Sossusvlei & Namib Desert

The Namib Naukluft National Park covers nearly five million hectares of the Namib desert. This park stretches from Luderitz northwards along the coast to Swakopmund: a glorious mix of towering dunes, vast gravel plains, curiously shaped canyon. All with a mountain backdrop. Marvel at the gemsbok, with its rapier-sharp horns, and other animals that manage to survive in these dry conditions.

Despite the worldwide fame of Sossusvlei, there are in fact three distinct areas which you might like to visit – the Sossusvlei dunes; the Namib Rand Nature Reserve further south and the Naukluft Mountains…

Sossusvlei often rivals a visit to Etosha as the highlight of any Namibia holiday. Surrounded by towering, wave-crested dunes of red-orange sand, Sossusvlei is especially breathtaking in the early morning. Then the dunes are transformed into explosions of colour by the first rays of the sun. There's a good choice of Sossuvlei Lodges, with a key consideration being distance from the park gates.

You rise with the sun to see one of the most awesome sights in Namibia – the towering red dunes of Sossusvlei. These are some of the largest dunes in the world, rising more than 1000 feet above the Namib desert. This is paradise for the photographer, as the shadows create a magnificent contrast of colours. The energetic can climb one of the dunes for a panorama of the endless dune landscape, or explore Sesriem Canyon.

Namib Rand Nature Reserve

South of the Sossusvlei lodges lies the Namib Rand Nature Reserve. This is an absolutely stunning area of the Namib Desert which is the largest private nature reserve in Southern Africa. There are several excellent Namib lodges here as well. Ideally you would spend time at both.

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