Big Daddy- The now officially tallest sand dune in the world

We left Drifter's to drive to Soussvlei, home of the beautiful red sand dunes in the Namib Desert. We embarked on 368 meter journey up Big Daddy. Although it was EXTREMELY hot out and the hike through sand was difficult, our whole crew preserved and made it to the top of what we thought was the tallest sand dune in the world (we later found out it wasn't, but decided that since we climbed it we could say it was the tallest). We then ran down the side of the sand dune, which was quite a sight to watch/do. A few people flew down the dune while others (Chris, our chaperone) face planted; we all laughed including Chris. Afterwards we walked through deadvlei, and area that once had water flowing through it but now is desolate and has remains of Camel Thorn trees strewn about. We all trucked back on to the truck, exhausted, and drove to the Agama campsite. Dinner was delicious, lamb stew with dumplings and cheesy veggies on the side. We camped under the stars and enjoyed our last night in the desert. 

Drifter's Game Reserve- Desert Camp

After leaving Felix Unite we drove to Fish River Canyon and had a beautiful photo op! After our brief visit there we drove to Drifter's Game reserve in the Namib Desert. We set up tents and slept well after a long day of driving and canoeing the day before. The next day we set out on a hike with our guide, Albert, who taught us about many of the adaptions the flora and fauna use to survive in the harsh desert environment. After the hike we all took the afternoon to relax and hang out. In the evening we got on an open air vehicle and took an evening/night game drive where we observed aardwolf, bat eared foxes, jackles, giraffe, scrub hare, and gemsbok. We took a brief break to enjoy the sundown with apples, crackers,cheese and syrup (which is a surprisingly delicious combo!), this little impromptu snack is called a sun setter. After our game drive we drove to camp and ate dinner and again slept extremely well. 

Fish River Canyon Panorama 

Eating off the truck during the sun setter 

Penguin Selfies!

Today was supposed to be a hike up Table Mountain, but unfortunately the weather was not cooperative. Instead, we extended our plans for the Cape Pennisula to fit the rest of our day. 

We visited the Cape of Good Hope. Our safari began with viewings of ostriches and elands in Table Mountains National Park. The cape is the land of two oceans, with the Indian and Atlantic oceans meeting. We hiked up the moutains around the area, and a few of our number proved pretty fearless. Kyle, Coleson, and Alexis got super close to the edge. 

Mountain hiking was followed by a drive to Simon Town for lunch at a restaurant on the beach, where we watched penguins waddle across the beach and itched to pick up our cameras. After a delicious and much needed lunch at Seaforth Restaurant, we viewed African penguins on the beach and the theme of the day was penguin selfies! Beat that! Here's a just a sample of the penguin selfie phenomenon

Update

Update : The day after our arrival we visited Robben Island. Our visit really had a impact on us, since we read Nelson Mandela's " A Long Walk to Freedeom" for class. A man who had been imprisoned for fighting for education gave us our tour, and we all were struck by his bravery. Returning to a place where you had been tortured and imprisoned to retell your story is impressive. 

  While on the island, we saw red deer, tortoises, and seals. On the boat a few of us got to see dolphins jumping.

 The city is beautiful, and we are busy exploring the tidal pools on the coast in what little spare time we have. Beach front walks are a favorite too. 

Wednesday:

 On Wednesday we explored the beach front in the opposite direction. We discovered a sandy beach, where Kyle took the lead on jumping into the ocean, followed by Alexis, Coleson and Haley. 

Our guide arrived later that day, and took us to Blouberg Strand for a wine and cheese tasting at Fairview Winery. We are officially wine snobs now. That wonderful event was followed by a visit to Stellenbosch, which hosts one of the largest universities here. A tour of the botanical gardens ended our events for the day. 

 We had a fantastic dinner at Quad Four in Victoria Wharf, where we had exotic seafood and springbok shanks. 

Everyone is doing fantastic, and we are all having a wonderful time!

We've made it!

After a long flight (approx. 22 hours) we finally made it to Cape Town, South Africa. We are staying at

the Drifters Lodge. Even though its dark its beautiful here! The ocean is a block away and we already took a walk down to the beach and John found a dead bird. Also, huge ropes of kelp are all over the beach so we are already experiencing the flora and fauna. Tomorrow we plan to visit Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years and then explore the area. We miss everybody but are extremely excited to start our trip! 

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Our Flight will be on May4th from Kinross to Detroit, Detroit to Amsterdam, and Amsterdam down to Cape Town.

A View of Table Mountain and Cape Town.