Sossusvlei in 3 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.
The plan, day by day
Day 1
- Morning
Deadvleiabout 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 Duneabout 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
Sossusvleiabout 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.
Day 2
- Morning
Hiddenvleiabout 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 45about 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 Canyonabout 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.
Day 3
- Morning
Elim Duneabout 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 Namibhalf 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.
Where to sleep in Sossusvlei
- Desert Camp · €80 a night
- Sossusvlei Lodge · €220 a night
- Desert Quiver Camp · €160 a night
- Dead Valley Lodge · €450 a night
Plan this trip
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