Visiting Sossusvlei: A Guide to Visiting the Sand Dunes of Namibia
Anthony is a renowned Africa expert and author of the Lonely Planet guide to Botswana & Namibia.
The Namib is the oldest desert on earth. It may also be the most beautiful. Hidden in what was once a little-known corner of Namibia, between the wild Skeleton Coast and the gravel-faced Naukluft Mountains, the Sossusvlei dunes come close to sand-dune perfection. For centuries the wind here has sculpted sharp ridges of sand that form faultless arcs rising from valley floors to heights over 300m/984ft. Each one is different, and each is constantly being remade by the wind. It is a world in motion, of sand dunes that seem to go on forever, one sand summit after another beyond the far horizon. It is the desert that we dreamed of as children.
1. Sesriem
The isolated desert outpost of Sesriem is the gateway to Sossusvlei. Reaching here involves long, lonely roads across an often-empty land. The town itself is 321km/199mi southwest of Windhoek and 344km/214mi southeast of Swakopmund, and it is somewhat underwhelming. Sesriem settlement revolves around two essential functions: the petrol station and the park office for Namib-Naukluft National Park.
The park office is where you pay your park fees and obtain your entry permit. Accommodation possibilities in the town itself are few, but numerous choices lie scattered for miles around, often far from the town itself. The best of these options have glorious views of the Sossusvlei dunes that rise like ramparts southwest of Sesriem.
2. Sossusvlei
When you think of the sand dunes of Namibia, you’re probably thinking of Sossusvlei. Queues form well before dawn at the park entrance. The road that carries you into the world of dunes follows the path of the dry Tsauchab River, a narrowing expanse of table-flat sand with sand dunes rising from either side. At the northeastern end of the valley, Elim Dune requires a 5km/3mi detour. Mark this one for later in the day as this is the best summit from which to watch the sunset.
Further in, side roads leave off the paved road to the base of dunes, one after the other, waiting to be climbed. Dune 45, so named because it is 45km/28mi from the Sesriem entrance, is one of the more popular. Further west again, the 2WD car park is the starting point for shuttle services that go further into the dunes to the west. The car park is also the start of the walk to Hidden Vlei. This 4km/2.5mi return hike over the sands is marked by white posts and takes you into an eerily desolate bowl, surrounded by some of the highest of the Sossusvlei dunes. By the time you reach the 4WD car park, back in the main valley or pan, dunes crowd in all around.
3. Deadvlei
If you were drawn here by images of charcoal-black skeleton trees across a sheet of sand, all signs of life dwarfed by golden mountains, Deadvlei is your place. This is the defining image of the sand dunes of Namibia, and one of the signature shots in all southern Africa. At midday the scene is apocalyptic. The white-hot sand in the glare of the desert sun looks for all the world like an over-exposed photograph.
The silhouetted trees like petrified echoes of life in a wasteland of frightening power. In deep contrast, early in the morning or late in the afternoon, the warmth of the golden sands and the relief of lengthening shadows brings depth and a wholly different dimension to the experience. And it’s in Deadvlei that you can see Big Daddy Dune. At 325m/1,066ft high, Big Daddy is the highest of the Sossusvlei dunes. The sandy track to Deadvlei begins at the 4WD car park and is signposted. It’s a 3km/2mi-return walk.
4. Sesriem Canyon
Off on a side road from Sesriem to Sossusvlei, Sesriem Canyon is a wonderful complement to the big horizons and moving sands of the sand dunes elsewhere in Sossusvlei. Deep, narrow trails cut between the canyon’s vertical cliffs, snaking through an otherwise impenetrable mass of mountains rising from the desert floor. Sesriem Canyon is like nowhere else in the Namib, with strange rock formations, secluded pools of water and a labyrinth of trails.
Sometimes the experience is claustrophobic as the walls appear to crowd in ever closer. At others, the feeling is one of intimacy. A secret world of shade and shadows hidden away in the heart of a desert that extends from here for hundreds of miles in most directions. The canyon is made from sand and gravel that have merged and solidified down through millions of years. There is an air of permanence here, a feeling that is impossible out amid the shifting sands.
Practicalities
Want To Visit Sossusvlei?
Click on the button below to compare Sossusvlei safaris offered by top-rated tour operators.
Anthony is a renowned Africa expert and author of the Lonely Planet guide to Botswana & Namibia.
More About This AuthorSafari Tours to Namibia
-
14-Day Namibia Flying Safari
$18,565 to $27,288 pp (USD)
Namibia: Private tourLodge & Tented Camp
You Visit: Windhoek (Start), N/a'an ku sê (Wildlife Sanctuary), Kulala, Skeleton Coast NP, Kaokoland, Etosha NP, Windhoek (End)
Wayfairer Travel
4.9/5 – 149 Reviews
-
14-Day Namibia Breathtaking Adventure Tour
$5,720 to $5,940 pp (USD)
Namibia: Private tourLodge & Tented Camp
You Visit: Windhoek (Start), Kalahari Desert, Sossusvlei (Sand Dunes), Namib-Naukluft NP (Namib Desert), Swakopmund (City), Twyfelfontein (Rock Art), Damaraland, Kunene Region, Epupa Falls (Kaokoland), Western Etosha, Etosha NP, Eastern Etosha, Erindi GR, Hosea Kutako Airport (End)
Kubwa Five Safaris
5.0/5 – 122 Reviews
-
3-Day Etosha Guided Camping Safari
$852 pp (USD)
Namibia: Shared tour (max 6 people per vehicle)Camping
You Visit: Windhoek (Start), Etosha NP, Windhoek (End)
People Tours And Safari
5.0/5 – 24 Reviews