Dune Star Camp A Namib Desert Secret

En route to Sossusvlei, Ron Swilling discovers one of the most spectacular desert landscapes - accentuated at the golden hours of the day - and the perfect place to appreciate it

Ripples of soft burnished sand lead the hungry eye over gentle dunes, down to a relief of landscape bathed in gold: an expanse of sand brightened by a fresh band of emerald-green and the soft pastels of the mauve-blue mountains in the distance.

Not surprisingly, this sublime desert scenery was recognised as the superlative setting for the intimate Dune Star Camp. The desert adventure begins in the late afternoon at the mother lodge, Namib Dune Lodge, where guests climb aboard the overland vehicle for the short drive to the camp. It follows the dramatic ridge of petrified dunes, peppered with gnarled camel thorn trees and robust gemsbok posing picture-perfect against the backdrop of red, before stopping on the crest of a steep sand dune. Guests alight and drawn by the spectacular view,move in a communal wave to the wooden deck. The vista is solely theirs for the best times of the day – the golden hours – or so say artists, photographers and dreamers. And, they can’t all be wrong.

Dune Star Camp and Namib Desert Lodge, part of the Gondwana Collection Namibia, are 60km north of Sesriem, the gateway to Sossusvlei, and their dramatic setting threatens to steal the thunder of the famed destination. Or, rather it complements it and is an inspiring addition to a stay in the Namib Desert.

An ancient desert & the slow pace of eternity