3-Day Sossusvlei Safari

At 7:00 am, you’ll be picked up for a quick pre-departure meeting. On the way to Sesriem, the mountains provide some magnificent sights. The road ascends onto and over Namibia’s central plateau, where we stop at Rehoboth for necessities before continuing on through the desert landscape to Sesriem, where we will set up camp under a massive, ancient camel thorn tree from which we can see the soaring red dunes of the world’s oldest desert. We hope to arrive at Sesriem around lunchtime. After setting up camp, we have a picnic-style lunch in the late afternoon. The decision to begin our stay in the oldest desert on Earth can be made in the late afternoon. We will travel a short distance to Elim Dune for the greatest golden light before sunset. The distance back to our camp through the desert is only a short distance from here.

This morning, sunrise on the dunes is the objective; therefore an early start is required. The 45th dune will be our first stop. The dunes are best photographed at daybreak and sunset. After a brief breakfast, we continue for the final few kilometers till we reach the former Tsauchab Riverbed. The Tsauchab River is ephemeral; it only flows occasionally, when there has been enough rain, and the riverbed is mostly dry. We shall be transported through the sand-covered riverbed by a 44 shuttle service. We’ll go to Dead Vlei, a sand-enclosed, ancient pan that is vividly populated with camel thorn trees that are dead and skeleton. We have enough time to walk about the area and climb one of the world’s highest sand dunes, some of which tower 300 meters above us. The views are stunning and well-known. After returning to Sesriem for lunch and perhaps a swim in the pool, we go on a little excursion to view the Sesriem Canyon in the late afternoon.

We will leave after a leisurely breakfast and travel into the desert. The Namib gravel plains are our first obstacle. Our first destination is the quaint village of Solitaire, where we may stretch our legs and try the wonderful apple pie that has made this farm famous. At 23.5 south degrees, we will cross the Tropic of Capricorn. This morning, we must travel across two mountain passes. We stop for lunch at Walvis Bay Lagoon before making the final leg of our drive to Swakopmund. You will be dropped off at any location within the municipal borders where you are staying. There are lots of things to do in Swakopmund to keep us occupied. Popular scenic flights over the desert include skydiving and quad riding through and inside the Namib dunes for the more daring.