Sesriem Camping and self catering Guide - Camping in the Namib Desert with its vast starry skies and Desert Geckos singing you to sleep is an experience you will never forget. There is suprisingly few places to camp around the Sesriem Sossusvlei area of the Namib Desert and during the winter (June to September) which is Namibias busy season they get booked up long in advance so plan well ahead.
Sesriem is where you enter the National Park in order to drive to Sossusvlei, Deadvlei, Dune 45, Elim dune or Sesriem Canyon. You need to buy a permit from the National Park office in Sesriem in order to visit any of these places in the Namib Desert of Namibia.
Visiting Sossusvlei One of Namibias most well known attractions the Namib Desert dominates parts of the country.
So how do you experience this amazing place?
Here is a simple breakdown
1/ Enter at Sesriem Gate, register at gate (opens at dawn closes at sunset)
2/ Pay park fees at MEFT office (can be done on departure)
3/ Drive 2km to Desert entrance gate (opens one hour before dawn closes one hour after sunset)
4/ Drive tar road into desert Dune 45 is along this road
5/ Arrive at 2x4 parking area where you have 3 choices:
A/ Walk into the desert from here
B/ If you have a 4wd and know how to drive in deep sand you can drive to the 4x4 parking area then walk from there
C/ Pay for a return 4wd ride in a NWR vehicle (N$180 return) these shuttle between the 2wd and 4x4 parking areas all day hop on hop off.
6/ From either the 2wd or 4x4 parking area you can walk to Deadvlei Sossusvlei and climb dunes like big daddy. Dune 45 is a rather unique sand dune close to the road on the way to the desert and is the easiest closest sand dune to explore.
7/ It will get hot so take plenty water, sunscreen and a hat, explore as long as you like before it gets too hot then head back to wherever you left your vehicle and drive back down the tar road to Sesriem.
That's a simplified version of how to visit the Namib desert of Namibia hope this helps you have a fantastic trip into the desert, take lots of photos and remember to send me one!
Any other questions not covered here just send an email, happy travels.