Namib Sand Sea

I visited this site in the summer (Dec 2015) as part of an organised tour to Etosha Pan (Etosha NP) and Sossusvlei (Namib-Naukluft NP). This was one of the best travel experiences I've had, despite the oppressive summer heat (this was supposed to happen in winter, Jul 2015, with a friend who made this trip possible). While this trip was a decade ago, I hope readers will pick something useful from this review of my 2-night trip to Sossusvlei. 

Day 1 - Flying to Kulala

I flew from Hosea Kutako (Windhoek) Airport to Kulala Desert Lodge, which is located within the boundary of the national park. The late-morning flight gave a great introduction to the arid Martian-like landscape. Upon arrival, we went straight to the lodge to take shelter from the heat. There was a small pool outside of the dining area to cool off, though I spent the early afternoon eating and just enjoying the breezy thatch-roofed accommodation. Our first activity went on late in the afternoon, which involved driving around the desert, walking around rocky hills, and having a wee picnic while watching the sunset. One advantage of travelling during summer was the longer days, so if organised tours have fixed timings for activities throughout the year, you'd get extra hours of sunshine. Anyway, the sunset was pure magic! It was accompanied by the changing colours of the dunes and sky, from bright yellow to orange to pink and then purple until the stars came out. 

The Namib Sand Sea is the most extensive example in the world of a coastal fog desert. It’s the kind of place nature documentaries rely upon. In David Attenborough’s ‘Planet Earth II: Deserts’ several scenes were filmed here such as the gecko licking its own eyeballs - where thaw had formed in the early morning - to get liquid. The site was inscribed on all 4 natural criteria and it is the undoubted highlight of a trip to Namibia.

The designated area is enormous – about 75% of the size of the Netherlands. But only a small part of it is open to regular tourists. The common access point is at the east, at Sesriem and the Sossusvlei. Only a few tour operators have permits to venture deeper into the Namib Sand Sea (they are named in the nomination dossier).

We stayed overnight at the Sossus Dune Lodge, which is the only hotel within the park’s borders (there’s a campsite as well which has this privilege). This means that you’ll be in the park before sunrise and have all the nice spots to yourself for at least an hour or so. At 5.30 a.m. we were the first to start the climb of Dune 45, at 150m the highest of the red sand dunes along the Sossusvlei access road. Sitting at the top ridge we watched the sunrise, giving the surrounding dunes a deep red colour. Getting down from a sand dune of this height also is great …

The most well known part of the Namib desert/Namib sand sea are its salt/clay pans such as Sossusvlei & Deadvlei.

However, from the park gates to Sossusvlei it is an approx. 70 km drive through the dunes (for 65 km on a tarred road). If you are at the gates by sunrise these orange dunes are a stunning sight.

Also the 'vleis' (especially Deadvlei) are magical with white salt/clay, black trees, orange dunes and a blue sky.

One of the most beautiful places we have visited...

I was suprised no one has reviewed this site yet, as it is considered the number one destination in Namibia. I visited the area back in 1996.

The « Namib Sand Sea » is a huge desert of sand dunes blocked between the semi-arid plains in the east and the cold atlantic ocean in the west. On an independant basis, the Sossusvlei area is the easiest to visit. Nowaday, I’ve read that there can be long lines to enter the park. Back in 1996, it was a solitary place.

Sossusvlei is a magnificiant and magical area. A road, now tarred, is following a large white salt and clay pan deep into the sand sea. All around are numerous high pink dunes, some being more than 300 meters high. It is a photographer’s paradise.

The road follows the bed of the Tsauchab river. The harsh and dry desert conditions prevent the river to flow, and the river bed is almost always dry. The road from the park entrance (in a settlement called Sesriem) to Sossusvlei is 60 km long. The last 5 km requires a 4x4 drive. For fit people, and with plenty of water (2 liters per person), it is pleasant to walk those last 5 km to Sossusvlei. It seems that there is now a shuttle service for those last 5 km. Sossusvlei is a clay pan that some year is flooded and transformed into a lake. In 1996, the lake was full, but the water was grey and …