There is something utterly fascinating about vast sand dunes in a rich red desert, and this is exactly what you will find in the Namib Desert. The Namib is one of the oldest deserts in the world, and is almost entirely uninhabited. The Namib Desert boasts unique species of plants and animals, and its dunes are among the highest in the world.
It is not hard to find a tour of Namibia that will include all the necessties. If you are traveling alone, I do suggest you take a tour. However, if you are feeling just a little adventurous, you certainly don’t have to go this route. We only used a day tour of the dunes, but otherwise we were on our own. After reading this post, you should have all the tools you need to plan your trip!
Getting to the Namib Desert
Namibia isn’t exactly and easy place to get to. That’s why I recommend that your desert adventure be combined with a trip to South Africa. There is much more to Namibia than will be mentioned in this post, but the goal here is to get you to the top attractions in a short amount of time. The best way to get to the Namib Desert is by flying from one of the South African airports to one of the Namibian airports. These is where it gets interesting.
A Cautionary Tale
The plan was to fly from Cape Town to Walvis Bay, a beachside town with its own attractions from which Sossusvlei & Deadvlei (main attractions in Namib Nauklauft Park) are quite accessible. We could have opted to fly into Windhoek, and I might go as far as to say you should. Both Walvis Bay and Windhoek are about a 4 hour drive from what will be your final destination in the park. We booked a rental car in Walvis Bay for our little weekend desert adventure.
We were waiting at the gate in Cape Town when our flight got delayed. The gate agent said the problem was “the mist.” The mist is a really wet fog that forms where the cool ocean meets the desert. We learned that you can’t land a plane in this mist.
After a 6 hour delay, we finally got on the plane. 2 hours in to the 2 hour 15 minute flight, the captain comes on the intercom. I thought this was a standard descent announcement. Instead, he said:
“Well ladies and gentlemen, please allow the stewardess to pour you some more wine, because we won’t be landing in Walvis Bay today – they have closed the airport.”
-Air Namibia Flight Captain
Apparently, the mist delay caused us to be landing after dark, which just isn’t allowed at the Walvis Bay airport (more on this later).
At least windhoek starts with the same letter as Walvis Bay
The plane made a sharp right turn and we were on our way to Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. Now, you may be thinking, what’s the big deal? Air Namibia did offer to get us on another flight to Walvis Bay the next day, but there was no guarantee this mysterious mist wouldn’t cause problems again. The real problem was, even if the new flight was on time, we would have to drive a few hours in the dark – and Namibia gets DARK. So, we opted to skip the second flight, enjoy our Air Namibia comped hotel stay, and make a new rental car reservation to get on the road early.
Driving in Namibia
The rental car place laughed at us when we tried to tell them we didn’t need a 4×4 vehicle. I didn’t really understand, as the whole drive was on highways – or so it seemed. What we didn’t know was that most roads in Namibia is unpaved. 90% of our 4 hour trip was on gravel roads, and we were happy to have our 4×4 SUV.
Always listen to the advice from the locals (within reason).
Driving to the Namib is quite an experience. Most of the rental cars have GPS, but it is not a bad idea to also download the maps on your phone and to use any guidance provided by your accommodation. Your car will kick up dust as you speed down the unpaved desert roads. You will be able to stop at a gas station along the way, where there is also a restaurant for lunch. There will not be another soul in sight for hours, but the scenery is stunning. Keep your eyes peeled for wildlife!
Desert Camp in the Namib
We opted to stay at the conveniently located Desert Camp in a self-catering accommodation. The unit was spacious, clean, and air-conditioned – and less than $100 USD per night. We were even able to order groceries ahead of time so that our fridge was stocked upon our arrival! Desert Camp also has a lovely pool area to relax and take in views of the beautiful Namib.
Note: you will only have WiFi near the common area, not in your unit.
Excursion to Sossusvlei and Deadvlei
Sossusvlei is a salt and clay pan surrounding by stall red dunes in the Namib Desert. This area is home to some famous dunes such as Dune 45 and Big Mama. These dunes are stunning and certainly will give you a good workout when you climb them! Since we are from Michigan, home to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, this wasn’t my first dune climb. If you have never climbed a dune before, be prepared to take one step forward and five steps back. It is harder than it looks! But nothing is more fun than running down the dune once you reach the top. You can even take a big leap (some call this dune jumping). The sand is soft and forgiving, so you won’t get hurt.
Desert Camp offers a Sossusvlei & Deadvlei Excursion that we chose to embark on. This made it easy for us to explore the dunes, and to learn about the history and nature surrounding us. The tour lasted all morning. We arrived back at camp in time to enjoy the hottest part of the day poolside. I highly recommend doing a guided tour of Soussusvlei and Deadvlei in the Namib Desert!
Some Bonus Tips
- Bring layers, it can get quite cold at night and extremely hot during the day.
- Bring a scarf, or something that you can use to protect your face. The sand can really sting if the wind picks up!
- Download music on your phone before the trip! It is a long drive.
- Make sure to arrange your travel plans so you drive only during the day.
- Choose a self-catering accommodation. It is fun to grill out in the dessert and this will give you something to do in the evening!
Is the Namib Desert really that dark?
YES. 100 times yes. When I said that you don’t want to drive at night, I meant it is dangerous. Namibia has the second lowest population density of any country in the world. This makes for some stunning scenery during the day, but some serious darkness at night. There is almost zero light pollution across the entire country. You will see stars in a way you have never seen them before.
However, driving on dirt roads in this kind of darkness is just irresponsible – so don’t do it! Even the locals will tell you this. You won’t be able to see turns, drop offs, or large African wildlife crossing the road. After seeing this darkness firsthand, it started to makes sense why we weren’t able to land at Walvis Bay after dark. Windhoek is the capital, with a bigger airport and appropriate lighting. Walvis Bay, on the other hand, is a one room airport with not much to it. If you shouldn’t drive at night, you probably shouldn’t try to land a commercial aircraft either.
And That’s The Namib
You could easily spend much more than a weekend in the Namib Desert, but I believe you can see the highlights in this amount of time. I found that the people of Namibia were incredibly hospitable, the scenery was jaw-dropping, and it was an experience I will always cherish. I plan to go back with Ray one day. The Namib Desert is one of the many incredible sights to see in Sub-Saharan Africa. If it wasn’t on your bucket list, it should be!
