Carlo Sarion

5.00 Philippines | New Zealand - 11-May-24 -

I visited this site in the summer (Dec 2015) as part of an organised tour to Etosha Pan (Etosha NP) and Sossusvlei (Namib-Naukluft NP). This was one of the best travel experiences I've had, despite the oppressive summer heat (this was supposed to happen in winter, Jul 2015, with a friend who made this trip possible). While this trip was a decade ago, I hope readers will pick something useful from this review of my 2-night trip to Sossusvlei. 

Day 1 - Flying to Kulala

I flew on a 4-seater Cessna from Hosea Kutako (Windhoek) Airport to Kulala Desert Lodge, which is located within the boundary of the national park. The late-morning flight gave a great introduction to the arid Martian-like landscape. Upon arrival, we went straight to the lodge to take shelter from the heat. There was a small pool outside of the dining area to cool off, though I spent the early afternoon eating and just enjoying the breezy thatch-roofed accommodation. Our first activity went on late in the afternoon, which involved driving around the desert, walking around rocky hills, and having a wee picnic while watching the sunset. One advantage of travelling during summer was the longer days, so if organised tours have fixed timings for activities throughout the year, you'd get extra hours of sunshine. Anyway, the sunset was pure magic! It was accompanied by the changing colours of the dunes and sky, from bright yellow to orange to pink and then purple until the stars came out. 

Day 2 - Sossusvlei and Deadvlei

We started early in the morning with a drive towards Sossusvlei. A sealed concrete road runs along a dry valley, which seems to cut through the big dunes to conveniently allow tourists to access the salt and clay pans around Sossusvlei. We have to thank the ephemeral Tsauchab River for that, which formed a drainage basin without outflows. Sossusvlei is aptly named, as its root words "sossus" and "vlei" mean dead-end in Nama and marsh in Afrikaans, respectively.

The drive along the road gave a panoramic view of the high red dunes. How the crests of these dunes slithered down the slope was just wonderful. We admired the dunes and took photos as our guide explained some scientific facts and cultural insights about the dunes. We stopped at Dune 45, where people usually stop to take a break or hike up to see the view of the valley. We then went straight to Sossusvlei and parked our jeep to prepare our way to Deadvlei ("dead marsh"), possibly the most famous clay pan in the area that we see in documentaries. We didn't do the easy way of getting to Deadvlei as we were feeling adventurous and we wanted to avoid other tour groups. We hiked over the crest or ridge of the surrounding dunes until we reached Big Daddy, a tall dune that afforded us a breathtaking view of the creamy-white Deadvlei. Going down the slope of Big Daddy to get to Deadvlei was quite terrifying as the slope was steep. We reached Deadvlei and spent half an hour roaming around and taking photos, trying to avoid getting blind because the clay pan was too effective at reflecting the intense sunlight. The dead trees around the area looked like they were already in the process of petrification. We stayed for another 15 minutes and then walked back to our vehicle as we encountered a couple of tourists putting handfuls of sand into big glass bottles, which annoyed the heck out of me. We drove back to the lodge for lunch and were greeted by a band of gemsbok (South African oryx). Pretty cool stuff.

In the afternoon, we had another drive around the area and stopped to check out the UNESCO plaque. We went back to Sossusvlei, intending to see what the dunes and clay pans looked like at dusk. Seeing the dunes late in the afternoon was quite an experience, as their colours looked more saturated than what you could see in the morning. I believe we went back to Deadvlei and stayed for a bit to admire how the shadow crept over the dunes as the sun plunged into the horizon. It was trippy seeing what the dead trees looked like against the backdrop of intensely coloured dunes. It was just extremely beautiful! We drove back to the lodge and I had a nice dinner, though I remember spending the entire night just looking at my photos and remembering the events of the day. 

Day 3 - Outside the edge of Namib-Naukluft

We spent the morning of the 3rd day hiking around Sesriem Canyon, which I believe is outside of the national park. The high and steep rocky sides shelter the narrow "corridor" of the gorge from sunlight, making the air cooler and the walk nicer. We had the entire Canyon to ourselves, which was a definite treat. We then went back to the lodge, had lunch, rested for a bit, and took the light aircraft  to Swakopmund.

One of the best of the arid sites

Surely, the Namib Sand Sea would have been on everyone's list of top missing sites if such a list had existed before its inscription in 2013. I mean, it's inscribed in all of the 4 natural criteria, and it's pretty easy to see why:

• Criterion VII - The undulating dunes whose colour turns from orange to almost amber at dusk and dawn, and the bone-dry salt and clay pans make the landscape appear more Martian. The fog that regularly engulfs the desert shores gives an eerie look to the coast of the national park. These and the wildlife and vegetation that inhabit the arid environment all contribute to the unique aesthetic of the national park.
• Criterion VIII - The dune systems and their interaction with the sea and climate demonstrate the geophysical processes that undergo in Namib Sand Sea. It's cool to think that the desert is a result of the interaction and influences of the hot interior of continental Africa and the cold Benguela current.
• Criterion IX - An arid environment that looks like the Namib Sand Sea does not seem to hold any promise of sustenance for life to flourish. But it does. Many documentaries about deserts (Els has shared one of these) often feature Namib's flora and fauna to show their delicate ecological interactions and adaptation. That's why I am happy that this massive land has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as it ensures the protection and conservation of these highly sensitive ecological and evolutionary processes. 
• Criterion X - While species richness and abundance are quite low, the desert boasts a high level of endemism. For example, the site’s IUCN advisory evaluation mentioned 84% and 52% endemism in arachnids and insects, respectively. So it's great to know that as of 2020, the conservation status of Namib Sand Sea remains good and the threats to its conservation such as mining and transportation infrastructure are reportedly minimal. Conservation agencies in Namibia and South Africa have produced a 2010 report about the direct impacts of climate change on Namibia's biodiversity and protected areas. I recommend reading these reports if you want to know more about the threats to the desert's conservation. 

