Discover soaring sand dunes and skeletal trees in Sossusvlei

Sossusvlei lies deep in the Namib Desert and is home to Namibia’s most iconic landmark: Deadvlei. Everyone wants to capture that perfect photo of Deadvlei’s black, skeletal camelthorn trees stuck in a carpet of white clay, backed by tangerine-coloured dunes and a blue sky. It’s like a Salvador Dali painting – there’s nowhere else on earth where you’ll find a phenomenon like that.

Just driving into the Namib Desert is a surreal experience. You’re surrounded by rippling sands that stretch from Angola all the way down to South Africa. The Namib is the world’s oldest desert and recognised by UNESCO for its shifting sand sea, which is unique because fog from the Atlantic provides moisture for plants and animals to thrive. Look out for desert-adapted animals as well as Namibia’s national animal, the elegant oryx.

Stay in a lodge near Sesriem Gate so that you can head into the park before the sun comes up. Although you could drive yourself, taking a tour means you can travel with a local guide, who’ll take you to the best spots in Sossusvlei. This former riverbed – Sossusvlei means “where the river ends” in the indigenous San language – features some of the tallest sand dunes on the planet. These include the 340-metre-tall Big Daddy, Dune 45 and Elim.  

As the sun rises, watch shadows flicker over these towering dunes, the light painting them shades of orange, red, turmeric and gold. If you’re feeling active, scale one of the dunes for aerial desert views; at that time of day the sand is cool enough to trek up to the top, it’s quite a workout. If hiking isn’t your thing, take a dawn hot air balloon flight over Sossusvlei instead. The vast scale of the desert and its endless sands will render you speechless.