Today we meandered through the desert and discovered gemsbok under almost every tree. We also found a specimen of what we thought was a mythical melon.

Our full day in Sesriem and the Namib-Naukluft National Park included a long Big Daddy dune hike, a short Sesriem canyon hike, and loads of photography.

We got in line at the park gate at 7:00 a.m. to rush to Sossusvlei and Dead pans and the Big Daddy dune to get a near bird’s-eye view of the red desert.

Today we journeyed from the mountains of Namib-Naukluft National Park to Sesriem and the red dunes surrounding Sossusvlei, the park’s most popular attraction.

From Walvis Bay, we zipped east to Windhoek through the Namib-Naukluft Desert, then back for two nights in the Namib-Naukluft National Park.

From Walvis Bay, we drove up the Skeleton Coast to the Cape Cross Seal Reserve to see one of the largest fur seal breeding colonies.