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Adventure to Awaken

Southern Namibia Road Trip in Photos

By Clara Ritger,

Sep 6, 2025   —   9 min read

AfricaNatureSafari
A person climbs a red sand dune.
Sossusvlei, Namibia.

Summary

Explore Namibia’s south: Sossusvlei dunes, Fish River Canyon, Kolmanskop ghost town & more on a one-week road trip.

Namibia is home to a plethora of one-of-a-kind natural wonders. A one-week drive through the southern part of the country will take you through much of it. Here's my recommended itinerary, with photos! Plus, details at the end on how to visit.

Swakopmund

Your first stop? A coastal town due west of Windhoek known for being the main tourist hub of Namibia. You can do touristy things here like sandboard or quadbike the dunes, or even skydive. I took a scenic flight over the desert with a friend of a friend who is a pilot, and then we drove into the "Moon Landscape" to see the welwitschia, the national plant of Namibia.

Aerial view of the turquoise blue water and tan sand dunes of Namibia's coastline near Swakopmund.
Aerial view of the salmon-colored sand dunes of Swakopmund, Namibia, with the ocean in the far background, dotted with ships.
Clara Ritger poses in front of a vertical line of black rock that cuts through a tan rocky hill like a fissure.
An orange and black shovel-snouted lizard on a black rock.
A plant with wavy, broad green leaves grows out of desert sands like a mop of hair. It is protected by a fence.
A plant with broad, green leaves that fold over each other like a nest grows out of the desert sand. It is waist-high, and protected by a line of rocks in the sand.
The dry, tan earth is cracked like egg shells.
A white bird perches on one leg on top of a thorny branch in the desert.
Sparse green plants grow out of the dry, cracked, tan earth. The black, rocky, hilly Moon Landscape is seen behind.
A green plant with little balls and flowers stretches its vines across the ground.

Known as the moon landscape, not much plant life grows in Namibia's desert on the outskirts of Swakopmund. Proof of resilience to the harsh conditions? The welwitschia (middle) is actually only two leaves, separated into what appears to be more by wind. The oldest welwitschia is thought to be more than 2,000 years old. Below, a dune lark, endemic only to this small region in Namibia. | Click any image to view larger.

Kuiseb Pass and the Tropic of Capricorn

On the way to arguably the most famous tourist sight in Namibia, you'll drive the scenic Kuiseb Pass and cross over the Tropic of Capricorn. It marks the end of what is known as the tropical zone of earth, or where the sun can be seen directly overhead on the summer solstice for the southern hemisphere. Here's a more in-depth article about the significance of these lines of latitude.

Yellow grasses cut through black rock hills, and below, a dry riverbed.
Trees grow along a dry riverbed, surrounded by tall, yellow hills.
Yellow grasses grow atop a red and black rocky landscape that peaks like upside-down V's.
Clara Ritger poses below a desert sign covered in bumper stickers that reads: Tropic of Capricorn.

Little did I know that in less than a month I'd be on the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere. | Click any image to view larger.

Sossusvlei

After camping for the night at Sesriem – the gateway to the dunes – you can stop for sunrise at Dune 45 (which is 45km from Sesriem).

The main dunes of Sossusvlei are further up the road, along with Dead Vlei, the pan with striking dead camel thorn trees that is often photographed. I actually met a photographer from the U.S. who did a photoshoot in Dead Vlei with dancers.

A rust colored sand dune sits against a cerulean sky before dawn.
Before dawn, the landscape of mauve and rust colored sand appears as though blue has been painted over it, like a watercolor.
Up close, the sand grains form waves near the edge where the wind creates a perfect peak.
Many triangular sand dunes are seen in shadow, set in a blue-hued landscape before dawn.

Sossusvlei, Namibia's Dune 45 at sunrise. | Click any image to view larger.

