Go2 - Sossusvlei Shuttle @ The Desert Grace Lodge #2 (W-S)

Please make your way to the Windhoek Truck port at 06:45 o'clock. The Go2 Traveller Transfer will depart at 07:00 o'clock. 

The 5-hour (345km) route from Windhoek to Sesriem follows the main road southwards to Rehoboth before turning onto the gravel. It heads in a south-westerly direction to Sesriem, gateway to the famed dunes of Sossusvlei, skirting the impressive Naukluft Mountains. Namib Desert Lodge is 60km to the north where you’ll find some of the most spectacular scenery the Namib has to offer.

Soon after leaving the Windhoek Truck Port, you will notice the White Marble Obelisk to the left of the road in the mountains. This is Heroes’ Acre, a war memorial built to honour Namibia’s freedom fighters, is an unmistakable landmark with its towering marble obelisk that comes into view soon after the police checkpoint. It was built after Namibia gained its independence in 1990 to honour all those who lost their lives fighting for freedom.

As the road from Windhoek meanders through the mountains, you will pass through the ‘Window Bridge’, which perfectly frames the landscape, into the valley below. The hills are tawny-coloured in the dry mid-year months and vivid green after summer rainfall.

A tree-filled expanse lines the road as you enter the town of Rehoboth. The town, 87km from Windhoek, is predominantly the home of the Rehoboth Basters, a proud group of people originating from the Cape of Good Hope, descendants of Dutch colonists and indigenous Khoisan women. They moved north, crossing the Orange/Gariep River and settling in Rehoboth in 1871.

South of Rehoboth, the route veers off onto the gravel towards Sesriem and continues in a south-westerly direction past the small settlements of Kobos, Klein Aub and Lepel and soon you will travel via the picturesque Remhoogte Pass to finally reach the spectacular scenery of Namib Desert Lodge. Arrival at Namib Desert Lodge is ca, 12:00 o'clock.

A short transfer will take you from Namib Desert Lodge to The Desert Grace Lodge. After your check-in you can enjoy a lunch (on own account) followed by a few hours at leisure. 

Ca. 2 hours before sunset the Sundowner Dune Drive will start at reception. Duration of the tour is 2-3 hours.

Sundowner Dune Drive: Discover the fossilised dunes, the red dunes above the plateau and the many other wonders of the Namib Desert on this drive around Gondwana Namib Park. Refreshments and a light snack included.

After the Sundowner Dune Drive, dinner will be ready.

Your Sossusvlei Excursion will start ca. 1 hour before sunrise. Please make sure to be at the reception in time. 

Be sure to pack: sunscreen, sunglasses, hat, comfortable closed walking shoes & your camera.

Sossusvlei Excursion: Guided half-day excursion to Sossusvlei, incl. entrance fees to the National Park, brunch, and refreshments. Duration of the tour is 5-6 hours.

After returning from the tour, you'll have a few hours at leisure, before dinner is ready.

Enjoy a relaxed breakfast and a few hours at leisure.  At 12:00 o'clock you need to be ready at reception for the short transfer back to Namib Desert Lodge,

The Go2 Traveller Transfers will depart Namib Desert Lodge at 13:00 o'clock.

You are about to embark on a spectacular desert journey.

After a scenic view of yellow grassland bisected by a line of green trees marking the Tsondab River and edged in the distance by the mountains, you will see Namib Desert Lodge one last time. The lodge has an impressive backdrop of fossilised dunes that were formed when the sand compacted into sandstone in the more humid climate that existed between ten and twenty million years ago.

A few Kilometres North from the breath-taking scene you will see Solitaire. Solitaire, with its old rusting automobiles and its cacti, has become a popular stop over the years for its frontier-like atmosphere and its apple crumble. Besides Moose McGregor’s Desert Bakery, there is a fuel station and general dealer store, reminiscent of shops of old. The yearly rainfall levels are scrawled onto the blackboard on the outside wall, always an eye-opener in this arid part of the world.

Continuing from Solitaire you will see the signs for the Tropic of Capricorn come into view, the signposts adorned with colourful stickers from the many travellers who have stopped to acknowledge one of the five major circles of latitude. This is shortly before you reach the hilly land and small chasms of the Gaub Pass. The pass meanders through a tapestry of earthy shades and textures. A bridge straddles the river with its line of trees, nourished by the underground water. These ephemeral rivers remain dry for much of the year until good summer rainfall fills up their catchment areas and they rush towards the sea.

You will eventually dip into and emerge from the Kuiseb Canyon. The Kuiseb Canyon is where geologist Henno Martin, author of The Sheltering Desert, and his colleague and friend, Hermann Korn, made their hideout to avoid internment during WWII.

Out of the Kuiseb Canyon and with nothing but Desert lands before you, you will see Vogelfederberg, an outcrop of giant granite boulders. It is a landmark on this section. You will pass the striking Dune 7 before reaching Walvis Bay. Walvis Bay is known for its lagoon, an internationally acclaimed RAMSAR site that is visited by thousands of water birds. The lagoon and the adjacent salt works attract lesser and greater flamingos, which tinge the water with pink at various times of the year.

From Walvis Bay you will enjoy a scenic drive sandwiched between Dunes on the one side and the crashing Atlantic on the other. On your way to your final destination, Namibia’s adventure capital, Swakopmund.

The journey to Swakopmund will take ca. 5 hours. Arrival at The Delight Hotel Swakopmund is ca. 18:00 o'clock.