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

8. The Equinox Equilibrium (March 20-21 or September 22-23)

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Twice a year, around March 20–21 and September 22–23, the equinuxes provide Namibia's Red Desert a particularly balanced experience. These times mark the times when day and night have about equal length, therefore producing harmony and change in the desert scene. The desert finds ideal balance of light and shade at the equinoxes. Photographers and artists find especially pleasing the unique quality of light produced by the sun's direct over-the-equator position. Unlike any other season, this balanced illumination highlights the textures and colours of the desert. With their curves and ridges emphasised in a gentle, even light that accentuates minute colour and texture variances, the red dunes acquire a more complex look. Usually symbolising the change from summer to fall, the March equinox also marks the end of the rainy season. This timing can provide a somewhat more lush desert with pockets of green plants strikingly contrasted against the red sand. With early-blooming plants starting to show, the September equinox marking the change from winter to spring could highlight the earliest indicators of desert rebirth. Extended desert exploration is best timed around the equinoxes since temperatures there are usually warm and pleasant. The balanced day length gives guests enough of chances for daytime activities and midnight astronomy, therefore enabling them to experience the whole spectrum of the moods of the desert within one day.