A tall, orange sand dune rises up out of the desert landscape, like a mountain. Another sand dune is seen in the foreground, along with a flat, tan dust bed, and scrub brush.
Across a desert landscape, many rust-colored sand dunes rise up like mountains.
Thick mud is cracked like a tortoise shell.
A lone tree, full of leaves, in the shape of a cloud, casts shade next to a sand dune that rises from the desert.
A man in shadow follows a well-trod trail up the edge of a rust-colored sand dune.
A trail of footsteps leads up a rust-colored sand dune, with a dry bed, like a lake, in the middle.

A long, hot, sweaty hike will take you to the top of the Sossusvlei sand dunes in Namibia. I followed behind my guide, taking endless photos of the ethereal landscape. | Click any image to view larger.

A man follows a trail of footsteps up a rust-colored sand dune. Far in the distance, three people can be seen climbing to the top.
An untouched part of the sand dune looks smooth and soft, little dimples and ridges created by the wind.
A man squints at the camera in the sun, seated on a sand dune, that continues rising up behind him.
A man walks on the edge of a sand dune, where the wind forms a peak. More people are seen walking further ahead.
A man looks back at the camera, mid-way up the sand dune. He carries his shoes.

If you look closely at the last image, you can see the wind peeling the sand off of the dune. I had sand everywhere for days after. | Click any image to view larger.

The sand dune forms folds, and sand can be seen blowing off of the peak, as the man continues to climb the rust-colored dune.
A beige, dry bed below the rust-colored sand dune, with dead trees sticking up in the middle. A line of people like ants can be seen climbing the dune below.
Clara Ritger poses for a selfie, holding her hat in the wind, on top of the sand dune.
Clara Ritger throws her hands up in the air, victorious, at the top of the sand dune. Many dunes can be seen in the distance.

Top right corner, a view of Dead Vlei from the top of Sossusvlei. Below, posing for pictures at the top before gliding down the sand to the basin. | Click any image to view larger.

Dead tree trunks and branches rise up out of a dry lake bed.
Dead Vlei, Namibia.
Over a dozen dead trees in a dry lake bed with the red sand dune in the background.
The dark, dead trees resemble a scene from Sleepy Hollow, except in the desert, under the hot sun, against a bright red sand dune.
On the dried mud, a yellow flower grows in the middle of a small, thorny bush, with leaves that look like kale.
A closeup image of the tree bark. The trees look petrified, dried and frozen in time.

A close-up just to show you that the bark is actually quite dead. And yet, somehow this plant has found just enough water to flower!? | Click any image to view larger.

A red sand dune, a few trees, and a mountain far in the distance.
A deep red sand dune at sunset, with yellow grasses growing out of it, and many footprints forming a trail.
Ripples form in the red sand dune from the wind at sunset.
A small path of footprints interrupts the ripples of sand at sunset.
The sun begins to dip below the edge of the sand dune, with grasses growing on it.
Three people climbing the edge of a ridge of the red sand dune.

Red sand dunes near Sesriem at sunset. The ripples on the sand are caused by wind. | Click any image to view larger.

Clara Ritger poses with her head resting on her hand, on top of salmon-colored sand dunes. Behind, a flat tan landscape, and in the far background, a blue shadow is cast over rolling hills and mountains.

Klein Aus Vista

Continuing south after Sossusvlei, I recommend camping for the night at Klein Aus Vista. You'll see wild desert horses and stunning sunsets. Interestingly, the desert horses are not indigenous to the Namibian desert, and were likely brought over by colonizers before they escaped and became wild.

A herd of horses standing in a vast landscape of yellow grasses. Behind, rolling rocky hills.

Kolmanskop

An abandoned German diamond mining town, Kolmanskop was featured on the cover of Tame Impala's album The Slow Rush. You can learn more about the history of the town while exploring the buildings that are slowly being reclaimed by the sand.

Namibia was first colonized by the Germans. After World War 1, South Africa took over. But as you might have noticed by now, the German influence persists in Namibia in the architecture and nomenclature. Germans make up a high percentage of tourists to Namibia.

Tan, dusty abandoned buildings stand in the desert against the blue sky.
Two painted doorways, one green and one orange, are filled with sand. Wiring hangs from the ceiling.
Through two windows, or doorways, is a green wall, lit by the sun. The openings are filled with sand.
A rusty bathtub in a green room sits atop sand. Sunlight casts the shadow of the window on the sand.
Sand fills a room with two windows and a door, fitted with glass panes. Above are three, half-circle windows. Sunlight streams through to cast the shape of the windows on the sand.

