Dunes and Desolation: Exploring Surreal Landscapes in the Namib Desert

At 9 a.m. on a beautiful Tuesday morning, Mark and I started the 5-hour drive from Windhoek to Sossusvlei via Sesriem. The morning had already been quite eventful, with us having breakfast with giraffes at a most charming guesthouse while being serenaded by a happy birthday song from the staff.

Our time in Namibia was off to a great start and now, we were looking forward to completing the first of many long drives in the country.

The day before, we had picked up our rental car, a 4×4 camping truck from Advanced Car Hire. I settled on renting with this company after emailing several others for quotes and availability of their vehicles. In the end, Advanced Car Hire gave me a faster response, a simpler quote and a more affordable package, so I jumped right in.

Renting a Car in Namibia

I am always a bit apprehensive about renting vehicles anywhere in the world. My primary concern stems from the anticipation of encountering unexpected charges and hidden fees, both during the pickup process and when returning the car. Luckily, our experience in Namibia was seamless and stress-free.

During pickup, we received a detailed orientation from the company that lasted about an hour. This probably could have taken less time but we were in no rush. Still, I was glad we had the briefing the day before our drive to Sesriem, rather than on the actual day of departure.

And so, we enjoyed a relaxed morning at Voigtland Guesthouse and shopped for camping supplies before setting off to Sesriem, the gateway town to Sossusvlei.

How to Get to Sossusvlei

Getting to Sesriem was pretty straightforward. We plugged in the campsite name into Google Maps and just followed the navigation directions right to the camp. The drive took about five hours slightly exceeding the duration predicted by Google Maps.

We encountered a mix of paved and gravel roads and had to release some tyre air pressure at some points to drive more comfortably. But in general, it was a comfortable and easy drive – says this passenger princess 🙂

PS: If you don’t rent a car, you can only get to Sossusvlei by joining a group tour or using a shuttle service.

Where to Stay in Sossusvlei

For our time in Sossusvlei, we chose to camp at the NWR Sesriem Campsite. This is a campground situated near the entrance to the Namib-Naukluft National Park. It’s run by Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR), a state-owned company that manages various campsites and lodges in Namibia’s national parks.

After reaching the campground, we got our entry permits, completed our check-in process at the reception area and were allocated a specific campsite. As we navigated through the property, we noticed that almost all camping spots were strategically positioned beneath a large tree, offering welcome shade during the scorching afternoon hours.

Camping at the NWR Sesriem Campsite, Namibia…

We stayed here for two nights, at two different campsites and had a great experience. The facilities turned out to be quite adequate for our needs. I was particularly pleased with the bathrooms – they were clean and had warm showers, which was nice.

Each campsite came well-equipped with its own electrical socket, a handy floodlight, and a place to plug in the fridge that came with our camper truck.

The campground also featured an on-site restaurant where we treated ourselves to some drinks on our second evening. There was also a pool available, but the weather was a bit too cool for us to take advantage of it during our stay.

But the best part about staying here was the early access we got to Deadvlei and the majestic dunes. Because the Sesriem Campsite is located just outside the inner gates, we could enter the park an hour before sunrise and stay until an hour after sunset.

This special access allowed us to enter a full hour before the main gates opened to the public, and to linger well after they had closed.

At 6:30 am, there was already a short queue of cars lining outside the internal gates and once they opened, the race began to catch the sunrise above the dunes.

Visitors split into two main groups as they entered. Some opted to catch the sunrise from the peak of Dune 45, located roughly 40 minutes from the inner gates, while others decided to press on further towards Big Daddy Dune and Deadvlei.

We were part of the latter group and arrived at the two wheel drive (2WD) parking lot after about an hour of driving. There, Mark released some air pressure from the tyres in preparation to drive down the sandy roads leading to the 4WD parking lot.

While planning for this trip, I read a lot about this portion of the drive and frankly, it terrified me. There seemed to be so many rules, to the point where I was leaning towards taking one of the shuttles that made the trip between both parking lots.

Luckily, Mark did not share my apprehension and drove us steadily to the 4WD parking lot. As it turned out, the drive was not as daunting as I thought it would be – and I say this as a passenger princess.

We made the drive four times (to and fro) because we visited Deadvlei for sunrise and sunset, and did not have any issues.

After arriving at the parking lot, we were faced with two choices – hike up Big Daddy Dune or walk directly to visit Deadvlei. Can you guess which option I went for? 🙂

I didn’t escape hiking up the dune though, because later that afternoon, Mark convinced me to go back to do it with him and I am so glad he did because the views from the top were stunning and the run down to Deadvlei was so much fun!

Visiting Deadvlei

For sunrise though, we walked directly to the white clay pan that held several petrified trees, frozen in time for thousands of years. It felt surreal to see this landscape in person. It was the main reason why I wanted to revisit Namibia and I am so grateful that Mark and I got to share this experience.

We lingered in the area long after the sun had risen, mesmerized by the shifting hues of the dunes and surrounding landscape. It was an absolute delight and every photographer’s dream. Since we visited Namibia at the end of May (into June), we were able to enjoy being outdoors for longer due to the excellent weather conditions.

Best Time to Visit Sossusvlei

Winter in Namibia typically occurs from May to September, with June, July, and August being the core winter months. This is undoubtedly the best period to visit the country.

As you can already imagine, it is also the peak travel season. But that being said, the only thing you might need to worry about is booking your preferred accommodation and car rentals well in advance. Apart from this, the tourist sites are rarely ever crowded – they probably wouldn’t empty either.

Our time in Sesriem and Sossusvlei was nothing short of magical. From the towering red dunes to the ancient, cracked earth of Deadvlei, every moment felt like we were exploring another planet. It’s a place that stays with you long after you’ve shaken the last grains of sand from your shoes.