Climbing the Big Daddy Sand Dune in Namibia

One of my most recent favourite travel experiences was on my last trip to Southern Africa, specifically Namibia, in 2018. It was my first time visiting the country, and after a late arrival by plane from Johannesburg and a brief overnight in the capital city, Windhoek, I was on my way to an amazing experience. Goway’s local team on the ground used a private guide and vehicle for my FAM trip. That meant I had my own 4x4 Land Rover, and private guide/driver for my entire stay in Namibia. I cannot say enough about how amazing it is to have the personalized attention and knowledge of a private certified field guide when exploring new places. My guide Terry was a fountain of knowledge on local customs, wildlife, and history. He took great care of me and made sure I had all the necessary amenities and anything else needed for a wonderful trip. My number one highlight came on the third day in Sossusvlei, all thanks to Terry. It was about an hour before sunrise when Terry woke me up with some fresh coffee and biscuits. He had organized a small breakfast-to-go with the lodge in order for us to make it into the national park to see the famous dunes at first light. We managed to get in line at the park gate before all the “regular” tourists arrived, and this gave us the chance to climb Big Daddy—the world’s second tallest sand dune—before anyone else and make first tracks. I will never forget the exhaustion and elation of finally reaching the top of the dune, and looking out at the astounding vista in front me—dunes as far as the eye could see, right up to the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. After we soaked in the view for a time, we slid down the sand dune, and made our way back to the Land Rover where Terry then proceeded to get out his camping kitchen and make me the most spectacular “bush breakfast” under an Acacia tree at the edge of the Deadvlei. What an amazing private travel experience this was. I can’t wait to go back and visit again.

By David Gale