the never-ending world of Sossusvlei, Namibia

Namibia really is Africa's best kept secret, especially when it comes to its stunning array of landscapes. Out of all the breathtaking places we visited, Sossusvlei has got to be my favourite of them all. I've never been to a desert before, so that may have played a part.

To visit Sossusvlei, we stayed at Sossus Dune Lodge, which is one of the few lodges situated inside Sossusvlei's gates, meaning that guests who stay there can leave for Sossuvlei earlier in the morning, before the gates open to the public.

Here are some pictures of Sossus Dune Lodge! Don't they look like the little chalets on The Maldives, but transported into a barren desert landscape? Ha. The floating wooden walkways across the sand look like a romantic stroll but the reality is, you're always walking across it under 40 degree heat. #idied. Anyway, despite the fact that we had to drive elsewhere for wifi pitstops, I loved this lodge. It was eco-friendly and reminded me of glamping. Each little chalet was made with wooden frames, canvas walls and a thatched roof (such a beautiful roof!). Breakfast and lunch are served as buffets in the main restaurant and alongside typical western dishes, you also get to try African dishes and the local cuisine too.

Everyday, we drove an hours drive across the park and to Sossusvlei. The endless expanse of desert was completely, overwhelmingly, magical. I had never visited anything like this. There are no cars, power lines or the sound of people chatting. Sossusvlei is completely isolated and far far away from any town, house or man-made structure. Even the closest lodges are an hour away next to where we stayed.

At Sossusvlei, life feels like it's at a standstill. It's complete and utter solitude. Just you and the people you came to visit this vast landscape with. All around, are never-ending mountain ranges of sand dunes, standing ever so majestically in their own right. These mountains.. they don't move.

Climbing up the spine of sand dunes is much harder than it looks. Every step forward takes you half a step back, the only way to make it easier is to find someone else's footsteps to step in. Nevertheless, the reward at the top is well worth it as you can look down and around to see all the surrounding sand dunes.

Situated in the Namib-Naukluft National Park, Sossusvlei is one of Namibia's best known attractions. Unfortunately, I never knew of this crazy place until I visited but fortunately, I can now share it all with you now. Sossusvlei is characterised by the large red dunes that surround the large, white salt clay pans which you can see in the background of the photo above.

There are some pretty picturesque dunes here like the one above. At Sossusvlei there is the opportunity to take a helicopter ride to see everything from above. Although I didn't go on it, it was well raved about by those who did. I think it's recommended for anyone who's the slightest interested!

Ripples in the sand

The small details like sand blowing down the side of the spine..

Hougaard's favourite shot of the three perfectly symmetrical trees is now one of my favourites too. I love looking for the unique and different angles at each location and this was definitely one of my favourites.

Just some picturesque dunes doing their thing.

Oh so mighty tall they were.. photos don't even begin to show just how giant these are. The tallest dune in the area is known as Big Daddy and it is 325m high. That's some crazy amount of sand if you ask me!

Sossusvlei is not the only attraction here. If you continue past a few low dunes, you reach another spectacular location, Deadvlei. Coming next..

the never-ending world of Sossusvlei, Namibia

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