Landscapes and Wildlife of Southern Africa

Namibia was a study in contrasts: bleak deserts, towering sand dunes, and an ocean full of life.

The otherwordly landscape of the interior.

Colorful strata of rocks forming valleys.

Oryx do well in the desert, although these were being ranch-raised for meat. (I can recommend the oryx lasagna we had for lunch.)

Dining at our lodge, we had a wonderful view of the rolling landscapes.

Moonset over the dunes.

The sand is very red, a nice contrast with the blue sky.

Some animals, like the ground squirrel, eke out a living here.

The light and shadow created a constantly changing view.

Sociable weavers - which don't look very sociable here.

The angry bird.

One of the few areas where water collects during the winter rains.

By early spring it was already beginning to dry up.

Some of our group (not us!) decided to climb to the top of the dune and run down. All survived.

The few trees indicate underground watercourses.

A blackbacked jackal - they are very adaptable.

The badlands between the desert and the coast.

After leaving the desert we continued on to the coast - a long and bumpy ride. When we got there it was COLD, and even more so out on a bay cruise of Walvis Bay..

They had blankets for us.

A large colony of fur seals lives in the bay.

We got up close and personal with some.

Pelicans (much prettier than the brown pelicans in California) also came to visit. The truth is that the crew fed the seals and the pelicans to induce them to come and pose for pictures.