Namibia Pictures
Sossusvlei

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Dune 45 in the Sossusvlei National Park, 2005, one of the smaller but shapelier piles, probably around 160m.
The dune opposite 45 is 360m high. Click for more Sossusvlei dune pictures.

The two best sights in Namibia are, without question, the wildlife in Etosha Park and the dunes at Sossusvlei, though if time was short the Namib Desert dunes just outside Swakopmund could work as a very junior substitute.
Getting to Sossusvlei is a hassle. It's a very long drive from the nearest other serious attraction - Swakopmund - and entry to the park is only from sunrise to sunset. Most visitors overnight at a lodge nearby, though lodges very near are very expensive.

Two of the more economical options are to stay around the 'village' of Solitaire that is about an hour's drive from the park gate, or to camp in a site outside the gate at Sesriem, though nights get extremely cold and days are quite the opposite. Also, try to book a space ahead as the campsite is popular.
After entering Sossusvlei Park at Sesriem, preferably at sunrise, there is 75km [50mls] of potholed tarmac road - and potholed tarmac is way worse than regular dirt road - along a flat valley floor between monster dunes like Dune 45 above.
The dunes range from 100m to a staggering 600m high, the highest in the world apart from some in Saudi Arabia that you couldn't see even if you wanted to, as general tourism is not permitted there.

When you enter the Sossusvlei Park, make sure you carry a lot of water and a snack as you will definitely want to climb a dune or two and that is thirsty work.
After bumping 75kms down the road you will need 4WD to get the last 5 kms to the Deadvlei dune, but for a small fee park rangers ferry tourists without 4WD to the final point. Deadvlei is arguably the most interesting dune due to the pure white, 1km long salt pan at its base, and the very dead trees therein - trees that have been carbon dated at 900 years old.

Trivia: the surface of the dunes reaches 75C, but only 2cm above the surface temperature is 15C which is why those wacky lizards do the standing on alternate legs thing.

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