Sossusvlei and Deadvlei

On Sunday, I traveled from Windhoek to Sossusvlei and Deadvlei. Sossusvlei is an area in the Namib Desert, which is the oldest desert in the world and has the highest sand dunes in the world! A dune here can be over 300 meters high. The highest one is 'Big Daddy', but the most famous one is 'Dune 45', which offers a breathtaking view of the landscape! Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to visit Dune 45 this time because time was limited... 🙈😅 But I have been there twice before, and Deadvlei was more important to me. In this small valley (vlei) amidst the dunes, there are trees that have been dead for hundreds of years but don't decompose due to the dry desert climate. They are preserved for eternity. The last 5 kilometers to Deadvlei are pure sand tracks and can only be accessed by 4x4 vehicles. For all other vehicles, it's necessary to park 5 kilometers earlier and book a tour! Luckily, mine is a 4x4, so I was able to drive all the way to the end. And 'drive' really means drive here, NOT stop! If you stop, you get stuck and dig yourself in! And not only last time, but also this time, I passed by some unlucky people! 😅
Since the gate closes at 6:15 PM and my campsite was located outside, I had to hurry! It was already after 3 PM when I arrived at the gate, and from there it takes about an hour to reach Deadvlei, then a good 20 minutes to walk to the trees, 20 minutes back, and another close to an hour to return to the gate! So, I had to exceed the speed limit a bit, 140 instead of the allowed 120. 😇 Luckily, the road from the gate to the 5 kilometers before Deadvlei is paved! 😅
For dinner, a table was reserved for me at the nearby lodge. They had an all-you-can-eat buffet with Oryx, Kudu, and Eland meat, appetizers, and desserts for 360 N$ (about €18 😄). I arrived half an hour early and relaxed on the open terrace when suddenly an Oryx appeared and got a bit too close to my fellow diner. But luckily, nothing more happened except for some knocked over chairs and a brief moment of fright! 😅
The next day, after breakfast, I continued my journey to Swakopmund! 😃