It was our last day in Namibia and we decided to sign up for a sandboarding lesson in Swakopmund. Our two guides took us out to the desert where, after a strenuous hike up the dune, we strapped on snowboards and helmets and rode down the orange sand. The thrill was over in less than two minutes, at which point we had to climb back up to the top of the dune and do it all over again. But what an adrenaline rush it was! The guides, who had never seen snow, killed it doing jumps and tricks on their boards. They were so cool they ended up inviting us to have a drink with them at a bar with them in their township. We played pool, had some local drinks and made new friends. A highlight of our trip.

Each of the seven suites at a new retreat in Windhoek, Namibia, is inspired by a different region of the country. Landscape photography and lights fashioned from woven baskets decorate the Erongo suite (shown). From $243. This appeared in the September, 2012 issue.

In the daytime, explore NamibRand, the largest private nature reserve in southern Africa, on guided walks through sand dunes, drives into the desert, and rides on ATVs. Ostriches, oryx (a kind of antelope), and Hartmann’s mountain zebras might cross your path. At night, in the Sossusvlei Desert Lodge’s observatory, an astronomer leads a safari of the desert sky, using a computerized telescope to point out star clusters, the constellations Sagittarius and Scorpius, and other sights that are visible only in the Southern Hemisphere (best seen from April to October). Retire to one of the lodge’s 10 stone villas, each with a skylight above the bed for stargazing until sunrise. From $415 per night, including meals, lodging, and activities in the reserve. Sossusvlei Desert Lodge, (888) 882-3742. Photo courtesy of the lodge. This story appeared in the January/February 2011 issue. 

One of the world's best photography spots, Deadvlei in Sossusvlei, Namibia, lives up to the hype. Where once a river ran, a drought and blowing sand from dunes covered this artery for life hundreds of years ago, and all that remain are these tree carcasses, begging to be preserved digitally in the photo albums of visiting tourists.

Something I never expected to do during five weeks of tent camping in Africa: Ride around endless golden sand dunes for hours on an ATV! Some of these dunes just outside Swakopmund are really high, and for much of the ride we saw nothing except dunes and more dunes. At the end we went up a big slope and just over the top, we saw the Atlantic Ocean.

A multi-day flying safari of Namibia's Skeleton Coast is truly stunning. Departing from the capitol of Windhoek, you fly over iconic Namibian dunes to the famed Skeleton Coast. Skipping above the waves at just a few hundred feet, you coast over massive seal colonies and pelican breeding grounds and try to spot whales and other marine wildlife. Some of the dunes are high enough for your pilot to easily fly lower than! The skilled bush pilots of Namibia can easily spot natural landing strips, where they drop you near ruins of diamond mines and skeletal ship wrecks while waxing poetic about the natural flora and fauna. They also occasionally have a well-worn Land Rover hidden near some strips for quick trips into the desert. With these trusty vehicles, you can have the thrilling experiences of riding the 'Landy' down 34-degree sand dunes (sometimes you have the option of riding on a seat on the roof), learning about mysteries of the desert, and hear the ghostly, amazing 'singing dunes'. The accommodations are extremely comfortable, often with electricity and flush toilets (if you want that). The food is ample and excellent, and the beer and gin & tonic sundowners are cold. The final camp, near the Angolan boarder, is often near camps of nomadic Himba people, whose red-hued women cover themselves daily in a mixture of rancid butterfat and ochre powder.

The Namib Desert is quite possibly one of the most stunning places in the world. The pockets of green bushes that grow out of the vivid orange sand look almost surreal. To avoid the crowds, we set out to Sossusvlei well before sunrise and made it there by around 7am. The sky was the bluest I'd ever seen, the sand a bright orange. With temperatures already hovering around 97F, we climbed one beautiful dune after another. After a little rest at the top of one, I gave in to my impulse of taking my shoes off to feel the cool sand then ran down to the bottom. What an adrenaline rush!

A few hours north of Windhoek, the Cheetah Conservation Fund is a can't miss experience. Cheetahs are an endangered species, with estimates of around 10,000 left in the world. Namibia is home to approximately 3,000-the largest population in the world. The work that CCF is doing is helping to save the cheetahs through education of local farmers, as well as research. All of the cheetahs at CCF have come there because of some sort of human-wildlife conflict. Some were orphaned, others captured by farmers. While visiting this summer, I was lucky enough to watch the cheetahs run. This is one of the OK cubs, the current ambassador cheetahs for CCF. On a weekly basis, the cheetahs at CCF are taken into the field and using a pully system, run.

[I lifted the description from Wikipedia. Definitely come here if you're in Namibia. There are quite a few tourists so if you do, come early and go with a proper outfitter, you can have more solitude and an easier time getting in.] Deadvlei is a white clay pan located near the more famous salt pan of Sossusvlei, inside the Namib-Naukluft Park in Namibia. Also written DeadVlei or Dead Vlei, its name means "dead marsh" (from English dead, and Afrikaans vlei, a lake or marsh in a valley between the dunes). The pan also is referred to as "Dooie Vlei" which is the (presumably original) fully Afrikaans name. Dead Vlei has been claimed to be surrounded by the highest sand dunes in the world, the highest reaching 300-400 meters (350m on average, named "Big Daddy" or "Crazy Dune"), which rest on a sandstone terrace. The clay pan was formed after rainfall, when the Tsauchab river flooded, creating temporary shallow pools where the abundance of water allowed camel thorn trees to grow. When the climate changed, drought hit the area, and sand dunes encroached on the pan, which blocked the river from the area. The remaining skeletons of the trees, which are believed to be about 900 years old, are now black because the intense sun has scorched them. Though not petrified, the wood does not decompose because it is so dry.