Els Slots

4.00 The Netherlands - 04-Jan-18 -

The Namib Sand Sea is the most extensive example in the world of a coastal fog desert. It’s the kind of place nature documentaries rely upon. In David Attenborough’s ‘Planet Earth II: Deserts’ several scenes were filmed here such as the gecko licking its own eyeballs - where thaw had formed in the early morning - to get liquid. The site was inscribed on all 4 natural criteria and it is the undoubted highlight of a trip to Namibia.

The designated area is enormous – about 75% of the size of the Netherlands. But only a small part of it is open to regular tourists. The common access point is at the east, at Sesriem and the Sossusvlei. Only a few tour operators have permits to venture deeper into the Namib Sand Sea (they are named in the nomination dossier).

We stayed overnight at the Sossus Dune Lodge, which is the only hotel within the park’s borders (there’s a campsite as well which has this privilege). This means that you’ll be in the park before sunrise and have all the nice spots to yourself for at least an hour or so. At 5.30 a.m. we were the first to start the climb of Dune 45, at 150m the highest of the red sand dunes along the Sossusvlei access road. Sitting at the top ridge we watched the sunrise, giving the surrounding dunes a deep red colour. Getting down from a sand dune of this height also is great fun.

We then moved on some 10km deeper into the park to what is known as the ‘2x4 car park’. Here the vehicles that are no four-wheel drives have to be left behind. Jeeps will shuttle visitors for the final leg to the access point of Dead Vlei. We however hiked this stretch of 5km, right through the Sossusvlei’s barren clay pan and across some smaller sand dunes. It was a lovely walk which I would recommend to anyone instead of using the shuttle.

A final hurdle is left for everyone after the Dead Vlei car park: there’s a 1.5km struggle through the sand, where you hope to see the famous white pan with the dead trees after each small hill. But it really is at the far end. At one point there may have been 50 tourists at the place at the same time, the pan is, however, larger than I had thought (about 100m across?) and there are plenty of iconic dead trees to take pictures of.

The whole place is terribly hot. We were done for the day at 11 a.m. In the late afternoon, temperatures hit 46 degrees Celsius. Even at the luxurious Sossus Dune Lodge, we had to develop all kinds of tricks to keep ourselves cool. There was only hot water coming from the taps in the rooms, so we filled our water bottles with warm water and then left the bottle in the freezer overnight.

At the end of my tour through Namibia, I was in the town of Swakopmund, just north of the Namib Sand Sea. From here, 1.5-2 hour scenic flights are offered over the whole inscribed area. They are quite pricey at 250-300 EUR, but I heard great things about them. Unfortunately, the minimum of 4 participants could not be met on the day that I wanted to go. Another option to try out for future WH travellers is the helicopter tours from Sesriem.

Read more from Els Slots here.

Kbecq

Belgium - 05-Jun-16 -

The most well known part of the Namib desert/Namib sand sea are its salt/clay pans such as Sossusvlei & Deadvlei.

However, from the park gates to Sossusvlei it is an approx. 70 km drive through the dunes (for 65 km on a tarred road). If you are at the gates by sunrise these orange dunes are a stunning sight.

Also the 'vleis' (especially Deadvlei) are magical with white salt/clay, black trees, orange dunes and a blue sky.

One of the most beautiful places we have visited...

Walter

5.00 Switzerland - 17-Mar-16 -

I was suprised no one has reviewed this site yet, as it is considered the number one destination in Namibia. I visited the area back in 1996.

The « Namib Sand Sea » is a huge desert of sand dunes blocked between the semi-arid plains in the east and the cold atlantic ocean in the west. On an independant basis, the Sossusvlei area is the easiest to visit. Nowaday, I’ve read that there can be long lines to enter the park. Back in 1996, it was a solitary place.

Sossusvlei is a magnificiant and magical area. A road, now tarred, is following a large white salt and clay pan deep into the sand sea. All around are numerous high pink dunes, some being more than 300 meters high. It is a photographer’s paradise.

The road follows the bed of the Tsauchab river. The harsh and dry desert conditions prevent the river to flow, and the river bed is almost always dry. The road from the park entrance (in a settlement called Sesriem) to Sossusvlei is 60 km long. The last 5 km requires a 4x4 drive. For fit people, and with plenty of water (2 liters per person), it is pleasant to walk those last 5 km to Sossusvlei. It seems that there is now a shuttle service for those last 5 km. Sossusvlei is a clay pan that some year is flooded and transformed into a lake. In 1996, the lake was full, but the water was grey and did not reflects the hugh dune in its water.

Climbing up the biggest dunes is possible either from Sussusvlei, or along the road.