Taking a 4 wheel drive through the coastal dunes of Alexandria

A line of mist in the morning

I got up early to shower today and walked out to the main office while the rest were asleep. The lack of power at the Langebos meant that there was no hot water and it was rather chilly to take a shower otherwise. The students however had been kind enough to tell us that the office had a heater and electricity. The bathroom there was always open and this would be my shower point for the few days we were there.

I particularly like silent mornings without anyone around and the office and the surroundings were just the way I liked it. Showering and sitting there watching the morning mist over the green vegetation past the office is an image etched in my memory. The others arrived soon after and after a morning meeting, we were set to go to the coastal dunes. The Woody Cape section of ADDO elephant national park is responsible for the coastal dune section and also does maintenance of the trails there. We were heading there to check the sign posts set up, some of which fall or were buried in the ever changing sand dunes.

The trail to the dunes was beautiful in its own way and we went past signs leading the way to Woody Cape backpackers. The clear sky and cool sunny morning only served to amplify the scenery that the place offered. Stopping by a short while, the rangers deflated the tires just before entering the dunes, a process crucial in preventing the land-rover from constantly getting stuck in the soft sand. Then we were off onto the path leading to through the dunes.

Driving through the dunes is a skill by itself and the driver today was under learning from the much more experienced sergeant co-driving with him. The sands offered much fun as well as danger with chances of the land rover toppling when negotiating certain slopes. The first ten minutes or so was about moving down to the coast itself and a glimpse of the seemingly never ending coast-line.

Cruiser View

The ever changing dunes

There was already an established driving route though it seemed invisible for the rest of us, save the two rangers in front. As the cruiser moved through the soft sand by the sea, the landscape gradually unfolded in front of us and it was truly stunning, with really high sand dunes surrounding us, all in beautiful shapes n heights. The winds weren't strong just yet so we were not sand blasted and it was an enjoyable ride standing at the back of the cruiser, feeling the ocean breeze on our faces. The rangers were heading to check on certain signposts and we stopped occasionally to fix one or two that had been semi buried or disappeared altogether.

Eleen with the cruiser in the background

Never ending winds meant that entire dunes could disappear within a very short while leading to a constantly changing landscape. For me, it was love at first sight, not only with the dunes but the silence that pervaded the entire place, punctuated only by the wind whistling and the crash of the waves below.

Fixing up the fallen post, the cruiser got stuck at a point and we had to alight while the new driver was schooled on getting past such problems. In such soft sand conditions, revving while stuck only seemed to sink the tires even further so it was interesting to watch how the cruiser would come free. Such stoppages were also time for the rest of us to take pictures, walk a little and lie on the sand while the cruiser was freed. It was time for lunch at a spot away from the dunes as as we left, I had a wish to return back to this place once again sometime soon.

The plan for the second half of the day was for us to go hiking and eventually reach a point where the cruiser would pick us up. It was fascinating how the students had planned for us to complete some work along the way while allowing us to see so much in the two days we had there. After a quick lunch of sandwiches, the hike began and we followed a hiking trail that many visitors to the national park frequented, leading eventually to the woody cape hut.

The trail was an easy one, allowing us views of the coast line and not too long. We reached the woody cape hut shortly and helped to clean up the hut a little as there were visitors coming by the next day. Cleaning involved sweeping up the hut since sand was always everywhere and clearing up the overgrown bush impeding the entrance to the toilet outside.

Stopping by the hut also gave us time for a breather especially since some of the volunteers were not used to much walking. Setting off from the hut, it was time to head to our rendezvous point and this time we would move away from the clear trail and take a walk through some sections of the dunes. This was definitely exciting as it was quite an experience walking on the soft sand. The wind had also picked up since morning and at some points we could feel the sting of the sand grains as the wind blew them on our faces.

The sand definitely made walking way more arduous as compared especially when with every step forward we slid back half a step.

Walking up slopes was like moving on a stairclimber machine and it was a good workout for us after a few weeks of just walking around the park. We stopped by at patches where there were lots of sea shells on the ground and learnt that the ocean had been at these levels before, leaving the seashells stranded. Shining in the sun, these sea shells were well weathered n beautiful, a work of art by nature.
Moving on, we went down a steep stairway set in the sand to the coast itself and carried on walking to the rendezvous point. The sand and wind movement had created beautiful patterns on the rocks around and we also came across a dead seal. Anything dead would be washed onto the coastline here and it was common to find penguin and garnet carcasses as well according to the rangers.

A shot with Yentl and Eleen

We had some time to rest before the cruiser would come by and we had a short nap on the sand. Lying down on the fine sand blowing over us meant that it would get in almost anywhere and when the cruiser did arrive, we spent a good 5 minutes or so dusting sand off. It was a quick ride back to the Langebos and the students had told us that they would be with us tonight. Yentl had promised to make pancakes and we were to have a braai as well.

After a quick wash-up, Yentl arrived and the evening began, starting off before sun down as she prepared the pancake mix. I was truly touched by the effort put in as we got the fire burning and the evening went by. We had bought some drinks from the liquor store at town and today was a great evening to have them around the crackling fire.

The night ended amid much laughter and conversation and it was a fitting end to an awesome day. It would be a journey back to main camp tomorrow but somehow I wanted to spend more time by the coastal dunes and the silence where I was.

Perhaps another day.