Sossusvlei is a salt and clay pan in the middle of Namib-Naukluft Park, enclosed on all sides by sand dunes. It is where the Tsauchab ends, a river that is almost always dry. Only in rare good rain years does a lake form in the vlei, and only for a short time. Sossus means blind river in Nama, because the Tsauchab never reaches the sea. It peters out in the sand about 50 kilometres from the coast.
- of tarmac from the Sesriem gate, depending on the source
- 60 or 65 km
- sand track to the 4x4 car park
- 5 km
- height of Big Daddy above Deadvlei
- about 350 m
- area of Deadvlei, excluding the dune slopes
- about 0.6 km²
The surrounding dunes are among the highest in the world. Figures vary, from 300 to more than 380 metres above the pan. The highest is called Big Daddy. The sand owes its orange colour to iron oxide.
Right next door lies Deadvlei. The Tsauchab once flowed in here as well, until the dunes moved in and cut it off from the river for good. What remains is a white, cracked clay floor and the skeletons of camel thorn trees. They died in the 14th and 15th centuries and barely decay in the dry air.
The entrance is at Sesriem, and the gate opens at sunrise. Just beyond it, Elim Dune is worth a detour, best in the first or last light. Dune 45 is named for its distance of 45 kilometres from the gate. It is the classic photo stop, and it is busy accordingly.
At the end of the tarmac is the car park for ordinary cars. The last five kilometres are deep sand, for 4x4s only. Without one, take the shuttle. Walking is not a good idea: in summer temperatures climb above 40°C during the day, and the climb up the dunes still lies ahead.
From the 4x4 car park you walk across the sand to Deadvlei. Set off early. By midday it gets very hot between the dunes, and there is no shade.
Around the vleis you mainly see oryx, springbok and ostriches. They feed on plants whose deep roots reach the groundwater, above all the pods of the camel thorn. On the dunes grows the nara, a plant found only in the Namib.
Today, as of October 2026Sossusvlei has been part of the Namib Sand Sea UNESCO World Heritage Site since 21 June 2013. Access went back and forth in 2025 and 2026. On 1 December 2025 the shuttle concessionaire announced that from 15 December self-drivers would no longer be allowed beyond the 2x4 car park; after protests this was postponed. In April 2026 the environment ministry brought the rule in for 1 May after all, and self-drivers were stopped that day. On 2 May 2026 the ministry publicly reversed it. Since then you may drive your own 4x4 the last five kilometres to the 4x4 car park, the shuttle is optional, and buses and trucks stay out. One travel blog wrote in September 2026 that the ban still applied, so ask at the Sesriem gate. The outer gate opens at sunrise, the inner gate an hour earlier, but only for guests staying inside the park: Sesriem campsite, Sossus Dune Lodge and Dead Valley Lodge. Book the state-run NWR Sesriem campsite directly with NWR. Sources give N$ 180 for the NWR shuttle or N$ 250 per adult for the concessionaire's, possibly two different shuttles. Since 1 April 2026 the park fee for foreign adults has been N$ 280 per day, up from N$ 150.
- Time needed
- a morning from sunrise
- Cost
- park fee N$ 280 per foreign adult per day, shuttle N$ 180 or 250 (as of October 2026)
- When
- from sunrise; midday gets very hot
Our tipWhen the gate opens, drive straight through to Deadvlei and save Dune 45 for the way back. That puts you among the dead trees in the coolest hour of the day.
Places to stay in Sesriem and Sossusvlei
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Stofpad Namibia
D1261
- Pool
- Restaurant
- Parking
- Wi-Fi
from €88per night on 12 May 2027
Check prices on trivago
Namib Outpost L Ondili
5 km to the crossing to D854
- Pool
- Spa
- Wi-Fi
from €859per night on 12 May 2027
Check prices on trivago
Sossusvlei and Deadvlei: frequently asked questions
Can you drive your own car to Deadvlei in 2026?
Since a notice from Namibia's environment ministry on 2 May 2026, self-drivers with a 4x4 may again drive the last five kilometres of sand to the 4x4 car park at Sossusvlei and Deadvlei. Without a 4x4 you take the shuttle from the 2x4 car park.
Why are there dead trees in Deadvlei?
The camel thorn trees in Deadvlei died in the 14th and 15th centuries, when the Tsauchab stopped bringing water to the pan. In the dry air of the Namib they barely decay.
What does the name Sossusvlei mean?
Sossus means blind river in Nama, and a vlei is a shallow pan. The Tsauchab ends in Sossusvlei without reaching the sea.
When does the gate to Sossusvlei open?
The outer gate at Sesriem opens at sunrise. Guests staying inside the park, such as at Sesriem campsite, may pass the inner gate an hour earlier.