The Sossusvlei is situated in the Namib Desert. It's an area with red sanddunes (max 300 m high) which move slowly by the wind.

Sunrise is the best time to take pictures they said so we left at 6 o'clock in the morning, it was still dark. Later on we understood it was dangerous to drive in the dark because of the big game on the road. "An oryx doesn't step aside". Even the local people didn't drive at night. The owner of the campsite became nervous when some guests did not arrive at 8 o'clock p.m.: "it's dangerous out there".

 

The first time we passed by the head entrance, we didn't see it. After a long way round, about 60-km it began to rain: no beautiful pictures of the sunrise. The day after we got a new change, not by sunrise but at 10 o'clock.

 

After you enter the park it is still a 60-km drive to the heart of the valley. The last 5 km is a sandy road and is open for four wheel drive vehicles (see picture). Because of the bad weather the first day I've got no pictures of the valley itself. The second day we did not go in the valley.

 

The valley contained water and was in fact a small lake with melonplants on its banks. We didn't expect that in the middle of a desert.

 

 

 

You can climb up the sanddunes. This is hard because is dry loose sand. Two steps forward and one and a half back. Sometimes people boardsail down the dune slopes. If you planning to do that be careful, a lot of people broke their bones here.

 

The last picture shows that the dunes moves slowly in the wind.

 

 

Copyright T.Theune