Go2 - Sossusvlei Shuttle @ Namib Desert Lodge #3 (S-W)

Please make your way to The Delight Hotel Swakopmund at 06:45 o'clock. The Go2 Traveller Transfer will depart at 07:00 o'clock. 

This is an extraordinary 5-hour (350km) desert route, follows the coastal road from Swakopmund to Walvis Bay, between the desert and the sea, before turning onto the gravel road that runs eastwards and southwards through the desert.

After appreciating the sights of Swakopmund and surrounds, it’s time to travel further south to some of the most spectacular scenery in the Namib Desert. The 30km route southwards from Swakopmund to Walvis Bay is a breath-taking stretch between the sand dunes and the crashing Atlantic Ocean. 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.

As you leave Walvis Bay, you pass the lofty Dune 7 on the left-hand side. Soon the gravel plains of the desert surround you. Vogelfederberg, an outcrop of giant granite boulders, is a landmark on this section. Eventually the road dips into the Kuiseb Canyon to cross the bridge over the Kuiseb River and snakes through the tawny hills before levelling out again. 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.

Next is the rugged, hilly land and small chasms of the Gaub Pass, which meanders through a tapestry of earthy shades and textures. After the Gaub Pass, 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.

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.

Thirty kilometres southward, 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 reach Namib Desert Lodge. 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.  Arrival at Namib Desert Lodge is ca, 12:00 o'clock.

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 12:45 o'clock you need to be ready at reception. 

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

The 5-hour (345km) route from Sesriem to Windhoek follows the road northwards to Rehoboth and from there onwards to Windhoek. Driving through the desert before skirting the impressive Naukluft Mountains, you’ll find some of the most spectacular scenery that Namibia has to offer.
It is 30km to Solitaire. On your way off the Namib Desert Lodge property, you will see the impressive backdrop of fossilised dunes one last time. They were formed when the sand compacted into sandstone in the more humid climate that existed between ten and twenty million years ago.

The route continues in a north-easterly direction via the picturesque Remhoogte Pass and past the small settlements of Lepel, Klein Aub and Kobos. Before reaching Rehoboth you will see the turn-off to the Sam Khubis memorial on your left. This is the site where on 8 May 1915 the Basters put up fierce resistance to the German colonial forces.

As the road to Windhoek meanders through the mountains, the hills are tawny-coloured in the dry mid-year months and vivid green after summer rainfall. The drive through the mountains is a last farewell before reaching your destination in Namibia’s capital city.

Keep your eyes to the right, shortly before reaching Windhoek, you will notice the White Marble Obelisk to the right 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. It was built after Namibia gained its independence in 1990 to honour all those who lost their lives fighting for freedom.

Arrival at Windhoek Truck Port is ca. 18:00 o'clock.