3 Days Sossusvlei Guided Safaris

This morning Camilot Tours and Safaris representative which is your tour guide will collect you from your pre-booked accommodations in Windhoek or upon your arrival before 10h00am from Hosea Kutako International Airport. You then depart Windhoek in your safari vehicle with your private guide and drive southwest through the scenic Khomas Hochland highlands before heading down the Great Escarpment into the Namib Desert below. You will have lunch en route and continue with your scenic route. You arrive at Desert Quiver Camp in the mid-afternoon where you will stay for two nights whilst you explore the remarkable sights of the Namib Desert with your guide.

Depending on the time and if time allows, your guide will take you on afternoon hiking at Sesriem Canyon, a nearby geological attraction, or to explore Elim Dune. However, if you prefer, you can just relax in the scenic and tranquil surroundings at Desert Quiver Camp. You have time to freshen up after a long day for dinner and the rest of the night is spent at your leisure.

Sesriem Canyon: Sesriem Canyon has evolved through centuries of erosion by the Tsauchab River which has incised a narrow gorge about 1.5 km long and 30 meters deep into the surrounding conglomerates, exposing the varying layers of sedimentation deposited over millions of years. The shaded cool depths of the canyon allow pools of water to gather during the rainy season and remain for much of the year round. These pools were a vital source of water for early settlers who drew water for their livestock by knotting six (ses) lengths of rawhide thongs (riems) together, hence the canyon and surrounding area became known as Sesriem.

Desert Quiver Camp: Conveniently located just 5km from the gate to Sossusvlei, Desert Quiver Camp combines comfort and style with the flexibility of self-catering accommodation. Leisure facilities available to guests at Desert Quiver Camp include a bar with a big screen TV, a sparkling swimming pool overlooking Elim Dune, two communal bomas and a reception area that has WI-FI connectivity. Utility boxes with most utensils needed are available at reception should guests require and fresh food supplies can be ordered daily. For those in search of a cooked meal, delicious cuisine can be enjoyed at the nearby Sossusvlei Lodge restaurant. Activities in the area can also be arranged through their Adventure Centre.

Overnight: Desert Quiver Camp | Meal Basis: Dinner

This morning, after an early wake-up call, you will meet your guide at the camp for a cup of coffee or tea and rusks before you’re off to your Sossusvlei excursion in the Namib Naukluft Park. You normally head out before sunrise to enter the park at sunrise and capture Dune 45 whilst the light is soft and shadows highlight the towering shapes and curves. This is also your first stop on your way to the vlei.

The Sossusvlei area has some of the highest free-standing sand dunes in the world. Your guide will give you more information on the Namib Desert and its fascinating creatures and plants that have adapted to survive this environment. Once you have explored Sossusvlei, Deadvlei and the surrounding dunes, you will enjoy your picnic brunch under the shade of camelthorn trees. You will be off on afternoon hiking to Sesriem Canyon if not done the previous day. You return to the lodge and relax before you freshen up for dinner. After dinner, the rest of the night is spent at leisure.

Sossusvlei:
This most frequently visited section of the massive 50,000 km² Namib Naukluft National Park has become known as Sossusvlei, famous for its towering apricot coloured sand dunes which can be reached by following the Tsauchab River valley. Sossusvlei itself is actually a clay pan set amidst these star shaped dunes which stand up to 300 meters above the surrounding plains, ranking them among the tallest dunes on earth. The deathly white clay pan contrasts against the orange sands and forms the endpoint of the ephemeral Tsauchab River, within the interior of the Great Sand Sea. The river course rises south of the Naukluft Mountains in the Great Escarpment. It penetrates the sand sea for some 55 km before it finally peters out at Sossusvlei, about the same distance from the Atlantic Ocean. Until the encroaching dunes blocked its course around 60,000 years ago, the Tsauchab River once reached the sea; as ephemeral rivers still do in the northern half of the Namib.

Sand-locked pans to the west show where the river previously flowed to before dunes shifted its endpoint to where it currently gathers at Sossusvlei. Roughly once a decade rainfall over the catchment area is sufficient to bring the river down in flood and fill the pan. On such occasions the mirror images of dunes and camel thorn trees around the pan are reflected in the water. Sossusvlei is the biggest of four pans in the vicinity. Another, famous for its gnarled and ghostly camel thorn trees, is Deadvlei which can be reached on foot over 1 km of sand. Deadvlei’s striking camel thorn trees, dead for want of water, still stand erect as they once grew. They survived until about 900 years ago when the sand sea finally blocked the river from occasionally flooding the pan.

Overnight: Desert Quiver Camp | Meal Basis: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner + AM Sossusvlei Excursion + PM Sesriem Canyon Hiking

After a leisurely breakfast this morning, you will depart from Sossusvlei to Windhoek, driving northeast
up the Great Escarpment and through the scenic Khomas Hochland highlands.

You will arrive in the late afternoon when your guide will drop you off at your accommodation. Here, you
also say your goodbyes to your guide.