Never saw such massive dunes before in my life. It was worth flying half way around the world, driving through jarring dirt roads and deserts to visit these dunes. You start at the National Park gate and buy a pass for the day. Each car entering the park has to register. Thankfully, the drive to Sossusvlei is on a asphalt road. It is 60 Kilometre drive. At the end of the drive, you pay to get a ride on a 4x4 to visit Sossusvlei and Deadvlei. Unless, you have a 4x4, you have to use this transport. Along the way one see many dunes, wildlife and just solitude. Some tourist pass you along the way. There are some stops along the way to take picture. Keep in mind that the 4x4 transport stops at 3 PM. Also, wear regular shoes. I had flip flops and the hot sands were burning my soles. I had to discontinue my trek to Deadvlei halfway. It is a great trip to do once in your life.

If you are planning a trip to Sossusvlei, your first stop will be the Sossusvlei 4x4 Parking Area. At the parking area, there are ablution facilities as well as the option of taking 4x4 taxis to the vlei itself. While you can drive your own 4x4, I highly don't recommend it, unless you're a seasoned sand specialist. The intense traffic (mostly taxis and lodge vehicles) combined with the unforgiving sandy surface can make navigating the last part to the vlei quite challenging. During my visit, I even saw two vehicles get stuck. Once you arrive at the vlei, the true beauty of the area opens up with dunes surrounding you on all sides. I visited the Deadvlei as well as summited the Big Daddy Dune (both reviewed separately) and can highly recommend both. If you are planning on doing the Big Daddy and Deadvlei, I do recommend first summiting Big Daddy as you have to walk back through the Deadvlei to reach the parking area again. Sossusvlei is a must-see in Namibia. Its uniqueness and beauty will leave memories that you will cherish for the rest of your life. Definitely and experience of a life-time!

This was our second visit and once again, well worth it. We didn't go on to Deadvlei this time as the landscapes at dune 45 are just as incredible. When we did go we took the shuttle as it's not expensive and we saw some so called clever youngsters having to be rescued. We had a RAV4 then and are now driving a Toyota Corolla Cross. Be careful if you drive into dune 40 as there is deep sand and we almost got stuck. We were driving from there to Swakopmund and that road is the worst highway we've met in Namibia. It doesn't require a 4 x4 but is extremely rutted and corrugated and is not fun. Our GPS advised turning off at D1990 through Emeritus which we ignored but I'm not sure it might have been a better option. After quite a long way the C14 has been graded and is superb. The pass going north is spectacular.

If you want to reach the parking place closer to Deadvlei you really need a 4x4. The offroad drive to there is entirely on sand, which could be quite fun, but if not done right - you can get stuck and you better have a shovel, there will be a lot of digging. The walk to Deadvlei takes between 20 and 30 mins (one direction), depending on your tempo. You are walking through sand so it could feel a bit more tiring.

As with enjoying all other deserts, it would be much nicer to get up early when it is still cooler (and to avoid traffic)... having said that....we still encountered some line up at the gate but it was good to stop to appreciate the sunrise anyway, Then we changed into 4x4...make sure you bring enough water and masks if you don't like the sand on the way as the traffic can be quite busy too...both ways. And of course sun hats/ sun blocks etc. For our family, we enjoyed the place according to our individual abilities. Two climbed the Big Daddy (300m+) (45min - 1 hr....depending on people traffic :).....quite a few hikers taking their time...nonetheless it was good to occassionally stop to admire neighbouring dunes dwarfed by Big Daddy....to come down was also much fun.....to just run down (not as dangerous as it seemed because the sand helped positioning the feet anyway....)....and down in less than 20 min to meet others in the Deadvlei, where the 900+years old ancient dead trees were. Those waiting on the flat Deadvlei wouldn't be bored as there were lots of photo opportunities, with the black dead trees on the white pan, against the red dunes, below the blue cloudless sky....all seem to be surreal or photoshoped but they are real and natural.... There are various choices. Those in our group who didn't climb the Big Daddy, went to challenge the less intimidating Big Mama,or you can simply experience the tail (of the Big Mama to get a feel of climbing along the knife edge sand ridge for only 10- 15 min......or just like two in our group who simply walked on the flat to the Deadvlei. After about 1.5 hours including photo time, we enjoyed our picnic breakfast nearby admiring the dunes as backdrop. Tips： We did wear our running shoes (According to our frequent hiker daughter, hiking shoes are not necessary even for climbing the Big Daddy, in fact, hiking shoes would hinder running down the sand slope afterwards......and I found out something about the sand going into the shoes and then the socks ....our skin got really dry after entering the region for a few days .... and cracks appeared on the skin and with the sand in the socks ....it was rubbing into the skin and caused more cracks and felt annoying....I would put some lotion on the feet first. Nonetheless it was a very unique experience!!!