The next morning we were up at 5 and left at 5:30 for Sossusvlei. We got to the park at 6, when the gate opened, and went straight to Dune 45. The kids wanted to climb the famous dune and you really have to do it first thing in the morning before it gets hot. They made the trek while Reid and I had breakfast and watched. If you look closely, you can see them in the picture of Dune 45.

After the climb, we went down into Sossusvlei to explore the area. This was the first time here for Cameron and Lian, the second time for Reid and I. Reid and Lian walked out to Deadvlei, a petrified forest that’s a 45 minute hike through the dunes. While they were gone Cameron had breakfast and then we explored the valley. There was a very curious jackal that wanted Cameron’s breakfast. He came right up to the car.

When they got back from their hike, we went further down into Sossusvlei. The valley is ancient and the contrast between the blue sky and the orange dunes is stunning.

You do have to drive through some shorter dunes and the sand is very thick. On our way out there was a Land Rover Defender stuck in the sand. He had not aired down his tires to drive in the sand. Cameron tried to pull him out but ended up getting stuck because the driver stalled his truck. Cameron easily got out with the sand tracks. We tried to help the guy and ended up getting stuck as well, same reason. The Defender had been converted and was extremely heavy. They ended up using their winch to get out and then Cameron tried to pull us out. He snatched a little too hard and the rear bumper was ripped off his car pulling us out. It was hilarious! Yet another adventure for the books!

We finally made it out of Sossusvlei and back to the park gate. There is a restaurant in the reception area where we had lunch. We ate there the last time we went too. The food is just ok there, but the beer is very cold 🙂 After a leisurely lunch, we headed back to the lodge. The hot afternoon was spent swimming and relaxing by the pool. We had dinner and went to bed for another early get up. 

The next morning we were up bright and early for a sunrise drive and then we were off to Aus, home of the wild Namibian desert horses.

Part 6 coming soon!