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Namib - Naukluft Park in Sesriem there were around sixty kilometres of asphalt road - strictly forbidden to motorbikes - which led to the heart of the exciting and unique spectacle of Sossuvlei which , among its high dunes , many capable of exceeding three hundred metres in height , hid the magic of Deadvlei , an ancient pool of water that has been dissected for centuries , on which the fossil remains of an acacia forest still stand today , black as night , the trees stand out against the red of the ancient bottom of the lake of dunes with famous names such as Big Daddy or Big Mama .
Our journey was far from over and continued , in an ancestral landscape populated by Orix and Springbok , towards the south . It was by following the solitary charm of the C27 that , in a fantastic yet challenging panorama , we arrived at Betta and then , having reached Helmeringhausen , we found the tranquility of the asphalt at Goageb .
There were two unmissable destinations that pushed us towards the extreme south of Namibia , the ancient seaside village of Lüderitz , whose history is linked to the discovery of diamonds and their exploitation , and the wild charm of the Fish River Canyon , with its one hundred and sixty kilometre length and five hundred and fifty metres of depth . It is second only in size to the Grand Canyon .
Leaving our visit to the Fisher River Canyon viewpoint for the return , there were over two hundred kilometres that separated us from Goageb from Lüderitz , but it was certainly worth it , both for the charm that this ancient town on the Atlantic generates with its classic , typically Bavarian , architecture . What remained of Kolmanskop , the mining town that experienced a rush for diamonds at the beginning of the twentieth century before being abandoned in the sands in the
aftermath of the Second World War when the deposits ceased to give dreams and riches .
It was time to start the ascent which in over eight hundred kilomtres would take us back towards Windhoek and the end of our journey yet the memories would remain .
Fish River Canyon , the extraordinary enchanted forest thirteen kilometres north of Keetmanshoop , where the " quiver trees " rise between the rocks towards the sky , representing at the same time the wild and elegant beauty of this unique and rare land called Namibia . ES & CZ
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