Inside a traditional hut, we visited a Himba tribewoman's home. There was barely a crack of light coming in from the doorway, the hut was low to the ground and smoky at times. I was able to play with my camera just enough to take one great natural light shot. I asked our translator to ask her what she thought of our appearances since we were extremely covered up in clothing compared to their only covering their bottoms. It didn't translate, the answer wasn't worth sharing, but I'm curious to know her thoughts.

Almost everywhere you look in Namibia, your eyes experience visual delight: beautiful dunes, trees standing dead over hundreds of years, mountains, ocean, and animals, all enveloped in fantastical light. Namibia's topography can be described in one word: stunning, as this photo taken after a sandstorm clearly shows. Visiting Namibia is a trip of a lifetime.

After arriving into Windhoek International Airport from O.R. Tambo (Jo'burg) we were one final leg from our destination. Varinka, our pilot for the final flight, met us in the Arrivals lounge. After weighing our luggage (and ourselves) we quickly boarded our Scenic Air Cessna 210 for the 1.5hr flight to &Beyond's Sossusvlei (Sus-sus-vlay) Desert Lodge. As we flew into the valley you could see the lodge spread in a thin line below. 10 private suites extending with the main lodge in the middle. Out in the distance extended the sea of orange sand for which this corner of the world is famous. The scenery was breathtaking. We landed on the private airstrip and were greeted by our personal ranger, Siegfried.

The early morning and early evening light in Namibia is magical. It brings a peace and serenity much missed in today's modern world. Every day I made it a point to experience those moments. You could just sit and stare and think or not. I loved being in the present--a true highlight of my trip.

This adventure started in the capital of Windhoek, Namibia, where two friends and I rented a 2-wheel drive car and headed west towards the Skeleton Coast. After spending two days there, we took our incompetent rig south. Recent rains made for some interesting river crossings in several dramatic canyons along the way. The car took a severe beating, but we finally arrived at Sossusvlei. This shot was taken shortly after sunrise. Dune 45 is a massive red sand dune in Sossusvlei Park. We ascended it in darkness and were treated to a spectacular desert sunrise. I took this of two other hikers that were farther along, and loved the contrast of light, dark, red, and blue. The hikers give this massive sand sculpture some perspective. There are several ways to reach this inspiring destination. Our route was by no means the quickest or easiest, but did add some incredible adventure. It's best to check local road conditions to decide the best route.

Sitting on what felt like the wrong side of the car, shifting with the wrong hand, and driving on the wrong side of the road, I was listening to a CD of local marimba music on my way to Etosha National Park in northern Namibia. I was going on a safari for one! Being an animal lover since childhood, going on safari in Africa had been a dream for years. I wanted to see lions and elephants and giraffes and zebras in their native habitat, not in a zoo. But I prefer solo travel and just never could get excited about the idea of a group safari. Namibia was my perfect travel destination. With amazing scenery and wildlife, it is also considered very safe, even for solo women travelers. Etosha National Park is a gem of wildlife-viewing in Africa, especially in the dry season from June through November when all of the animals must come to waterholes to drink and bathe. But it is relatively unknown, so not crowded with tourists. I could drive for miles without seeing another person, but couldn't go far without seeing a springbok, oryx or zebra. Okaukuejo Camp is near the southern entrance of the park and has a permanent waterhole which attracts an amazing variety of wildlife. Though there is definitely a pecking order - with elephants at the top - all of the animals seem to coexist at the waterholes and share the bounty that is life in a parched landscape.

On the way back to the lodge after a game drive on the 445,000 acre NamibRand Nature Reserve, our ranger Siegfried asked if we wanted to stop, watch the sun go down, and have a true African sundowner. For my brother and I it was a spontaneous gesture, but Siegfried had the moment planned all along. From the back of the truck he pulled out a table and cooler. We snacked on nuts and bilton (beef jerky) while sipping on Johnny Walker and ginger ale. Not a bad life thanks to a thoughtful guide. It's a moment I'll always remember--spending the sunset with my bro in Namibia.

It's 4am when I am brusquely awakened by the vigorous shaking of my tent. Time to get up for our hike up Sossusvlei, the lofty red sand dunes in the southern part of the Namib desert. I am not an earlier riser by habit and very rarely wake up naturally to see the sun creep into the morning sky. So, reluctantly and still half asleep, I slap on some clothes and brush my teeth. After a short drive in the pitch black, we begin our ascent, slogging through sand to the top, still not fully awake. Then we wait. Soon the sky starts to stir. Yellow and red flickers emerge on the horizon, quickly and completely turning our sandy surroundings into a deep crimson red. Spectacular! I'm always a bit skeptical of these early morning touristic awakenings, but this was most definitely a sunrise to remember.

The food at andBeyond's Sossusvlei Desert Lodge is impressive. Combine it with the setting and you are easily in the category of "Most Memorable Meal Ever." Over the course of our days at the lodge we had some of the most incredible meals with locally sourced meats including Springbok and Kudu. The breads and pastas were top notch and I was blown away by the freshness of the produce. There was enough complexity with the dishes to be interesting but they never overdid it. And to top it off, we were surprised on several occasions to have meals in the desert under the shade of a tree or the lights of the stars.