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Sossusvlei Tour
offered by supplier M18319 (view this supplier profile)
Key Information:
Tour Duration: 5
day(s)
Group Size: 1
- 4
people
Destination(s):
Namibia
Specialty Categories:
Desert Expeditions
Season: January - December
Airfare Included: No
Tour Customizable: No
Minimum Per Person Price: 35500 South Africa Rand (ZAR)
Maximum Per Person Price: 40000 South Africa Rand (ZAR)
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The sand is sort of soft, almost silky. It is a beautiful color which is sort of orange in the morning, with great shadows (the angle of the sun, especially in the shorter days - i.e. the months around June, is best this time of day.) This is a good time for photos and for walking. The middle of the day the light is flat for the photographers, but the color becomes more red and the look tells you that you are in a harsh desert. The afternoon has the best color of all. It almost becomes brick red before sunset.
The dunes around the Sossusvlei area are regarded as some of the biggest sand dunes in the world. It is somewhat subjective to measure, but they are big - very big. The Namib Sand Sea (or the dune field within which the Sossusvlei area is located,) is about 34,000 sq kilometers in extent. A great way to get a feel for it and to see the Sossusvlei area from a different angle is to fly over it with a small light aircraft. Several companies offer scenic flights over the area, and this is an optional extra that we can try to arrange for you. The Sossusvlei area is really a big valley that goes down into the dune field. It is a large gap running about 50km into the dune field. This means that as you drive in, you pass these massive dunes rising up from flat ground.
The gap is created by the Tsauchab river (and the smaller Aub river to a limited extent). Sossusvlei itself is a pan at the end of the river. This is where the flow of the river is cut off by the dunes, preventing it from getting any closer to the Atlantic ocean. It is about 56 kilometers from the ocean. The Tsauchab river only floods this area a handful of times per decade. It has done so this year, 2006, 2001 (a small flood,) 2000, 1997, and then it gets much less frequent going back from there. Once the river went a different way, flooding into a pan we now call Deadvlei. This pan had been cut off from the river within the last thousand years, leaving about 70 dead trees still standing on the north western side of the pan. A great way to see it, and to get there, is to climb the giant dune to the south-east, often called Big Daddy or Crazy Dune.
In the valley on the way down to Sossusvlei there are huge dunes reaching down into the valley. These dunes include the now famous Dune 45. We will spend some time exploring both these dunes and the valley itself on foot. It is a deceptively big area, and will mean some rather long walks! If you ever feel a little cramped up in the city, and need to get out and experience big open space with breathtaking scenery, this could be one of the best places for that in the world.
As the Tsauchab river flows into the Sossusvlei area, it first passes the little Sesriem Canyon, a little gorge cut by the river into the ground. This is a great opportunity to see a little of the geology of the Namibia, as well as a great spectacle. The Sesriem Canyon is on the eastern part of the desert (the so named - poorly I believe - Pro Namibia.) There are various things to explore in this part of the desert, including more wildlife, geology and some interesting ecology. One point of interest, which has raised some speculation recently, is the mystery of the so called "fairy circles". These are small barren patches in the grassy plains. It is still not known what causes these. Some people believe that they are caused by termites. Others believe they have eliminated termites as a possibility. The Scientists battle on!
Further East the river starts in the Naukluft mountains. We will head out in this direction for a good walk up the gorges where the river originates. This offers a very different beauty from the dune field to the west. There is so much more to the area. Wildlife such as Oryx and Springbok, lots of small stuff including many reptiles that are often easy to find. Easy with reptiles is relative, depending on weather, time of day and most of all season. If you really want to find reptiles, March to May are the best months. There are many interesting birds in the area, including the Dune Lark and fascinating Sociable Weavers.
Then there is geology, archeology, astronomy. It is great for photography, and perhaps the best month for photos (in our opinion,) is June. Our June trips to the area therefore will be geared to photographers. If you are keen, book on of our June trips early for 2009. Bring light cameras as well as all your normal equipment. We could look at including one night camping at Sesriem or staying at Dunes Lodge in the park in order to use one morning early light at Sossusvlei. For this tour we take small groups and stay at lodges in the area. Contact us to find out about availability and which lodges we could use. Rates vary seasonally at different lodges, and each offers something different.
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Pick up from your hotel in Windhoek, we drive to Sesriem. There are a number of interesting things to stop for along the way, however we also aim to be at the lodge in good time.
Days 2-4: Over this time we spend time going into the dunes, Sesriem Canyon, and generally exploring the area. We will stay at one of the top lodges in the area.
Day 5: After a leisurely breakfast, we leave Sesriem and drive back to Windhoek.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Also see tour packages in:
Africa
Namibia
Desert Expeditions
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