With the world's highest sand dunes that glow a rich red as the sun pops its head over the horizon, no safari to Namibia is complete without a visit to the legendary Sossusvlei... Located inside the Namib Naukluft National Park - one of the largest conservation areas in Africa - this is the place where a sea of dunes come together to effectively "dam" the route of the seasonal Tsauchab River, causing a "dead-end" as it were. The name literally means "dead-end marsh" in the local language of the Nama people.

It's 60km inland from the cold Atlantic Ocean but the hot and arid climate of the Namib - the world's oldest desert - see to it that rain hardly ever falls here in any magnitude, with an average 6mm falling each year. When it does rain, Sossusvlei becomes a wet wonderland, with the Tsauchab filling the pans at the bottom of the dunes, creating a glassy smooth "lake" which offers sensational photographic opportunities!

The dunes here are massive, with the biggest - named "Big Daddy" reaching a whopping 325m high. Add to the mix the legendary Dune 45 (because it's 45km from the entrance gate of the Namib Naukluft park) and the suitably named "Crazy Dune" and you're spoiled for choice on which of these amazing dunes to climb (you can, of course, do them all if you stay for a few days!).

You can also explore the legendary Dead Vlei with its 900-year-old petrified trees trapped in a white clay marsh set against a backdrop of red dunes and the brilliant blue sky! While in Sossusvlei, try hot air ballooning over the dune sea or just explore on foot, taking in the incredible landscapes.