Dune 45 – What an experience!

Having read every online review written about and having been to Sossusvlei many times, I still find myself largely unprepared for the size of Dune 45, which takes my breathe away literally and figuratively.

So named for easy referencing and not for its distance in kilometers from Sesriem Canyon as is commonly believed, it is the most popular dune and at 170meters it is the most accessible dune in Sossusvlei.

On my last trip through Namibia we were really lucky as we were the only people around in our red safari truck. We had the dune to ourselves at 5.30am, an early start in order to reach the summit in time for sunrise, the best time to view Sossusvlei as the air is still mercifully cool.

As I reach the top, too exhausted to utter a word I drop in an ungainly heap at the spot where the rest of our group has been waiting patiently for me, watching me as my lungs bursting and chest exploding whilst I plod up the dune.

The view was incredible and once I got my breath back and looked around to absorb it, it took my breathe away again!