lodge such as Vingerklip, on the way.
‘Oompale’ fundraiser a resounding success
GONDWANA’S Etosha King Nehale Lodge was this past weekend the scene of an important fundraising event, described by the organisers as an emphatic success.
A cash amount of over N$400 000 was collected and/or pledged, while the in-kind donations included six head of cattle and two sheep.
The event was organised by the Oompale Trust Fund and was, among others, attended by
Omukwaniilwa Fillemon Shuumbwa Nangolo of the Ondonga Traditional Authority (OTA) who is also the Trust Fund’s patron.
According to Oombale Trustee Loise Shixwameni, the amount of slightly over N$400 000 does not include the lodge’s in-kind donation of 30 free rooms for the duration of the event that lasted two days.
Erik Petersen/Washington Post via Getty Images
, a new Vox reporting initiative on the science, politics, and economics of the biodiversity crisis.
You don’t have to look far to find signs that wildlife is in peril. And most of the news stories about it these days follow a predictable formula: Species are going extinct and, in most cases, humans are to blame.
To be clear, that’s true, and there’s every reason to be alarmed. A report from September, for example, found that the populations of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish have declined by almost 70 percent, on average, since 1970. Another finds that 1 million species are threatened with extinction.