Once back from the hot air balloon, we rested by the pool as the temperature kept rising above 100°F. Thankfully, we could grab water bottles from the bar area to stay hydrated. We also confirmed that we should head to our following location in Namibia after our sunrise hike to enjoy some cooler temperatures for the rest of our time here in Namibia.

As evening approached, we headed out into the park to enjoy a drive through the dunes and hopefully see the trees in Deadvlei. We had to turn back around during our first trip to make a quick pit stop at the bathroom. We weren’t 100% sure there were any in the park (at least the map we received didn’t show any), so I asked Grant to turn around. However, this quick pit stop allowed us to be the only ones in Deadvlei once we arrived as we passed a group on their way out. Funny how things work out like that!

On our way to Sossusvlei/Deadvlei, we stopped at Dune 45 and started the ascent up the dune. The temperature didn’t feel too bad once we started the hike, but the wind kept whipping the sand, and it felt like needles poking you in the calves. Tim slid back down as Grant and I continued up the dune. It was amazing how much our lungs burned the further we climbed up – pictures and videos really don’t do the dunes justice in terms of just how huge and how hard to hike up they are! We decided to head back down as the wind was too much the higher we climbed and continued our journey onto Deadvlei.

The last kilometer or two into Deadvlei were fairly deep sand that required 4-wheel drive to navigate. We slid through the sand almost like we were driving through ice/snow but made it without problem. When we arrived, we saw a sign that said 11km to Deadvlei and were shocked the hike was that long. As we started to head that way, we quickly realized we missed the decimal between the ones, and the walk was only 1.1km. The short hike took us up and down sandy paths until it opened into a white clearing with a smattering of these 1,000+-year-old trees. It was pretty crazy to see! According to the internet, the camel thorn trees died after a drought and became almost petrified. The skeletons of the trees do not decompose because it is so dry. It was so cool to see; they had signs everywhere telling you not to touch the trees. It was so tempting, though! After taking some pictures and checking out the dune behind Deadvlei (nicknamed “Big Daddy”), it was time to head back as the gates closed at 8:30 pm. With Grant’s speeding, we returned just in time with a few minutes to spare!

After climbing the dune, we were all pretty sandy, so we rinsed off before cooking dinner. The wind was pretty heavy that night, making cooking on the gas stove tricky – we ran out of all the matches we’d borrowed the previous night just trying to light it. Grant went to the neighboring campsite again, this time occupied by a group of South African friends who noted they were also looking to wake up at sunrise the next morning to catch sunrise on a dune. We traded them some extra fruit for desert as a thank you for the lighter, but even by 10 pm, our pasta still wasn’t cooking, so we just had some sliced veggies and called it a night as we had another early morning wake up the next day. With the wind, the temperature was much more reasonable this night and it made sleeping much more comfortable. I think we all got a better night’s sleep this night, even with the early wake-up a second day in a row.