Namibia Highlights Part 2: Sossusvlei

My main motivation for visiting Namibia was to see the world famous sand dunes of the Namib Desert, so visiting Sossusvlei was my top priority. I don’t think I could have asked for a more perfect three days. The weather was gorgeous, the crowds were minimal, and the climbs up the dunes were stunning. In my opinion, no picture will ever truly capture the magnificence of the dunes, but I, like everyone else, certainly gave it a try.

The drive from Windoek south to the dunes wasn’t quite as long as the drive north to Etosha, but my sister and I still got an early start on the morning of July 2^nd. As we made our way, I took note of just how remote we were. For miles and miles (or kilometers and kilometers) there was simply nothing on either side of the road except a grassy plain with a mountainous backdrop. Oddly enough, wire fences were posted on both sides of the road, and every so often we would see grazing cattle, so someone owned the land. But where they lived was a mystery to us. There was also a distinct lack of cars traveling in either direction. It became obvious how vast and sparsely populated the country is – even during peak tourist season.

Most of the dunes are in an area called Sossusvlei, which is located inside Namib-Naukluft Park. One of the most popular activities for visitors is to climb a dune (Dune 45) and watch the sun rise over the desert from atop the sand. This is really only possible if you camp inside the park, because the gates don’t even open until sunrise. With this in mind, the best (budget) option is to stay at Sesriem Rest Camp, which is just inside the park gates and a short drive away from Sossusvlei and all the dunes. As I was definitely interested in the “sunrise climb” it only made sense for us to head to Sesriem and step up camp.

View of the Namib Desert from Elim Dune in Sesriem.

We arrived in the late afternoon with enough time to hike up the nearby Elim Dune and watch the sunset: a truly beautiful sight. I felt as though I could actually see the color of the sand changing from bright orange to deep red as the sun went down behind the dune. There’s a funny thing about this dune. When you look up, you think, “I’m almost to the top”. But when you get to that point, there is another hump in front of you. At some point you just have to stop and enjoy the view because it’s perfectly fine from nearly any height.

My sister and I at sunrise at the top of Dune 45 in Sossusvlei.

The next morning we got a VERY early start because it was time for our big sunrise climb. We got to Dune 45 and started the trek up with a number of others. I’m not a big fan of walking in sand – even when it is flat on the beach, so I took the climb up the dune at a pretty slow pace. It was hard! But no matter, I got there eventually, and in plenty of time to see the sunrise. When nature’s show was over, my sister and I made our way back down the dune and had some breakfast before heading off to see the rest of the area. You can only drive up until a certain point, and then if you want to go any further (which you do so that you can see the other parts of the Sossusvlei area) you either have to walk about 5km through the desert or take a 4x4 shuttle provided by the park. We walked since it was a beautiful day.

Sunrise on Dune 45 in Sossusvlei.

The "Big Daddy" in Sossusvlei, the world's largest sand dune.

While on the short hike, we saw a few springbok as well as some unique desert plants. The goal was to get to the “Big Daddy,” said to be the largest sand dune in the world. I’m not really sure who measures these things, but even if it isn’t the biggest, it is a pretty big pile of sand. My sister took the challenge of climbing to the top. I enjoyed the view from about halfway, which was still quite nice. We met at the bottom, in the area known as Deadvlei, home to the 900 year-old camel thorn trees. The trees are actually dead, but haven’t decomposed because it is simply to dry. Instead, the have been scorched black and hardened by the sun to make for a beautiful sight with the white clay below them and the red sand behind them. After taking as many pictures as possible, we headed back to the campsite for lunch. It was pretty incredible to think that we did all of that in just one morning!

The 900 year old trees at Deadvlei.

The rest of the afternoon we spent relaxing before making an evening journey to the nearby Sesriem Canyon. Not really much to see, except for one fairly bizarre sight. At one end of the canyon, there is a small pond with fish. The source of the water is deep in the ground, but the original source of the fish was a bit unclear. Leftovers from the Tsauchab River which formed the canyon, I guess. It didn’t seem that remarkable until you consider that the area only received about a millimeter of rain last year. Apparently that was all that was needed for the fish to keep swimming about. 

The small town of Solitaire, Namibia with its world famous apple pie!
That's right, you're looking at the whole town.

After a good night sleep, we headed back to Windhoek the next day, making a short stop in the small settlement of Solitaire. Literally the town is gas station, a post office, a small store, a campsite, a motel, and a bakery, but that is all it needed to become world famous. Mostly the fame comes from the apple pie/strudel sold at the bakery (which was delicious) but also from the fact that it is one of the only places to stop between the dunes and Windhoek. We arrived back at the backpackers by late afternoon, with enough time to grab some dinner before turning in again for the night. A successful second leg of our adventure!