Endless Dunes, Timeless Deserts

With their dramatic landscapes, shifting dunes, and surreal salt pans, these destinations offer travellers a chance to step into an otherworldly wilderness unlike anywhere else on earth.

Within the Namib-Naukluft park are a number of sights that have become firm tourist favourites over the years. Although it is the name used to refer to the entire area, Sossusvlei is actually the name given to a small white salt pan situated at the base of an imposing red sand dune. Nearby is the less well-known, but more spectacular Dead Vlei, which used to be an impressive lake, but dried up thousands of years ago, leaving fossilised trees standing in the middle of an expansive white salt pan. The dune that forms the backdrop of Dead Vlei is known as Big Daddy. Standing at over 300 metres tall, it is the tallest dune that visitors have the opportunity of climbing inside the park. Climbing a sand dune is something else, as for every two steps forward you take, you slide one step backwards. But for those with strong legs and lots of water, the views at the top are worth it. And although it may take up to an hour to climb to the top, it only takes 5 minutes for the brave to run back down again.