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Namibia is the driest country in sub-Saharan Africa. 92% of the land is defined as very-arid, aria, or semi-arid. 31% is classified as desert. In fact, the Namib Desert is the oldest desert in the world, approximately 55-80 million years old.
After Viking announced our revised itinerary around Africa, the two things Gail looked forward to most were a multi-day safari in South Africa and the sand dunes in Namibia. Due to rough weather, we missed Richards Bay and Durbin, and lost our chance for a multi-day safari.
That same rough weather caused us to miss our first port in Namibia, Luderitz. And it caused us to miss half of our second port in Namibia, Walvis Bay. Instead of arriving at 9:00 am, we arrived at 3:00 pm. As a result, all previously scheduled excursions were cancelled. The Shore Excursions team spent days trying to figure out what to do to satisfy almost 600 disappointed guests.
At the last minute, they announced a single excursion for everyone: “Adventure to the Valley of the Moon.” There would be no cost. There would be no tickets. Instead, everyone would go through a mandatory face-to-face immigration check in the Star Theater. Then, we would board buses on a “load and go” basis. Once a bus was full it would leave, and the next bus would start filling.
The exact content of the excursion were left vague, partly because Shore Ex was still working out exactly what we would do. All we knew was there would be a long bus ride, followed by some refreshments and a performance by a marimba band. Expectations were pretty low.
The event turned out to be breathtaking. Once we left the ship, we were surprised to see row upon row of trucks and 4x4s – not buses. We learned later that Shore Ex had somehow managed to secure 64 trucks from around Walvis Bay, plus a number of larger buses.
We embarked on a scenic drive that was absolutely spectacular. Namibia is a gorgeous, unworldly place full of vast deserts and gigantic sand dunes. We saw white and pink flamingos (“Vanilla” and “Strawberry,” as our driver/guide described them.) We stopped at Goanikontes Oasis, a literal green oasis in the middle of brown desert, for a bathroom break.
Our ultimate destination was Namib-Naukluft Park, also known as “The Valley of the Moon.” As truck after truck pulled up, we were greeted with cheese and crackers and an open bar. We had not only a marimba band, but an a cappella African male choir as well. We climbed around on the cliffs and mountains. And we watched the sun set over the desert.
Shore Ex pulled a rabbit out of the hat with this one. We don’t know what it took, but they vastly far exceeded expectations. It was a magical evening. Everyone came back to the ship buzzing with excitement. For a hastily arranged, last-minute event, this has easily been one of the highlights of our entire world cruise.
