Flying Adventure: Southern Angola – Day 5 (FYGK – FYTF):

To get back on track, we have to move onward today. We fly further up north towards Angola, for a stop over at the Twyfelfontein Country Lodge.

The Geluk airstrip where we are parked is operated by Wilderness Air. They are flying guest in to their own lodge near by. As part of their operation, they stock fuel at the airfield. The guy looking after the operation here mentioned yesterday, that he would have a broken drum of Avgas lying around. So he made arrangements with the Wilderness Air guys to take up that fuel, which they thankfully agreed to. This saves us a fuel stop on route today, and allows us to fly a scenic detour along the Sossousvlei down to the Big Daddy dune and the Deadvlei.

Sossousvlei

The Sossousvlei is probably Namibia’s most famous landmark. He has written an article about this truly fascinating place during a previous trip to this area. As we missed the opportunity to explore they vlei by foot, we at least take in the beauty and fascination of this unique place from the air.

The Sossousvlei is a dead-end marsh where the Tsauchab river empties into the Namib Naukluft desert. The Tsauchab river rarely carries any water though due to the arid desert. However, when there are rainfalls it carries water and can flood the vlei. Earlier this year Namibia had seen exceptional rainfalls and the river carried far more water then it would in most years. This is still clearly visible from the air as we fly along the vlei. Truly impressive.

At the bottom of the vlei we loop around the Big Daddy dune, the largest with the famous Deadvlei at its foot.

Onwards to Twyfelfontein

After this amazing sightseeing, we set course to the North, towards Twyfelfontein in the Damaraland. Twyfelfontein is famous for its ancient landscapes and rock engravings. It is also an ideal logistical stop-over destination in this area as we can re-fuel at the airstrip. From here many famous destinations and landmarks of Namibia, like the Skeleton Coast or the Etosha National Park can be reached by a relatively short flight.

The temperatures are also much more pleasant and warmer up here, and the easterly winds much calmer. Perfect to relax for the rest of the afternoon and enjoy the beautiful views.