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Travel guide
Sossusvlei
3 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: May to September
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Welcome
Sossusvlei, in a few days
In the heart of the Namib, often called the oldest desert in the world, iron-oxide dunes rise more than 300 metres above a clay pan. At Deadvlei, camel thorn trees that died around seven centuries ago still stand, too dry to rot.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 3 things
- D2 Day 2 3 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
3 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Deadvlei · about 1 h 30A white clay pan ringed by orange dunes, with around a hundred dead camel thorn trees still standing since the dunes cut off the river.
- Afternoon · Big Daddy Dune · about 2 hThe great dune between Sossusvlei and Deadvlei, about 325 metres high, climbed along its crest in an hour or more of soft sand.
- Late afternoon · Sossusvlei · about 1 hThe pan where the Tsauchab River ends, blocked by dunes some 55 km short of the Atlantic; the name roughly means dead-end marsh.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Sossusvlei Lodge ↗ · All places to stay by budget →€220 a night
D2
Day 2
3 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Hiddenvlei · about 1 h 30A third clay pan, about 1.5 km from the 2x4 car park along a path marked with white posts, and almost always empty.
- Afternoon · Dune 45 · about 1 hNamed after its distance in kilometres from Sesriem gate, this dune of about 170 metres is famous for its clean crest and lone tree.
- Late afternoon · Sesriem Canyon · about 1 hA gorge about a kilometre long and up to 30 metres deep; its Afrikaans name recalls the six leather straps needed to lower a bucket.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Sossusvlei Lodge ↗€220 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Elim Dune · about 1 hThe first dune of the sand sea, 5 km from Sesriem gate near the park campsite; about 100 metres high, climbed in half an hour.
- Afternoon · Hot-air balloon over the Namib · half a dayAn hour-long dawn flight from near Sesriem, the only way to grasp the scale of the parallel dune ridges cut by the dry Tsauchab.
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Game meat: kudu, oryx and springbok, grilled and served as steaks or stews.
- Braai: the southern African barbecue, a social ritual as much as a meal.
- Biltong: strips of dried, spiced meat, the snack for every long drive.
- Oysters and fresh fish from the cold Atlantic, in Swakopmund and Walvis Bay.
- German heritage: pretzels, apple strudel and beer brewed to the old German purity law.
⚠️ Best avoided
- On gravel roads, carry a spare tyre and plenty of water, and keep your speed down: loose gravel rolls cars.
- Drive by day only: animals cross the roads at night.
- Book camps and lodges months ahead, especially inside the parks.
- Drink far more water than you think you need: the air is dry and the sun is strong.
Getting by
Words that help
🗣️ English is the main language here, so there is nothing to learn by heart.
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyNamibian dollar (NAD)
BudgetAbout €160 a day, mid-range
Best seasonMay to September
PlugD/M · 220V
Tap waterSafe in the towns; carry bottled or treated water in the bush
TippingAppreciated, around 10%
Emergency112 / 10111
EntrySince 1 April 2025, EU, UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports all need a visa. For UK, US, Canadian, Australian and most western EU passports it is issued on arrival at Windhoek airport and the main borders, or applied for online in advance, for NAD 1,600; other EU nationals should check with a Namibian embassy. The passport must be valid six months beyond arrival, with three blank pages.
HealthHepatitis A and typhoid are recommended. Malaria is present in the north and north-east, so ask about prophylaxis for your route; use repellent. A yellow fever certificate is required if you arrive from a country where it is present.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/sossusvlei
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.