Sossusvlei and Naukluft National Park 

We had entered the Naukluft National Park. It is a huge area, larger than Switzerland or for our north American cousins the size of New Hampshire and Vermont. The thing to do is to climb to the top of Dune 45 to watch the sunrise. This is a dune 80m high next to the road going to Sossusvlei. Some people already climbing up the dune.

A view across the top.

East from where the sun would rise.

A huddle of people at the best spot.

People waiting for the sunrise.

People facing the sun and watching some of the amazing colours.

Another view of changing colours and the car park in the distance.

One of the few trees and more changing colours in the background.

 A dead tree.

 My attempt at an arty tree photo.

 We were on our way to Sossusblei, meaning dead end marsh. The dunes blow in from the coast and cut off the rivers, here the Tsauchub river from reaching the sea. The river ends in a pan. We couldn't drive to the end but 4x4 would take us for a price. I wanted the exercise so chose to walk the 4kms through soft sand to reach the pan. Even some 4x4s didn't make it to the end such as this abandoned vehicle sunk up to its axles in soft sand.

 A view of the dried out cracked pan floor.

 One of the many dunes, including Big Mama and Big Daddy which is 325m high (not the biggest in the world which id Dune 7 in the Namib desert at 388m).

 Some wildlife that I nearly walked into.

 And it completely ignored me.

 This is Hiddevlei, the white flat bottom of the pan and the valley nearly completely cut by the dune.

 The dead trees in the bottom of the pan.

 And another dead tree.

So we were back on the road heading towards the beautiful town of Swakopmond, which is Namibia's out visited location.