101 Reasons to visit Namibia: Time turned to stone

The wind has finally turned into a light breeze, and the barking gecko breaks the silence.  As I look at the wall of frozen sand my mind starts to wander into the past. Like a video on fast forward, I see the small grains rushing upward and then collapsing again. Wind and water flow, shaping the dune in front of me. What we describe as thousands of years unfolds in a heartbeat and is frozen in time.

Photo credits: Janke Murray

Namibia is not Namibia without its desert- the Namib Desert. “Namib” is an accurate 
description that means “vast place” and “an area where there is nothing”. Despite the 
nothingness, it is an absolute wonder. The Namib Sand Sea is the only coastal desert in 
the world that includes extensive dunes that are influenced by fog. It covers an area of 
over three million hectares! There are two types of dune systems: an ancient semi-consolidated one overlain by a younger active one.

Not too far from Sossusvlei, lies ancient sand dunes that petrified through a natural 
geological process. Minerals like calcium carbonate are turned into cement during this 
process and it keeps the sand grains together. The loose sand gets buried under layers 
of sediment and this resulted in fossilized dunes.

Photo credits: Janke Murray

There are but a few of these fossilized dunes in the world and we are proud to say 
Namibia is one of them! This is also why the Namib Sand Sea is a UNESCO site today. 
This fossilized landscape gives us a glimpse of the past, almost small fragments of what 
was and is now frozen in time. These dunes are rich in iron oxide with gives the dunes a 
beautiful reddish-brown hue. This reddish-brown colour is most commonly found but 
sometimes they can be pale or grey in colour. Those who have climb Big Daddy would 
have seen the spectacular white “mountain” rising in the distance.

Photo credits: Janke Murray

It is believed that the Namib Desert is one of the oldest deserts in the world and it is also 
listed among the largest dunes in the world. It may not be the largest, but it features 4th
and 5th on the list. 

The Namib may be vast, but it will surely surprise you! Seeing petrified dunes is a
photographer’s and a geologist’s dream! Sunrises and sunsets bring forth deep colours 
and textures. Their textures seem to resemble the waves of the ocean reminding us that 
deserts are shaped by currents just like the sea. They are more than just a phenomenon, 
but they are timeless. They tell a story of winds and nature that no history book can. This 
is definitely one of the reasons why Namibia is worth traveling to.

Author: Janke Murray