Bloody hell, this was an exhilarating day! If I said that the “fight or flight” kicked in 8 or 9 times, it would not be an exaggeration. If I said that the landscape made me think I might have left earth, I’m not being dramatic. Our senses were challenged and we felt thoroughly alive.

Our day began with the Namibia immigration process, on board the ship, as Wallis Bay doesn’t have a cruise terminal. We were told that Wallis Bay receives only 5 or 6 cruise ships per year, so this was an unusual occurrence for them. Namibia is twice the size of Texas and has only 2.6 million residents, making it one of the least populous countries in the world. Our tour this day was a visit to the Sandwich Bay dunes. We met our guide, Wolfgang, and piled into his 4WD Toyota Land Cruiser. Wolfgang is of German descent but is 4th generation in Namibia.

Our first stop was to view a flock of flamingos. What a gorgeous sight and I could have stayed there all day, gazing at them. We drove on and made our way past the salt lakes, which are pink due to a salt-tolerant type of algae. Namibia exports 1.3 million pounds of salt per year. Its largest export is diamonds, followed by uranium. Yes, China is here but the Namibia government has put strict restrictions on their activities.

Soon we reached the Namib, the coastal desert that literally goes right to the ocean. We laughed and screamed as our cruiser bounced and swayed. One of our guides jumped out of his vehicle and started digging in the sand. What the heck? Soon he found what he was searching for…a translucent gecko…with a full belly, no less. Next up we found two types of antelopes; the larger Gemsbok which is the national animal of Namibia, and the smaller Springbok. We spotted seals and ostrich’s too, and were told about the native shrubs and plants that survive in this harsh environment.

We’ve now reached the dunes and I could not believe how tall they were. They were like small mountains and we were going to climb them. The leading vehicle started the ascent and made it to the top. We were next and we got almost to the top but didn’t make it. Shit, we were stuck! Our driver was clearly upset and radioed the leader for guidance. Soon we were attempting to back down the dune and we slid sideways into a hole. My heart was beating so hard, I could hear it in my ears. Eventually we drove back down to the bottom to try again, with the lead guide yelling in German to Wolfgang. He was shaking and we were praying, as we failed two more times before we made it to the top. He was clearly relieved and we congratulated him. It was then that he told us this was his first time driving a tour. Yikes!

At the top, some brave souls, including Marshall, attempted to walk down the dune. They were given 30 minutes; some stayed upright, some found the vertical pitch too difficult and went down on their bottoms. Marsh did it in short order and soon was surf side, and we all enjoyed a beautiful lunch and pink champaign by the sea.

After lunch, we continued to climb and descend the dunes. Each one, more terrifying than the other. I thought it would start becoming less scary, but no. Each one offered a different challenge, a different approach, a different angle. I tried to capture the pitch in photos but I don’t think it translated very well. We often crested the top and just slid down the other side, our driver assuring that we didn’t pitch and roll. After 5 hours of adrenalin pumping fun, we made our way back to the port, past pink clouds, pink lakes and pink flamingos. We were covered in sand, with a few bruises from banging around in the cruiser but it was an amazing day.

If anyone had told my 30-year-old self that I would one day climb dunes in Namibia, I wouldn’t have believed them. But I am so grateful that we had the chance.

Recommend: Viator
https://www.viator.com/tours/Walvis-Bay/Sandwich-Harbour-Day-Tour-from-Namibia/d4467-37950P1