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Everything starts at the Sesriem gate. From there a road runs around 60 kilometres (37 mi) west to the 2×4 car park; according to Namibia’s report to UNESCO, the Roads Authority has managed it as a paved road since March 2005.
Sossusvlei entry fees: N$280 per day, N$60 per car
Rates since 1 April 2026
The ministry’s fee table puts Namib-Naukluft National Park (except Sandwich Harbour) in the most expensive group. Foreign visitors aged 16 and over pay N$140 park entry plus N$140 conservation fee, N$280 in total. Children above 8 and under 16 pay N$180; up to 8 years, entry is free.
According to NWR’s terms and conditions, park gates open at sunrise and close at sunset. Neither the ministry nor NWR publishes fixed clock times for Sesriem; they follow the sun.
According to the ministry, the office at Sesriem issues permits for Namib-Naukluft National Park.
Sossusvlei entry fees: N$280 per day, N$60 per car
Permits only at the gate
All Namibian national parks issue the permit on arrival, says the ministry; the office at Sesriem is responsible for Namib-Naukluft National Park. NWR itself does not issue permits.
The regulations require you to report your arrival in the park immediately at the nearest park office. At Sesriem this happens when you get your permit at the gate.
44 pitches for up to eight people and six overflow pitches, with a shop and filling station. NWR charges N$670 per person per night, the same from July 2026 to June 2027.
25 chalets facing the dunes or the canyon. According to NWR its guests reach the vlei before sunrise.
Best time: sunrise, and never in the midday heat
Earlier entry only with a room inside the park
NWR writes that guests of Sossus Dune Lodge inside the park can reach the vlei before sunrise and stay until after sunset. We found no official time for this inner gate from either the ministry or NWR.
23 chalets and two honeymoon suites, with breakfast and dinner. From July to October 2026 a chalet costs N$7,000 per person sharing, from November 2026 to June 2027 N$4,030.
About one kilometre long and 30 to 40 metres deep, with pools after good rains.
A narrow gorge cut into the gravel by the Tsauchab.
Length
about 1 km (0.6 mi)
Depth
30 to 40 m (98 to 131 ft)
Name
six thongs
Location
near the Sesriem gate
Deadvlei, Dune 45, Sesriem Canyon: walks and tours
Sesriem Canyon
According to NWR the gorge is about one kilometre long and 30 to 40 metres deep; after good rains there are pools at the bottom. It was named by settlers who knotted six rawhide thongs (riems) together to draw up water.
NWR drives here in the evening from Sesriem Campsite.
Deadvlei, Dune 45, Sesriem Canyon: walks and tours
NWR excursions
At Sesriem Campsite NWR sells a sunset drive to Elim Dune for N$300, a canyon drive for N$200, guided morning drives for N$600 (N$700 with breakfast) and a shuttle for 2×4 drivers to Deadvlei for N$180 per person.
About 45 kilometres beyond the gate. One of the four dunes the ministry allows visitors to climb.
The permitted dune right by the road.
Location
around 45 km (28 mi) beyond the gate
Climbing
permitted
Access
normal car
Relief
Dune 40 planned
Deadvlei, Dune 45, Sesriem Canyon: walks and tours
Only four dunes may be climbed
According to the report to UNESCO, the ministry allows visitors only on Dune 45, Big Daddy, Big Mama and Sossusvlei; Dune 40 is to be added to relieve Dune 45. Please do not climb other dunes.
Beyond the 2×4 car park, deep sand continues to the 4×4 car park near Deadvlei. According to the concessionaire you can only continue in a 4×4; without one, take the shuttle.
Deadvlei, Dune 45, Sesriem Canyon: walks and tours
Shuttle from the 2×4 car park
The concessionaire drives 4×4 vehicles from the 2×4 car park to Deadvlei. You book online with a date and time slot, or on site depending on availability; in peak season it recommends booking ahead.
According to the ministry’s public notice of 2 May 2026, self-drivers in 4×4 vehicles and registered tour guides may drive to Deadvlei; the shuttle is optional, buses and trucks are excluded. A version from the day before had still excluded self-drivers.
According to NWR the star dunes at Sossusvlei are among the highest in the world, up to 325 metres (1,066 ft) measured from their base. They are highest where the Tsauchab River enters the vlei.
When there is enough rain inland, the Tsauchab flows all the way into Sossusvlei and fills the main pan; then, according to NWR, flamingos and other water birds arrive.
Water, a hat and sun protection belong in every backpack: the German Foreign Office warns of intense sunlight in Namibia. Staying inside the park gets you to the vlei earlier and helps you avoid the midday hours.
Where to stay · NWR camp in the Naukluft Mountains
Naukluft Camp
Starting point of the hiking trails in the Naukluft section, 100 kilometres (62 mi) from Sossusvlei according to NWR.
Deadvlei, Dune 45, Sesriem Canyon: walks and tours
Naukluft on foot
In the mountain section of the park, the Olive Trail, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) in about four hours, and the Waterkluft Trail, 17 kilometres (10.6 mi) in six to seven hours, start at Naukluft Camp. The Naukluft Hiking Trail takes four or eight days, for three to twelve people.
Six chalets and 21 pitches in the mountains. The Bush Chalet costs N$2,000 per person sharing with breakfast (from November N$1,450), a pitch N$460 per person.
The mountain section was created as a sanctuary for Hartmann’s mountain zebra. NWR describes folded layers of quartzite, dolomite and shale; black eagles nest on the cliffs.
