Waypoint 1: 24° 31.024’S 15° 48.237’E Park Car
near here and walk to Waypoint 2
Waypoint 2: 24° 31.024’S 15° 48.354’E Camel
Thorn Tree with Community Weavers Birds Nests. From here walk a few
metres south into the main river bed course of the Tsauchab River
flowing over rock and strewn with cobbles and boulders of limestone
(dark black clasts), quartz and sandstone. The bedrock consists of
the same clasts set in a calcareous limestone cement matrix. There
is no sign of a canyon here. Turn west to Waypoint 3
Waypoint 3: 24° 31.088’S 15° 48.211’E At this
location the bedrock is incised with linear erosive hollows with
smooth rounded surfaces 10 to 30 cm depressions marking the first
gouges of the canyon.
Waypoint 4: 24° 31.111’S 15° 48.156’E In
October 2008 this was the site of the first upstream pot hole. Take
care walking to the next waypoint as the holes in the ground are
now getting deep.
Waypoint 5: 24° 31.118’S 15° 48.150’E Site of
a 2 metre diameter pothole about and 780 cm deep and partly filled
with loose sand and pebbles which swirl around in a circular motion
eroding the pot in flood water conditions. Note now that some
deeper slots occur in the bedrock and some of these are blocked
with chockstones. Leave the river course and return to your car but
IF YOU ARE A GUEST AT THE LODGE first scramble up to Waypoint
6: 24° 30.933’S 15° 48.226’E. From this point you
can see the majority of the Tsauchab River course. To the east the
origin of the black limestone clasts seen at Waypoint 2) is seen as
a black band in the Great Escarpments some 20 km to the east and at
an elevation of about 1500 metres above sea level. The Sesriem
Canyon rim is at approximately half this elevation, about 780
metres above mean seal level.
Geodirect has started to build a visitors cairn. Please add one
rock to the cairn to record your visit here.
Return to you car and drive to Car Park 2 at Waypoint 7:
24° 31.115’S 15° 48.014’E. 
The next session of the excursion will walk some distance west
inside the canyon for about 1.5 km. If any of your party does not
wish to walk it would be convenient for them to reposition your
vehicle at Waypoint 12: 24° 31.109’S 15°
47.273’E which is located at the end of the less commonly
used track that continues west from this more popular tourist car
park.
After exploring the rim and peering down into the canyon with
the other tourists at this location enter the canyon via
Waypoint 8: 24° 31.143’S 15° 47.967’E and the
steps at Waypoint 9: 24° 31.143’S 15° 47.938’E.
Turn east and walk up the canyon to explore. The first 100 metres
is a steep sided and straight canyon with walls some 15-20 metres
high and a sand piled floor.
At Waypoint 9: 24° 31.146’S 15° 48.020’E is a
wider bowl eroded out immediately below car park 2. Large tumbled
boulders of Tsondab Sandstone are evident on the floor of the
canyon. Farther upstream is a pool of permanent water. Animal
tracks and birds droppings indicate the importance of this water
source in supporting the wildlife on the area. Look out for small
horned adders which also bask around the pool as these are
poisonous.
If you choose to wade across the pool you can continue to
Waypoint 10: 24° 31.128’S 15° 48.101’E –
the farthest accessible point in the narrow and dark gloomy canyon
and only about 80 metres from the large pothole visited at Waypoint
5.
Return to Waypoint 9 to explore farther downstream the
canyon.
At Waypoint 11: 24° 31.156’S 15° 47.840’E
another small tributary river joins the main canyon from the
southeast and has cut its own small canyon entrance.
Waypoint 12: 24° 31.159’S 15° 47.733’E. Two
arches formed by water and wind erosion form interesting landscape
in the north side of the canyon wall. You are requested to post a
photograph of these arches to illustrate their rate of erosion over
time. Trees are now able to take root and grow within the canyon
walls making for a greener and shadier habitat.
Waypoint 13: 24° 31.105’S 15° 47.227’E is an
optional exit from the canyon leading to car park 3 . As you
approach Waypoint 13 watch out for families of baboons feeding
amongst the grasses and shrubs within the canyon, or perched up on
the canyon walls watching you walk by. Also look for the Sphinx
Head Rock on the north canyon wall downstream of Waypoint 13.
It is strongly recommended you continue walking to Waypoint
14: 24° 30.998’S 15° 47.121’E where the canyon
walls give way to gentle sloping valley sides and enjoy a
spectacular view of the red sand hills of the Namib Desert to the
west.
Waypoint 15: 24° 31.138’S 15° 47.725’E. One
last look! Question . At this location What feature do you see
below?
Educational Notes The sedimentary rocks of the Tsondab
Sandstone are dated as Miocene in age and include clasts of black
limestone from the Great Escarpment to the east. This indicates
that the Tsondab Sandstone is a fluvial (river) fanglomerate
deposited by the Tsauchab River about 30 million years ago. Uplift
of the whole region 2 million years ago has resulted in the
Tsauchab River down cutting into its own deposits to produce this
small but spectacular Sesriem Canyon.
Further reading
Grunert Nicole, 2000, Namibia Fascination of Geology A Travel
Guide, ( The Sesriem Canyon pages 144-146) Klaus Hess
Publishers
The Roadside Geology of Namibia, revised edition2, by Gabi
Schneider, 2008, ISBN 978-443-15084-6, pub Gebruder Borntrager,
Stuttgart ( available for Purchase from the Ministry of Minerals
and Energy, / The Geological Survey of Namibia, 1 Aviation Road
(Eros Airport and opposite the Safari Court Hotel) Windhoek,
Namibia
Log the Earthcache To have your Earthcache log validated
you are required to post two photographs , one of the Cairn at
Waypoint 6 (if you are a guest of the lodge) and one of the arches
at Waypoint 12 AND answer the question at Waypoint 15