Simply Stunning in Sossusvlei - Namibia



The sand dunes of Sossusvlei, Namibia, are the highest in the world. They are also the most extraordinary, not only in their impressive size, but in their colour that seems to change all the time.

Early morning the dunes appear to be pink.  As the sun rises the dunes take on a golden hue and change from pink to yellow to a bright orange or red.  They shimmer when the sun is directly overhead, and then in the evenings they turn a dusky grey, a pale green almost and then back to pink.

There’s a dune corridor in Sossusvlei that you can drive through.  It’s a world heritage site and the dunes are protected.  You’re allowed to climb them, the biggest one being Bid Daddy, and it is not an easy climb at all.  It’s best to do it in the early morning before the sun gets too hot.  You climb up and over which takes about two hours, and on the other side is one of the most astonishing sights ever - Dead Vlei.  It’s hard to describe Dead Vlei.  It is a dead marsh, a forest frozen in time, dead trees that are in an old salt pan, in and amongst the dunes.  Look at the pic below to get an idea.

There are plenty of lodges to stay in, all on the rim of the park.  Because the area is a world heritage site, no-pne is allowed to stay in the actual park.  Other activities include quad biking and sand duning, nature drives (there are animals here, Gemsbok and Ostrich amongst others) and there is hot air ballooning, nature walks and visits to the Sesriem Canyon.

It is best to book! Only a certain number of people are allowed in the park per day and the area is hugely popular with European tourists.  Namibia is a fascinating country and Sossusvlei is just one small part of it.  There is also the Etosha National Park, the Skeleton Coast and Damaraland, home to the desert elephant.

Watch this space for more Namibian stories.

 

 


Comments

There are 0 comments on this post

Leave A Comment