Kuiseb Delta - Walvis Bay, Namibia
Kuiseb Delta - Walvis Bay, Namibia
What do you think of when you hear ‘Desert’ ?
Barren. Arid. Sand. Wind. Dead. Dry. Thirsty. Cold. Hot. Denudation?
Don’t lie! You don’t know what denudation means!
In geology, denudation is the long-term sum of processes that cause the wearing away of the earth’s surface leading to a reduction in elevation and relief of landforms and landscapes.
My time in Namibia completely changed my perception of what a desert is. It started with this tour.
My first impression of Fanie was pretty much the same as my last impression of the man.
Fanie and Fanie alone, runs a class he calls The Historian Dune Tour, which starts in Walvis Bay, Namibia and goes straight back into the Namibian desert along a now underground river called The Kuiseb (On quad bikes!! – governed throttles, but hey, you can really throttle your way underground if you’re not careful) . Fanie is a quiet dude…unless you’re on his topic; The Namib Desert and anything related to the Namib desert.
Before I go on tours, I like to do just a little bit of research on the topic. Just to get the basics so I can better follow along and ask questions etc. You should do that too! It makes you look all smart n stuff. Unless you’re on Fanie’s tour. I just kept my mouth shut most of the time…let the man run! Run he did.
Barren. Arid. Sand. Wind. Dead. Dry. Thirsty. Cold. Hot. Denudation?
Don’t lie! You don’t know what denudation means!
In geology, denudation is the long-term sum of processes that cause the wearing away of the earth’s surface leading to a reduction in elevation and relief of landforms and landscapes.
My time in Namibia completely changed my perception of what a desert is. It started with this tour.
My first impression of Fanie was pretty much the same as my last impression of the man.
Fanie and Fanie alone, runs a class he calls The Historian Dune Tour, which starts in Walvis Bay, Namibia and goes straight back into the Namibian desert along a now underground river called The Kuiseb (On quad bikes!! – governed throttles, but hey, you can really throttle your way underground if you’re not careful) . Fanie is a quiet dude…unless you’re on his topic; The Namib Desert and anything related to the Namib desert.
Before I go on tours, I like to do just a little bit of research on the topic. Just to get the basics so I can better follow along and ask questions etc. You should do that too! It makes you look all smart n stuff. Unless you’re on Fanie’s tour. I just kept my mouth shut most of the time…let the man run! Run he did.
So..
The Kuiseb Delta is located in the oldest desert in the world, The Namibian Desert! This particular area is amazing. There are countless archaeological sites, numerous 500+ year old middens, Khoi Khoi grave sites and the river silts bearing historical human, elephant, buffalo, giraffe, oryx etc tracks. It is one of only two Topnaar strongholds in Namibia, making this an area of outstanding cultural-historical importance.
Fanie guides you through how the delta came into being, why the delta developed, what the area was like before the “Sea of Sand” succeeded to cross the river and why the river and the dunes are the reasons for existence for the underground fresh water aquifer, which still feeds plant life today.
The sand dunes move and migrate. Fanie knows this because he measures them. He likes to point out trees that are not trees, but now edges of sand dunes where trees once were. It’s fascinating how the sand moves and swallows up what once was. Sand buries things..but then uncovers them later and this process goes on and on.
This tour was amazing and was 1 out of 2 tours that really made me see the Namib desert for the interesting, lively and mysterious beast that it is.
The 2nd tour is called “The Living Desert” Video and post to come asap!
Hey Fanie, if you read this..go easy with all the mistakes I probably made! HAHA.
You can find Fanie here:
http://www.kuisebonline.com/tours
The Kuiseb Delta is located in the oldest desert in the world, The Namibian Desert! This particular area is amazing. There are countless archaeological sites, numerous 500+ year old middens, Khoi Khoi grave sites and the river silts bearing historical human, elephant, buffalo, giraffe, oryx etc tracks. It is one of only two Topnaar strongholds in Namibia, making this an area of outstanding cultural-historical importance.
Fanie guides you through how the delta came into being, why the delta developed, what the area was like before the “Sea of Sand” succeeded to cross the river and why the river and the dunes are the reasons for existence for the underground fresh water aquifer, which still feeds plant life today.
The sand dunes move and migrate. Fanie knows this because he measures them. He likes to point out trees that are not trees, but now edges of sand dunes where trees once were. It’s fascinating how the sand moves and swallows up what once was. Sand buries things..but then uncovers them later and this process goes on and on.
This tour was amazing and was 1 out of 2 tours that really made me see the Namib desert for the interesting, lively and mysterious beast that it is.
The 2nd tour is called “The Living Desert” Video and post to come asap!
Hey Fanie, if you read this..go easy with all the mistakes I probably made! HAHA.
You can find Fanie here:
http://www.kuisebonline.com/tours
