Sossusvlei and Deadvlei, epic sand dunes in Namibia!

The Namib desert was everything I expected and more! Formed 55 million years ago, it is the oldest desert on the planet!

Huge sand dunes on both sides of the road, wild oryxs finding their way on the desert, different sand colors depending on the time of the day… pure beauty!!

A typical Namibian scene: Wild Oryx in Sossuvlei

I will repeat this many times in this blog, but there are not enough words to describe the beauty if this place. It has been one of the most inspirational landscapes I have seen, I swear!

Dunes like this are towering all over Sossusvlei

I read about those towering red dunes and how unique the landscape is, but you have to see it! What this place promised was the main reason to choose Namibia as a destination. Once again it did not disappoint!

Just driving in Namib Naukluft Park is amazing by itself. We had an early start and enyoyed the views from my window!

Deadvlei

Deadvlei is a popular destination in the area, an absolute must when visiting Namibia. Thousands of years ago, the Tsauchab River flooded, creating a temporary lake that allowed the growth of these trees. Centuries later, an intense drought killed the trees and the sun turned them black eventually.

Little people on the top right for reference. The scenery in unbelievable

These “dead trees” or tree skeletons have remained like this for 900 years, showing an imposing contrast of those black branches against red dunes and the cracked white clay.

The area is well protected and you can’t just reach it with a big bus. Once you reach a designated area by the road, you need a 4×4 car to enjoy the bumpy but fun ride into the Dune. That ride was one of my favorites, as the dunes were getting ridiculously close and pretty!

And more photos!

Deadvlei video memories

No trip is complete without quick videos. The next ones capture the tree views from the ground.

Short videos of Deadvlei from the ground!

Next is the amazing ride to actually get there. We traveled with a big bus as it was an overland tour, but the last part to reach Deadvlei can only be done with open 4×4 car. This was very fun!

There are 2 ways to do reach the dead trees. From the parking lot, you can cross some small dunes and go straight to the trees, some effort but nothing extremely heavy.

Or you can start climbing Big Daddy, the big dune that surrounds these trees, and slide down to the valley again where the trees are. Hands down, if you are already there, I cannot image not doing it that way! Fully recommended to climb it! -more on that below-

Our fun multicultural group on the 4×4 going to Deadvlei

Our tour guide advised to go straight to Deadvlei and skip climbing famous Dune 45. This gave us quality time to climb Big Daddy with spectacular views to Deadvlei and other dunes! I was skeptical in the beginning, but surely we knew what he was doing! More time in Deavlei, hence Big Daddy is the way to go!

Big who? See below ;D

Big Daddy, 325 meters tall!

The tallest sand dune in Namibia you can climb 😀 This magnificient, giant dune elevates over this incredible contrast of white clay (and the dead trees) on the bottom. You climb so much, that eventually the trees are just small dots in the distance.

From Big Daddy, here I estimate 200-250 meter high at that point

This was the most exciting day of my trip to Namibia since I was really dreaming about these enormous sand dunes. It is almost impossible to describe how incredible it feels when you are climbing it, not just few meters but really it´s really tall. A magical place is the best I can come up with, it´s like being in another planet.

I get chills again, it was just beyond words!

Only when climbing it, you can appreciate the “zig-zagging” or these natural curves of the dune. Only being so close to them you understand the immensity of it.

I have not mentioned the temperature: Yes, it was very hot, as in 40 degrees… and it was only around 10-11 am but it was not windy which was great. Normally you are prepared with buffs or scarves but all we really needed was constant hydration 😉

The hard moment to leave.. This is the view you get when going back to the car, when it is time to leave this place you are not sure you will see something similar again (not the dunes, but this tall!), but you feel happy at the same time for what you have LIVED.

People and cars for perspective, look at these background dunes! WOW

Video memories! (tough climb!)

For me it´s funny to watch this again, even though I don´t understand what I am saying. All I know is.. I was tired but happy haha, and wanted to have some evidence of that forever. My 360 camera failed at the worse moment but I still captured something with my phone.

Dune 45

The name is simply because it’s located in Kilometer 45 between Sesriem gate and Sossusvlei area 🤣.. brilliant! It is “the most photographed sand dune in Namibia”.. and yes I give you that, it’s pretty. Not the highest but very decent 170 meters tall! It takes about 40 min to an hour to climb depending on your fitness.

Fun fact, I thought we would stop on the way back, so ironically I don´t have a super good picture of the most photographed sand dune in Namibia 🤣🤣 We were all so happy (and tired) from Big Daddy / Deadvlei, that we did not consider the stop necessary 😉

Best I got from the Bus 😉 We officially did not stop but saw it!

You may hear this is the place to climb (spoiler, not necessarily!) Many tours go here first thing in the morning to climb it and then head to Deadvlei. To be fair, it´s not just the climb itself.. It may not sound like much if you have good fitness, it´s about the heat and the time you get in each place.

Unless you visit in winter, the weather conditions ARE to be considered. Climbing 2 dunes in half a day is also a matter of hydration. This is a desert after all!

By the time some groups get to Deadvlei, people can be very tired already. They only walk to the trees, or simply have no quality time to climb Big Daddy even if they want to.

My advice? My guide was absolutely right, going straight to Deavlei and climb Big Daddy was the best choice! Though I did not climb Dune 45, just by looking at the surroundings the views from the top cannot be as impressive of those from Big Daddy with the white clay and enormous dunes everywhere you looked!

Scenic flight!

A great thing about not spending a fortune in accommodation, is being able to choose other value-added activities, such as scenic flights over the desert.

Some still photos in my preferred format, landscape:

Video compilation of my clips in this horizontal format as well 😉 I often change format depending on the situation, for example switching to “social media vertical” but later I found it difficult to combine.

This wasn’t very cheap.. about 300 USD per person.. but I’d rather spend it in a unique experience vs a more comfortable accommodation. We chose the longest route, about hour and a half, taking us all the way to the coast.

The plane was tiny, enough for 5 passengers + the pilot.

Seeing the immensity of the desert from the sky was unbelievable, especially when crossing Deadvlei were we had been that morning was incredible.

You can see the “tiny” roads in the middle of nowhere, the dunes getting taller, the dead trees and the clay, until it became only and only sand dunes in all directions. As we headed west to the coast, the sand dunes are still impressive but they are not as tall as the ones in Sossuvlei.

Camping

Ok.. you won’t see much of this happening in my travels 😅 therefore worth documenting it. My tour included 2 nights camping in the desert! I convinced myself this would be a great experience in the comfort of a group to help me with the practicalities.

The experience was great, just a little hot during the night but good facilities, even a pool! And our guide cooked for us amazing African dishes. All in all, I cannot complain!