The last 5 km to Sossusvlei are pure off-road, partly with deep sand. There is a shuttle service for self-drivers without a four-wheel drive vehicle or confidence in their 4×4 driving skills. The provider has changed. And so has the service. Instead of just a drive, guests now experience a guided excursion…

The drivers also act as guides, explained the managing director of About Africa, Heiko Dörgeloh, when asked by BüllsPort. They tell exciting stories about Sossuvlei, where the highest dunes in the world block the path of the Tsauchab Rivier (dry river) to the sea.

About Africa has been awarded the new concession for the shuttle service. The company was one of nine applicants in the public tender of the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT).

Shuttle between the car park and Sossusvlei

The vehicles shuttle between the car park at the end of the tarred road, Sossusvlei and Dead Vlei. The route consists partly of deep sand and therefore cannot be travelled by a city car or bus.

Until now, the state-owned rest camp operator Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) has offered the shuttle service. This involved the use of open four-wheel drive vehicles, which are used for game drives.

About Africa, on the other hand, also offers closed minibuses and SUVs with air conditioning, explains Managing Director Dörgeloh. The 4×4 excursions lead to Sossusvlei, Dead Vlei or to the Big Mama or Big Daddy dunes, depending on the requests and fitness level of the guests.

4x4 Excursion Sossusvlei Dead Vlei highest dunes world driver guide About Africa Namibia

Ready for 4×4 excursions to Sossusvlei, Dead Vlei and the highest dunes in the world: drivers/guides from About Africa. Photo: About Africa

The rate is only slightly higher than before. Instead of 180 Namibia Dollar for the previous shuttle ride, an excursion now costs 200 Namibia Dollar for adults (currently 10.41 euros; amount according to the current exchange rate, 1 N$ = 1 South African Rand). Children pay half price.

Tickets can be paid for not only in cash, but also by credit card. About Africa also offers the option of advance booking (contact: see website Aboutafrica.co). An online booking system is in the pipeline.

In the near future, ice-cold beer, cola and other drinks will be available directly at Sossusvlei. The licence allows About Africa to set up a kiosk there. According to Dörgeloh, there is a great need for this.

Income for the people living there too

Every excursion also benefits the communities in whose traditional territory the Sossusvlei falls. To be more precise: the inhabitants of Maltahöhe and the members of the !Karkhoen-Nama.

The concession fees that flow to them are expected to amount to more than four million Namibia Dollar per year (currently a good 208,000 euros; amount based on the current exchange rate). With a concession term of 25 years, this would total more than 100 million Namibia Dollar (currently 5.2 million euros; amount based on the current exchange rate).

From BüllsPort to Sossusvlei

Sossusvlei and the Sesriem Caynon can easily be visited on a relaxed day trip from BüllsPort Lodge & Farm. Set off at your leisure in the morning after breakfast. Explore the shady Sesriem Canyon in the late morning. And then experience Sossusvlei, Dead Vlei and the highest dunes in the world in the afternoon.

BüllsPort recommends this because it is much less busy in the afternoon. Most visitors drive to Sossusvlei in the morning. As a result, long queues of vehicles form at the barrier at the park entrance near Sesriem before the park opens at sunrise.

Access for self-drivers in the long term?

The Ministry of the Environment apparently also wants to use the new concession to better control operations around Sossusvlei and Dead Vlei. Time and again, guests violate park rules – including reckless self-drivers who plough circular tracks into the clay crust in Sossusvlei.

The area is located in the Namib Dunes, which has been an UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2013. This status places a special obligation on Namibia to ensure the protection of this sensitive natural environment.

View west Sossusvlei Dune Namib group of trees car park city cars

View of the Sossusvlei in the Namib dunes from the west. The group of trees where the car park for city cars is located is faintly visible at the back left. Photo: Sven-Eric Stender

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