People speculate that the second and the fifth images you see were combined to create Tame Impala's album cover. You can read about the artist's process here. | Click any image to view larger.

Fish River Canyon

This is the second largest canyon in the world after the Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA. If you have more time, and you come in the right season, you can hike the canyon. (Out of season there is too much risk for flash flooding.)

A thin blue river winds through a steep, jagged canyon landscape, with flat plains atop. The river makes a horseshoe shape.
On the tour this was just a quick stop for a photo op.

Quiver Tree Forest and Giant's Playground

The last stop before a long drive back to Windhoek is a visit to Kokerboomwood, which is home to a significant population of quiver trees, Namibia's national tree.

Nearby is Giants Playground, which is named because the square boulders make the maze look like a playground for giants.

Nine trees rise up out of the desert. Their branches are thin and pointed vertically to the sky, with leaves like pom-poms at the top. The sky is blue, with pink and soft butter yellow clouds dancing across at sunset.
Quiver trees, along with other trees, bushes and cacti, pop up out of a desert landscape with boulders and yellow grasses. The sky is blue, with pink and soft butter yellow clouds weaving across like waves at sunset.
Looking up at the unique branches of a quiver tree, pointing vertically in the sky like bristles, with spiky pom-poms at the ends. The clouds are yellow and pink against a deep blue sky at sunset.
Yellow-fingered clouds lick the sides of a blue sky as people watch sunset, hidden among the unique quiver tree forest.
Up close, the quiver tree branches can be seen to curve and bend as they reach up to the sky. The leaves at the very ends of the branches are succulent-like, almost like an aloe vera plant, and point in all directions.
One quiver tree, full of branches and leaves, with peeling bark, in the middle of a rocky landscape. A yellow cloud cuts horizontally through a blue sky.
At sunset, eleven trees rise up out of a sea of boulders. Their branches are thin and pointed vertically to the sky, with leaves like pom-poms at the top.
A fat, rodent-like creature climbs big boulders in the quiver tree forest at sunset.
A fat, rodent-like creature looks at the camera, blending into the big boulders, at sunset.
The sky is purple, pink, orange, and coral colored, at dusk. The landscape is black.

You can camp among the trees. I wandered around at sunset on a little trail at the campground to capture the photos of these unique trees. This was a lovely and peaceful place to camp! | Click any image to view larger.

One quiver tree peeks out from between the big red boulders.
Red, square boulders are stacked like building blocks in the middle of the desert. Many boulders surround them.

Giant's Playground. | Click any image to view larger.

How To Visit

I booked a two-week camping tour with Chameleon Safaris departing from Windhoek, which included travel to the north to safari through Etosha National Park.

A white van with a sticker that reads: Chameleon Safaris. A person in red stands on top of a tire, while another person climbs in the open passenger seat door.
A person in red followed by a person in a white ball cap are climbing on small rocks, with big boulders behind them.

Our guides decided to try a game of getting back to the van by only touching rocks at Giant's Playground. 😂

You could book just this southern itinerary with them, or rent a 4x4 Toyota Hilux with a rooftop tent and drive it yourself in a week. However, the roads in Namibia are notorious for flat tires and few passersby. (Rentals typically give you two spares and many self-drivers use both. They also recommend adding on a satellite phone to your rental in case of emergency.) I don't recommend a self-drive Namibia trip for solo travelers.

While I did love the safari in Etosha, I thought that the southern portion of the trip included more of the iconic Namibia stops. You might consider doing the southern route and tacking on a separate trip to Etosha.

Also, I loved the camping aspect of the trip, and really felt immersed in the nature we were visiting. Whether you are self-driving or booking a tour, I recommend sleeping in a tent!

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Author profile

Clara Ritger

Clara is the author of the forthcoming New York Times Bestselling memoir Object in Motion. She is a writer and documentary filmmaker whose work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal and NBC News.

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