Namib Desert

The Namib Desert is reputed to have the highest sand dunes of any desert in the world, and they defintely make for some incredible landscapes. Towering hundreds of metres into the sky, the red sand dunes contrast starkly against the crisp blue desert skies, allowing for wonderful photography and scenic splendour.

Sossusvlei is the end point of the Tsauchab River which periodically flows through the desert after heavy rain seasons, before being swallowed into the red Namib sands, leaving a salt and clay pan. Interestingly Sossusvlei has had many locations over the centuries, with the sand dunes slowly causing the river to end earlier and earlier over time. An old location of an earlier Sossusvlei is the truly magical Dead Vlei, which can be reached on a short hike through the desert from Sossusvlei. This walk is an absolute must, and it is well worth persevering through the hot sands to view the incredible beauty of the enormous clay pan and dead Camel Thorn trees.

Each sand dune in the Namib-Naukluft National Park is numbered according to its position from the entrance gate, and Dune 45 has become the iconic sand dune to climb before sunrise, to await the breaking of a new dawn over this desolate land. Leaving your lodge well before sun-up, you will be driven deep into the desert, before setting off on a one-step-forward-2-steps-back type of climb up the sandy dune. Getting as high as possible, Dune 45 provides you with magnificent views of the sun peeping over the horizon, before rising above the desert to cast its colourful rays over the land.

It is well worth being led on a guided walk of the desert, usually from Sossusvlei, on which you can learn a remarkable amount about the Namib Desert's fauna and flora. On the surface it appears that nothing can survive, however, beneath the sands is a buzz of activity, and only resident experts will be able to locate the numerous animals which call the Namib home.

One better location to view the sunrise than Dune 45 is from the soaring and silent heights of a hot-air balloon, which floats peacefully above the dunes. Leaving the earth before sunrise, you will fly for up to an hour, before landing and enjoying a champagne breakfast in the desert, to top off the most exhilarating of wake ups.