3 Day Sossusvlei Camping – Swakopmund To Windhoek 3 days

Day 1 Swakopmund - Sesriem

Swakopmund - Sesriem (350 km) (FB) (camping)

Our first stop is at Walvis Bay, situated about 40 km south of Swakopmund. South of the town there is a large marine lagoon which is home to a vast array of marine bird-life, in particular flamingos.

We will make a short visit to the lagoon to see the birds and a short visit to Walvis Bay to collect any last minute supplies before once again heading out into the desert. The second part of our journey today takes us across more of the seemingly endless Namib gravel plains. Then the landscape suddenly changes and we are into the mountain desert.

The tour continue as we traverse both the Kuiseb and Gaub passes, driving both times to the river beds at the bottom of the canyons and then climbing the long steep road to the top and the spectacular panoramas the mountains give us. Again the scenery changes as we make our way down to the dune fields. We cross some open grass savannah and farmlands before the terrain begins to give way to the immense red sand dune desert of the Namib and from here it is only a short distance to our next stop, the tiny town of Solitaire.

Our aim is to arrive at our camp during the late afternoon and watch the colours glow and change on distant mountains to the east.

Accommodation: Sesriem Campsite, Sossusvlei

Day 2 Sossusvlei - Sesriem

Sossusvlei - Sesriem (camping) (FB)

A pre-dawn start is essential this morning as we want to catch the soft light of the sunrise on the desert. After passing through Sesriem, the gateway to the dunes and driving into the heart of the dune field, we reach Sossusvlei itself by walking the last 5 km through the dunes. In the cool of the morning, with soft sunlight just beginning to play over the dunes creating a sharp light and shadow contrast across the whole desert, the walk is like nothing else. Ancient mineral pans, stunted camel thorn trees and the chance of seeing a gemsbok or maybe an ostrich make the photo opportunities perfect.

We spend the morning in and around Sossusvlei, also visiting Dune 45, and as the day wears on we return to Sesriem for lunch to escape the heat of the afternoon. As the day cools off in the late afternoon we will take a short excursion to the Sesriem Canyon.

Accommodation: Sesriem Campsite, Sossusvlei.

Day 3 Sesriem - Windhoek

Sesriem - Windhoek (350 km) (BL)

After breakfast we begin our journey over the mountains and along scenic roads, back to Windhoek. We stop at Solitaire to stretch our legs then proceed back to Windhoek via the Khomas Hochland Mountain range back to civilization. We are due back into the city late afternoon / early evening and you will be dropped off at your accommodation on our return.