Start: Klein Aus Vista Campsite
Destination: Sesriem
Region: Hardap
Distance: 345 km
Duration: 4 hours 30 minutes
Route Profile: Gravel road
Accommodation: Little Sossus Lodge
Our Rating: 9/10
Fauna: Oryx, antelopes, zebras, black-backed jackals, horned puff adder, wild horses, brown house snake, striped ground squirrels, Tok Tokkie beetles
Shopping: -
Food: Muesli, bread, peanut butter, banana, snacks, homemade bread, Oryx steak

At 7:45 AM, we are already sitting outside in a cool 10°C, having breakfast. We have a long drive ahead of us today. In the middle of the Namib Desert, in the Namib-Naukluft Park, lie two of Namibia's scenic highlights: the Sossusvlei and the Dead Vlei. This region is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating in all of Namibia. During our trip planning, we put in a lot of effort to find the best accommodation options here. During Christian's last visit to Namibia, he stayed at the Sossus Oasis Camp Site, which is located very close to the park entrance. This facility is well-maintained and extremely convenient with its gas station and shop. But this time, we wanted to enjoy the beauty of nature more intensely, so we decided on the Little Sossus Lodge, which is a bit further away.

We set off just before 9:00 AM. First, we head to the village of Aus. There is a small shop and a gas station there. Once the tank is full again and our water and food supplies are replenished, we head off. The drive to Little Sossus Lodge takes almost 5 hours and is quite long and strenuous. We drive continuously on gravel roads, which are often not in good condition and shake our vehicle and us vigorously. There are always places where larger stones or potholes are on the road - concentration is high. We take turns driving, and the co-pilot quickly takes on the task of spotting further potholes in advance and navigating the driver. The scenery along this very remote route is incredibly impressive. The colors change from yellow, to orange, green, and back to red. Brilliant.

On the way, we take breaks from time to time, have lunch, and observe oryx, jackals, zebras, antelopes, wild horses, weasel-like animals, a snake, and striped squirrels. We arrive at Little Sossus Lodge around 4:00 PM. The owner greets us warmly and shows us to our campsite. The campsite is exactly what we imagined: peace, privacy, and incredibly beautiful nature (plus a pool!). At the reception, there is also the option to buy some groceries. We decide on oryx meat with homemade rolls for dinner.

After settling into our campsite, we quickly prepare some dough to bake bread rolls later and then treat ourselves to a short relaxation break by the pool. Although it looks inviting, the water is icy cold. So, we content ourselves with soaking up the sun on the loungers. Back at our campsite, we want to explore the surroundings and the grassland in front of us. There's a small dirt path leading to a waterhole, only about 100 meters away. As usual, we stomp a bit harder on the ground as we're aware that snakes like to enjoy the last rays of sun at this time of day. Christian walks ahead of me on the path, lifts his foot, and immediately pulls it back. In front of him, we spot a snake in the sand. It's really well camouflaged and doesn't seem to be bothered by our noise. What luck to have seen it! We don't want to imagine what a bite would have meant in this remote area. After this brief shock, we take photos of the snake and then show the picture to the owner of the campsite. She identifies the snake as a horned puff adder. From now on, we're even more cautious on dirt paths.

At the campsite, just before sunset, a staff member comes by and lights the fire in the Donkey Boiler. This provides us with hot water, and we enjoy the opportunity to shower. Afterwards, we build a campfire. Our dough has risen nicely, so we shape the rolls under the open sky and place them on the grill along with the oryx steaks. The atmosphere around us is phenomenal, and we savor the picturesque sunset and the ensuing reddish twilight with a glass of red wine. Dinner tastes exquisite. We enjoy the tranquility late into the night (9:00 PM already felt late for us), and then, with great anticipation for the next day, we retire to our rooftop tent to sleep.