Day 13: Sossusvlei – Dead Vlei – Windhoek

We set off at dawn to reach Dune 45. We climb to the top at sunrise and admire the view and the colors of the desert ablaze. On the way back down, breakfast awaits us at the foot of the dunes.

We continue our visit with a visit to Dead Vlei, which is undoubtedly the most famous place in Namibia, with its famous dunes, dried-up lakes, and standing dead acacia trees; it’s a truly postcard-perfect landscape that evokes a powerful emotion. We then explore the site of Sossusvlei and its giant dunes. Sossusvlei is, above all, the terminus of a river that, a few thousand years ago, flowed into the Atlantic. Today, the rain has disappeared, and the river no longer has the strength to reach the ocean. The dunes, driven by the wind, gradually covered the valley. In some years, river water reaches the foot of the dunes and forms a lake at Sossusvlei.

In Sossusvlei, we discover the highest dunes in the world (over 300 meters) in the oldest desert on the planet. This park is also the kingdom of the oryx, a beautiful antelope that has adapted to the extreme desert conditions. The more athletic can climb to the top of Big Daddy and admire the view of the endless sea of ​​dunes (don’t forget to bring water and good sun protection). The morning visit to this site is dazzling, thanks to the play of light on the dunes.

Drive to Windhoek. Free dinner and overnight stay at a hotel in Windhoek. Guesthouse Londiningi or Uzuri, or equivalent.

Transfer approximately 390 km, approximately 4.5 hours