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Sossusvlei

Anyone who visits Namibia must visit Sossusvlei National Park in the Namib desert. Although the park was much smaller than we imagined, we ended up experiencing nearly empty dunes and campsites, and a rare desert storm with a rainbow that lingered for hours.

Where To Stay

We rented a truck with a tent on the roof and drove 7 hours from Swakopmund to the park entrance. We stayed at the Sossus Oasis Campsite, which was a true oasis in the middle of desert land. They have a limited number of campsites, and during more popular seasons it’s best to contact them well in advance to make reservations. We were able to make our reservations quite easily during the week before the Easter holidays, but it was probably mostly due to Covid and fewer travelers to Namibia.

Each campsite is equipped with a shaded area, a grill, a sink for washing dishes, hot water, and your own private toilet and shower. We had a large space to ourselves and even if the campsite was full each site was a good distance from its neighbor.

In the middle of the camp is a little pool. It isn’t heated, but feels pretty good after a hot day in the sun! There is also a nice shaded area to hang out in next to the pool.

There is wifi, but you can only get it at the gas station nearby. The power is often spotty and the phone signal is weak and mostly non-existent so don’t rely on having a connection here.

The weirdest part for us was finding spiny armored bush crickets everywhere. If you are afraid of large insects, this probably isn’t the place for you! Although harmless, these crickets had no fear of us and disturbed our meals several times by crawling straight up our legs.

Armored Bush Cricket: The largest insect we’ve seen besides tarantulas

There are some resorts and other campsites in the area, but the Sossus Oasis is right next to the park entrance and also has a gas station where you can fuel up and make sure your car is road worthy for the next part of your journey.

Where To Eat

There is very little to find around Sossusvlei. If you are staying in a resort your meals will be provided. Most people camp, and it’s best to stock up on needed food and supplies in Windhoek or Swakopmund. The gas station near our campsite had some food, but it was mostly non-perishables or strange things like a whole butternut squash or one kilo of gouda. Surprisingly, they had a freezer full of different kinds of meat for grilling. They also had a good variety of beer and wine available.

What To Do

The highlight of the area is the Sossusvlei National Park. Entrance is at sunrise, which for us was around 7am. They will not let you in earlier, and you can only get your permit for the day you are there. They will not issue permits in advance.

We waited in line with a few other cars before sunrise. When the gate opened, the ranger wrote down our car details, and we paid at the end of the day on the way out. In March/April 2021, the cost for entry was $N350 per person, and $N100 per car. We suspect that you pay when you leave in case you leave after closing (sunset) so they can fine you more easily.

It is a 64 kilometer drive to the back of the park. It’s a beautiful sunrise drive as the sun lights up the hills and the dunes and the light isn’t too harsh. We would highly recommend arriving for the sunrise drive as the view is quite different under the noon sun.

On the way you will see Dune 45. A lot of people were climbing the dune in the early hours. We weren’t quite sure why it was so popular! It is called Dune 45 because it comes after driving 45 kilometers into the park. We bypassed it and kept driving.

At the back of the park there is a parking area for cars that can’t quite make the last push. After driving on a nice tarmac road, we suddenly hit deep sand. Make sure you have a good vehicle that can handle sand, and don’t drive too fast. Getting stuck here would be a nightmare! Normally there are shuttles to take visitors to the last points in the park if your car can’t make it, although we didn’t see any, likely due to the lack of tourists during Covid times.

From here, you are in the famous red sand dunes of Namibia. The color truly was red, and we drove in a sandy former riverbed to the famous dried up lakes in the middle of the dunes.

After parking at the final point, we hiked up the largest dune we could see. We walked over a dried lake and then started climbing, following the footprints of others who had gone before us. Make sure you take plenty of water for this part of the hike as the sun gets hot fairly quickly.

In 2021, Namibia had some relief from the seven years of drought they had suffered from, and some of the dried lake beds had water in them. There was even grass growing on some of the dunes and green, leafy trees. 

We had to navigate around one of these shallow lakes to get up the first giant dune. With all of the stopping to enjoy the view and take photos, we probably took over an hour to reach the top. Climbing dunes in the heat of the day is not advisable. It was quite pleasant in the early morning, but by 10am the heat was unbearable. Some people had hiked the dunes barefoot, but by 9:30am it would be too hot to do without shoes.

The view from the top of the dunes looking down into the “dead” lakes of Sossusvlei.

After enjoying the views from the top, we ran down the dune in about five minutes. The sand makes a funny sound like an airplane zooming overhead as it falls down after you and can really vibrate the ground. It’s a little shocking to hear and feel at first, but once you figure out what the sound is and where the vibrations are coming from it’s quite fun to keep it going!

From the top of the big dune, we could look down and see the most famous dried lake bed: Deadvlei. There are many dead trees here, and you can see exactly where the water used to be as the dried lake mud is stark white against the red sand dunes surrounding it.

We walked across the dried lake to the dead trees, then continued onwards back to the parking area. After a picnic lunch and a siesta in the car, we drove on and saw Sossusvlei, another lake bed in the midst of sand dunes. Here, there was so much water that someone was actually swimming in it. We would not recommend this as the water was full of algae and flies. But the locals told us there is never any water in these lakes so it was quite the phenomenon.

If you have the equipment, it would be a good idea to plan for a picnic in the park. There are some trees and if it isn’t too busy you should be able to easily find shade. There are some picnic tables under the trees, but not many.

Although you have to drive 64 kilometers and walk a bit further than that to see these beautiful sights, it would be difficult to spend a whole day in the park, and we wouldn’t recommend two days. It is tempting to stay and see the dunes at sunset, but the rangers are strict with entry and exit times. It is also extremely hot with temperatures in the 90’sF/35-40C during the day. It’s best to enjoy the dunes early!

On exiting, you pay at the reception at the resort inside the park entrance. The rangers will direct you on where to go. Card or cash is accepted.

A Visit To Sossusvlei Is Not To Be Missed

Overall, we enjoyed Sossusvlei very much. We had a great camping experience and grilled delicious food every night. We watched the moon come up in the evening, so huge on the horizon we thought it was the sun. The second evening we experienced a desert thunderstorm which was absolutely incredible and a rare sight. The stars are incredible and some of the best you can see in the world. And of course, the sand dunes in the park are beautiful.