Sossusvlei & the Namib Safe
Crime is not the issue; the desert is. Distances are enormous with no signal, the gravel roads roll cars when drivers take them at tarmac speeds, and a puncture 100km from anywhere is a genuine problem. Carry water for everyone for a day, tell the lodge your route, and climb the dunes at dawn rather than at noon — 30°C on sand with no shade catches people out every season.
Comfortable: Sesriem · Sossusvlei · Swakopmund
- Climbing Big Daddy in the middle of the day, which is 40°C with no shade and no water on the dune
- Gravel roads at speed, which is how almost every visitor accident in Namibia happens — sand, a rollover, and no phone signal
- Driving the last 5km to the vlei in a 2WD, which is deep sand and needs the shuttle
