Sossusvlei Namibia, Safari Sossusvlei Wilderness, Lodges

Sossusvlei and Namib Desert: Namibia
The spectacular dunes of Sossusvlei

Sossusvlei’s wealthy orange sea of sand dunes is part of the most astounding sceneries in the world. They are the highest sand dunes in the world.

The feminine curves and angular crests are tall to tantalizingly to about 1,000 feet (305metres) – much higher than their next rivals in Arabia. They just beg to be trekked barefoot and the sheer size and immensity of the dunes dwarf your footprints. The more years the dune has lived, the brighter the color from slow iron oxidization and a zillion minute pieces of garnets. These dunes start from burnt orange through blood red to dark mauve, and geologists say that this great desert could be the most ancient in the world. In the Nama language, ‘Namib’ means ‘vast’, and the Namib Naukluft Park survives to this name.

It extends for almost 300 miles (480km) near Namibia’s coast and extends deep inland. leaving aside the appearances, a stunning number of wildlife has got used to live in this tough place. There are lizards who only place two feet down at a time and a beetle who leans forward to produce droplets of dew run down grooves in its body to its mouth. leaving out from infrequent rains, these creatures rely on a regular sea mist that rolls far inland.

Visiting this remote region takes some perseverance, as it is almost 200 miles (320km) from any main high road, so a fly-in safari is a good option. The trip is worth it as the solitude is immeasurable, and your place in the great scheme of life takes on a new perspective. The desert night sky is just awesome and you are guaranteed to see shooting stars every few minutes and satellites tracking a path across the heavens. Some lodges even have rooftop stargazing platforms for a night under the stars.
Safari Lodges of Sossusvlei & The Namib Desert

# Kulala Desert Lodge
# Kulala Tented Camp
# Sossusvlei Wilderness Camp
# Sossusvlei Mountain Lodge
# Wolwedans Dunes Lodge

Climate

The Namib desert has low rainfall and high evaporation and is classified as ‘hyper-arid’. It reacts to also small amounts of rain and a few millimetres can give out a miracle. Fields of stunning yellow flowers on a carpet of green leaves immediately showing up, but are escorted by ‘little devils’ – prickly thorns. Dry tufts of yearly grasses produce  new shoots and ephemeral (short-lived) plants appear as if by magic and all replenish the seed bed. The daytime temperatures stay quite constant all year round the year, averaging 30°C (86°F).