Gecko Cleaning Lens - Photo and Comment by Isak Pretorius
On a recent trip to Swakopmund I was lucky to find a Web-footed Gecko on the dunes in the morning mist. They are nocturnal and I knew I didn’t have much time before the sun would force the gecko underground, so I had to be quick. I slowly approached the gecko with my macro lens, he licked the moisture off his eyes and then dug his way into the protection of the sand.
Lunchtime by DaveC71 on Flickr.
Once we arrived at the sand dunes in Sossusvlei, we completely understood why we made the journey to Namibia. We woke up at 5AM and drove the one hour journey from our lodge to catch the sun rising along the dunes. Watching the strong colors overtake the country landscape, we steadily climbed the steep sand dunes, which have been argued to be the largest in the world.
On our second day in Swakopmund, we decided to expand our adventurous spirit and rent quad bikes for an hour. Originally apprehensive, Kwame tossed his fears to the side once he realized how much fun he was having while racing his bike up and around the hills of the desert dunes.
After leaving the city of Swakopmund, we then ventured a bumpy five hour drive to Damaraland, a more rugged scenic landscape and home to Namibia’s largest mountains. While in Damaraland, we stayed at the Grootberg Lodge, perched at the top of the Grootberg Plateau, and is the first lodge in Namibia owned and maintained 100 percent by the local community.
In 1990 newly independent Namibia became on of the world’s first nations to write environmental protection into its constitution.
Aerial view of Salts Pans in Namibia
Photo by Kit Wilde
Namib - Duna 45 by tapperoa on Flickr.
