The other guests in the vehicle with myself and Siegfried have left this morning, so it is just the two of us for an early morning hike along Sesriem Canyon. Sesriem Canyon doesn’t look like much from ground level, but it is a hidden gem as a hike along the dry river bed. Gravel for the most part, with the occasional ‘beach’ of grey sand where tributaries meet, the river bed runs for approximately 3km.
At 7am, it is completely deserted, with other vehicles nowhere to be seen until we ascend from the canyon 90 minutes later.
On the way to the Elim dune for breakfast, we cross paths with a Cape cobra, which seems to be involved in a skirmish with a pale chanting goshawk, which departs with what looks like a mouse in its beak when it hears the vehicle. The cobra isn’t sure which direction the threat is coming from, but puffs up whenever the vehicle’s engine is started.
Breakfast at the Elim dune, with a bunch of sociable weavers and an oryx for company.
Local superstition has it that crossing paths with a cape cobra is bad luck. That must be what is causing a continuation of my vehicular bad luck – another flat tyre, this time on the road less than 2km from the lodge. The spanner is missing from the tool kit, so it necessitates a call to the maintenance team to drive out to assist with the tyre change. It’s straightforward and we’re on our way in another 20 minutes.
A very quiet drive this evening – a yellow mongoose and a nice sunset, and what appears to be an aardwolf not far from the lodge that is too dark to photograph.
