3 Day Sossusvlei Budget Camping Safari

You will be collected from your accommodation within the Windhoek city limits at 07:00 and transferred to Chameleon Safaris HQ for a short pre-departure meeting. There is some lovely mountain scenery on our drive to Sesriem. The road climbs up onto and over Namibia’s central plateau and stops at the small town of Rehoboth for essential supplies, back on the road we pass via the small community at BűellsPort from here we continue on through the desert landscape aiming to arrive at Sesriem around lunchtime and make our campsite under a huge, ancient camelthorn tree from where we can glimpse the towering red dunes of the world’s oldest desert. We enjoy a late afternoon picnic-style lunch after setting up camp. In the late afternoon, there is the option with which to start our time in the world’s oldest desert. A short drive will take us to Elim Dune, for the best golden light before sunset. From here, if you would like to, it is a relatively short walk back, through the desert - Camp

Sunrise in the dunes is the name of the game this morning and that means a pre-dawn start. Our first stop will be at dune 45, so named because it is 45 km from Sesriem, and we cover this first distance in darkness and early morning twilight. The best time to photograph the dunes is around sunrise and sunset. This is when you can see towering sand dunes illuminated a glowing orange, apricot red on one side and swathed in shadow on the other. The depth of field is amazing at this time of day. We arrive at Dune 45 and climb to a vantage point for sunrise, watching as the colours grow and change with the ever-altering light. Back to the vehicle for a quick breakfast and we carry on for the last few kilometers to the 2x4 car park where all 2-wheel drive vehicles have to stop. From here we enter the ancient Tsauchab Riverbed for the last 5km leg to Sossusvlei itself.

Departing after an early breakfast we head west into the desert. We first cross the Namib gravel plains, large areas of flat and seemingly barren terrain broken up by huge mountain inselbergs. Our first stop this morning is the tiny town of Solitaire where we can stretch our legs and sample the apple pie that has made this homestead famous, a quirky little place with amazing photo opportunities in the old farm vehicles scattered around the grounds. We cross the Tropic of Capricorn at 23.5 south degrees. There is a signpost at this auspicious spot and we stop along the road for photos. We have two mountain passes to traverse this morning, first is the smaller canyon of the Gaub River, a tributary of the Kuiseb river Kuiseb Pass. We continue to follow the road to the top of the mountains, dropping steeply down into the canyon carved over eons by the Kuiseb River on its way to debouch into the ocean at the port town of Walvis Bay. And more,,

A pre-dawn departure from camp this morning means that we can enjoy the dunes at first light whilst the temperatures are still cool. We drive down an ancient river bed surrounded by towering dunes, making our first stop at the famous Dune 45, where we can climb to the top and enjoy the sunrise. On descent, enjoy some breakfast.

Continuing on to the 2x4 parking (around 55kms) and taking a 4x4 shuttle into the Sossusvlei area to appreciate the beauty of this place in early morning light and enjoy the peace and tranquility of the region. We explore this unique area on foot before heading into Dead Vlei with its large expanse of bleached cracked clay and skeletal camel thorn trees, contrasting with a backdrop of huge dunes with their ever-changing colours before taking the 4x4 shuttle back to our vehicle.

We return to Sesriem for lunch and a swim and late afternoon we visit the nearby Sesriem Canyon, one of the few permanent water sources in the area.

We depart early from the desert to take on the long road to Swakopmund. Lunch will be at Walvisbay Lagoon, and arrival in Swakopmund will be about an hour after lunch. This is the end of your safari. TYou will be dropped off at your preferred accommodation