Sossusvlei

May 10, 2017
2 min read

The road trip from the coast of Lüderitz to the desert of Sossusvlei had us fooled with its smooth tar road that covered the first 123km of the stretch because only when we began the dirt road were we introduced to the cheese grater textures of the Namibian gravel roads. Before the first turn-off we also had a chance to interact with horses, which roamed the dry, rocky fields. I found it amazing how the equines have adapted to this harsh environment that displays a bold contrast to the typical green grass, horses are known to gain optimum condition from.

When exploring Namibia overland I would definitely recommend purchasing an old fashioned map instead of solely relaying on a GPS-system. Not only because technology isn’t 100 percent reliable but the benefit of a printed map is that: in the key you will gain useful information... like which roads are tarred, which passes are only 4x4 accessible, as well as many more routes to choose from that are not digitized on the GPS.

The Zebras amongst many African bucks that passed along freely without the constriction of a game reserve fence was our highlight of the route to the small settlement Sesriem in the oldest desert in the world!

We arrived at Namibia’s biggest landscape highlight in the late afternoon and the red dunes surrounding it.

The word Sossusvlei, the name of the salt and clay pan in Namibia’s largest conservation area translates to ‘dead -end marsh’.

The drive from our Sesriem camp site to the salt pan itself is 65km and the catch is that the gate to the entrance close at sunset and opens at sunrise...so no driving at night. We therefore only made it to the ‘view-point’ on the first day. This is an area only about 20km away from the gate at the foot of the first accessible great dune in the park. The car park area was empty expect for one photographer that was racing the sunset on his way down from the top of the dune, this made it the perfect private setting for our sunset picnic .

We rushed to the gate once the sun disappeared and thanks to other ‘latecomers’, we left with memories of waterhog night sightings and no trouble for driving at night.

It was well worth getting up before sunrise in order to watch the dunes take colour, as we were advised by reception. Experiencing the Namib desert on Dune 45 at 6:15am is however not a very well kept secret anymore as we learned that morning through the many tourist buses that joined us to the top. A truly unique method I suggest, of viewing the landscape and its inhabitants would be to take a hot air balloon ride.

Even though we didn’t escape the tourists with our efforts of getting up early, we did beat the heat of the sun that is quick to exhaust one, when there is no shade or water in sight. Taking along bottled water and prepared snacks has been a vital contribution to heighten our spirits as there are only food supplies available at campsites.