Namib Desert
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This barren red-sand desert lies along the coast.
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  • dianedinky
    Dunfermline, United Kingdom1,346 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Wonderful wonderful colours
    Spent a full day visiting Dune 45 (and climbing), seeing Deadvlei and then the Sesriem Canyon. It was a spectacular day. Specific reviews left for those places but this is a general one for the Namib Desert. In a word? It is spectacular. I don't think you can get the colours anywhere else. I was told of apricot sands and never believed people until I came here. On a sunny day the deep blue of the sky against the orange sands is also amazing. Even on our early morning drive to get here we saw a beautiful sunrise and a vast array of wildlife (you get this in Namibia where you can actually see many more animals as you drive from place to place than doing an actual game drive in a reserve, the wildlife is everywhere!). Only tip I have is to maybe not do the hot air ballooning. Everyone I asked said it was very over priced with not great views. Much better to be on the ground and take photos of the colourful balloons overhead...
    Visited September 2023
    Travelled solo
    Written 31 December 2023
  • Dewald R
    Cape Town Central, South Africa3,162 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Life Changing
    The Namib Desert is beautiful, awe-inspiring and has endless possibilities. During my tour through Namibia I visited and experienced many different things within the Namib Desert that will stay with me forever. If I had to pick 5 things that stood out for me, they would be Dune 7, Goanikontes, Tommy's Living Desert Tours, Sossusvlei and the Big Daddy Dune. All of these are must visits/must do's and I have reviewed them all, and more, separately. If you ever have the opportunity to visit the Namib Desert, grab it, it will change your life.
    Visited August 2023
    Travelled with friends
    Written 7 February 2024
  • Sands and Sunshine
    262 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A stunning destination
    Massive dunes, unique wildlife, and breathtaking landscapes. Highlights include the iconic Sossusvlei and the surreal Deadvlei. Perfect for nature lovers, this ancient desert offers an unforgettable experience of serene beauty and amazing road trips.
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 29 June 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles361 reviews
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debbieSouthAfrica
Western Cape, South Africa223 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2022
we have just visited sossusvlei.
What an experience.
Go early. the gates only open at 7am.
We drove past dune 45 and went straight to deadvlei and then on to sossusvlei.
We parked our car and paid the extra for the vans to transport us.
Although we had a 4X4 we didn't want to take a chance.
We climbed big daddy- what an experience and the highlight of our trip.
The view from the top is just unbelievable.
We then jumped/slid down the steep bank to get to the deadvlei at the bottom.
A photographers paradise.
We then went on to sossusvlei- this was a very quick stop- probably don't need more than half an hour.
We didn't then climb dune 45 as the guides were saying if you have climbed big daddy really no need to still do the smaller dune 45.
Go early, wear closed shoes and take a hat, sunscreen and water.
The best way to experience the desert.
Written 27 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

