The Best 10 Seasons to Visit Namibia's Red Desert: A Chromatic Journey Through Time

10. Full Moon Magic (Monthly Occurrence)

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Full moon nights in Namibia's Red Desert provide a somewhat distinct but equally beautiful chromatic trip in sharp contrast to the new moon experience. The desert is covered in an ethereal, silvery light once a month when the moon reaches its fullest phase that renders the terrain dreamy. The crimson dunes seem softer, more subdued on full moon evenings. Beautiful and somewhat weird, the moonlight creates long, soft shadows on the sand that interact with dark to create Under the moon's glow, the usually vivid reds of the desert change to cooler tones of silver, grey and pastel blue, therefore providing a rather different visual experience from daytime impressions. This natural illumination makes nighttime exploring without artificial light possible, therefore providing a distinctive desert experience. Popular during this time, guided full moon walks let guests enjoy the nightly rhythms of the desert in a manner not possible during other lunar phases. Even in the warmer months, the lower nighttime temperatures make these walks pleasant. Full moon evenings provide photographers a chance to quite literally capture the desert in a different perspective. Stunning pictures combining the motion of the moon across the sky with the calm of the dunes can be produced via long-exposure photographs. Moonlight and shadow interact to produce compositions on the curves and ridges of the dunes that are both spectacular and peaceful. Full moon evenings also change the nature of wildlife viewing. Some nighttime creatures could be more obvious since they hunt or forage using the natural illumination. Perfect conditions for seeing and capturing these secretive species in their native surroundings can be produced by the gentle light.