Melanie is a travel photojournalist and guidebook author based in Johannesburg. A qualified field guide, scuba diver and budding birdwatcher, she is an expert contributor on Southern Africa and has written for Lonely Planet, Travel+Leisure, Condé Nast Traveller and Fodor's, and photographed some of the continent's beloved travel lodges.
Wake early for sunrise at Deadvlei

The Sesriem junction is the starting point for trips to the Sossusvlei and Deadvlei claypans. To experience sunrise (or sunset), beat the heat and get ahead of the crowds, spend the night at one of two lodges located within the park gates (Sossus Dune Lodge and the pricier, more private Kulala Desert Lodge). Alternatively camp at the very basic Sesriem Camp for the perk of an hour-early entry to the park. It's a 60-kilometre drive to the Sossusvlei and Deadvlei sites (many visitors stop at Dune 45 instead, but I recommend you forge on). Deadvlei is then a further one-kilometre hike from the car park (not everyone is fit enough for this trek, especially in peak sunshine) and is where you can climb the spine of the Big Daddy Dune.
At a glance
Destinations
Namib-Naukluft National Park
Activity
Safari, Adventure, Active, Nature & WildlifePhysical Level
Mild
Duration
1 day

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Wake early for sunrise at Deadvlei
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