AndrejaKo
Maribor, Slovenia1 042 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2021
Namib desert was one of my long time wishes. When finally finances and time overlaped, covid happened. we saw a tender and joined a mixed group of people going to Namibia, since we couldn't find other traveling partner. in a desert, i like to travel with 2 cars, just in case. this place is beautiful and really best to travel with people with same interests. even tough we were mixed group, a lot of trip was catered more for a photography enthusiasts, who, for some reason wanted to photograph thing that were photographed millions of times before... you could easyly do Namib Desert for 10 to 14 days.
Written 10 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Callradius C
3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021 • Solo
Namib desert is scenic and very special, some part of the desert is among of the world heritages registered by UNESCO, and that is Sossusvlei. Sossusvlei has dunes, ancient Acacia trees, Fish River Canyon, Deadvlei where you can manage to see the Namibian Coastal towns like Walvis Bay and Swakopmund. Namib desert has a great view that is being excreted from different attraction sources like the dunes with their colorful character in different parts like Sossusvlei, Deadvlei, Hiddenvlei. Great landscape view, highlights, scenic beauty, birds and animals and some of the plants available. The Namib desert offers a great scenic view to the tourists thus makes it greater.
In the Namib desert there are plenty of activities that can be done like Bird watching in the banks of Kavango and Kunene rivers, Climbing the Dunes and they are all climbable, experiencing thrilling Quad biking along the dunes (you can choose between Fully Automatic quad bike, Semi-automatic and Manual quad bike) kids can also enjoy using the small quads, Camel riding
Namib desert is among the driest deserts in the world, Namib has an extremely hot and dry climate because of little rainfall that it has in a year. The temperature can be above 38˚C/100˚F in summer from November to April. The Namib desert climate varies widely in altitude of different parts of the Park. The lower the altitude the higher the temperature it becomes(it gets very hot)like Sossusvlei, and the Higher the altitude the cooler it tends to be like Naukluft The desert has little rainfall around November to April and it becomes drier during winter which is around May to October the desert becomes hot in the middle of the day and cold in mornings and area becomes dry and the sky becomes very blue .
Written 18 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Dewald R
Cape Town Central, South Africa3 162 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Friends
The Namib Desert is beautiful, awe-inspiring and has endless possibilities. During my tour through Namibia I visited and experienced many different things within the Namib Desert that will stay with me forever. If I had to pick 5 things that stood out for me, they would be Dune 7, Goanikontes, Tommy's Living Desert Tours, Sossusvlei and the Big Daddy Dune. All of these are must visits/must do's and I have reviewed them all, and more, separately. If you ever have the opportunity to visit the Namib Desert, grab it, it will change your life.
Written 8 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

hugo M
4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021
I went for 4 weeks, and travelled with a jeep which I hired at the airport. I also took a hiking back pack for trekking and a camping tent. I spent a day in Windhoek, where it's possible to do some shopping for food and any camping gear.
Written 18 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ramadama
New Providence, NJ2 909 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2022 • Friends
Amazing Park. The dunes are spectacular. I loved tge contrasting colors between the blue sky and the orange dessert. We walked the most direct path to get to the dried lake. There is not one war to get there. You can walk on top of the dunes which is very challenging. I recommend that you go to the park when it opens to beat the heat.
Written 16 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

fmendestorres
Sesimbra, Portugal17 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023
Situated in this wonderful desert, with a lot to see and do (try climbing DUNE 45) there is a lodge that I'll never forget both for the way it is constructed (when you approach by car you get the impression you will be lodged in a tent) beautifull appartments, with a small private pool, good food and the staff is "7 stars". You get your first impression when you enter the patking space and you find a kind girl with a couple of frozen little towels, for you to freshen up a bit (it's usually quite hot) and 2 glasses of very fresh juice - all this before you reach reception.
I was travelling (self-drive) around the country with my wife and the 2 days we spent there were just NOT TO FORGET. If you happen to be around there don't miss it; it is just about 30 Kms. north of Solitaire, small village where you can have a piece of apple pie (great) and fill up the tank of your car
Written 11 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

chitownsam
Chicago, IL2 032 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020
The gravel roads to get here and the roads within the Park weren't bad at all. Desert was amazing to see. Surprising number of oryx in the morning along with some wildebeasts. We loved the scenery, Deadvlei and climbing Dune 45.
Written 30 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ken
11 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2022
Oldest desert in the world and climbed some sand dunes and the view from the top was breathtaking. One of the biggest Highlights if not the biggest for its natural beauty. A true amazing desert like one can only dream of.
Written 26 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

leon b
Rotterdam, The Netherlands83 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2015
sossusvlei is without any doubt the most wonderful place to visit in namibia. we were as early as possible there. the first hours there was a low fog. that gave the valley an almost magical atmosphere in which a serene silence prevailed. after a few hours disappeared fog and clouds in less than half an hour. from the 'big daddy' dune, we saw yet stunning views over this unique valley with a clear blue sky. only one of its kind in the world.
Written 8 February 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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NAMIB DESERT (2024) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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