3-Day Sossusvlei and Sandwich Harbour Tour from Swakopmund – Three days. Three pictures you will never forget. The first is a red dune at sunrise, turning orange and gold while the valley below is still in shadow. The second is a flat white pan with dead black trees standing in the middle of nowhere. The third is a 100-metre sand dune dropping straight into the Atlantic Ocean.
All three are in Namibia. This tour takes you to all of them.
Day 1: Travel to Sesriem
You leave Swakopmund or Walvis Bay early and drive south. The journey to Sesriem, the gateway town for Sossusvlei, takes about three and a half hours. The road passes through empty desert and flat scrubland.
You arrive in the afternoon. Check in to your accommodation near Sesriem. In the late afternoon, visit Sesriem Canyon. This is a narrow gorge about 30 metres deep, cut by the Tsauchab River over millions of years. At sunset, the light inside the canyon is beautiful. Rest early. Tomorrow starts before dawn.
Day 2: Sossusvlei and Deadvlei
You enter Sossusvlei at first light. The dunes here are some of the tallest in the world. Dune 45, which stands beside the main road, rises about 170 metres. Many visitors climb it at sunrise. Big Daddy, the highest accessible dune, reaches about 325 metres.
From the top of any dune, the view is extraordinary. Orange and red sand stretches in every direction. In the valleys between, white clay pans sit flat and bright in the sun.
Deadvlei is the most famous of these pans. Dead camelhorn trees stand on the white clay surface. These trees stopped growing about 900 years ago. The dry conditions are so extreme that the wood cannot rot. They are still standing. Still perfectly dark against the white ground and the orange dunes behind them.
Day 3: Sandwich Harbour
You drive north and arrive at Walvis Bay by midday. Your guide takes you by 4×4 to Sandwich Harbour. The dunes here are over 100 metres tall and meet the Atlantic Ocean. Flamingos and pelicans feed in the lagoon below.
After two days of inland desert, the sound and smell of the ocean feels completely new.
Best Time to Visit
May to October is the best season for all three locations. The weather is dry and cool, making long drives and outdoor walks much more comfortable.