Reviews: Hoodia Sossusvlei excursion

"This felt "other worldly" as we walked up and then down a dune to a smaller area of dead trees - where we were completely alone with just our guide - before walking to the busier Deadvlei area.

So his local knowledge and being able to do this was very valuable and gave us a greater sense of the place than we would have got if we had walked the to Deadvlei the same way as the crowds.

The lunch - served on a tablecloth covered table under a beautiful tree, away from the crowds - was excellent and there was plenty to eat and drink.

Definitely worth doing and good value." Read more about this whole safari

"Wonderful day out with first class lunch under a tree in the desert.

Having a guide really brought things to life." Read more about this whole safari

"Lucas was a very informative guide." Read more about this whole safari

"Ineos was our guide to Sossusvlei, he was informative about the desert and its place in the surrounding area. We climbed "Big Daddy" which was amazing.

Lunch was set up outside the park, under a shady tree with Oryx looking on!" Read more about this whole safari

"The full day excursion to the massive sand dunes surrounding Sossusvlei from Hoodia Desert Lodge turned out to be the ideal way to visit Sossusvlei and sourroundings, for many THE most famous Namibian tourist attraction. The huge pans (or vleis) receive water from Tauchab River at rare occasions (not every year), from where it evaporates, creating a surreal landscape in the desert only surpassed by Salvador Dali! We left Hoodia Desert Lodge at 05.30 am to be ready at the Sesriem Gate at 06.00. Our guide D. was very talkative along the whole tour but also very skilled and a remarkable source of information.

1. stop: A small bushman walk in the dunes on the way to Sussosvlei. The main attraction was to see a White Lady spider. In the distance, the balloons hovered along the red sand dunes – impressive sight
2. stop: Dune 40 + 45 at distance. We did not climb, but it seems you can avoid the crowds by choosing dune 40 which opened recently. Go early before it gets too hot!
3. stop: Daniel explained the history and geology of South Western Africa drawing on a sand dune. Very interesting and informative.
4. stop: We climbed red sand dunes and reached Dead Vlei via a less known vlei to the right of Dead Vlei. This turned out to be the perfect way to avoid the crowds using the main track for Dead Vlei
5. stop Lunch at Elin Dune. An “Out of Africa” experience. Tablecloths and cool white wine in the middle of the desert under an acacia tree!

Conclusion, this full day excursion from Hoodia Desert Lodge was the perfect way to explore the area." Read more about this whole safari

"Great fun and taking photos of the dead valley is not to be missed." Read more about this whole safari

"Our Hoodia Sossusvlei excursion with Paulos was just right for us. We were taken up a smaller dune near Big Daddy, which turned out much better for our levels of fitness, and it gave us more time to enjoy our surroundings.

After seeing Sossuvlei and Deadvlei, we were taken to a spot further away from all of the other tourists, to effectively a private setting. We all pitched in to set up a fully kitted out lunch table, to enjoy a lovely lunch in the desert with just the oryx, ostrich, birds and each other for company.

Our small party of 7 plus Paulos was a lovely group which made the experience that much more memorable." Read more about this whole safari

"Lucas was a most excellent and knowledgeable guide on our trip." Read more about this whole safari

"The full day excursion was brilliant and our guide Daniel couldn't do enough for us. The three younger members of our group went up Big Daddy whilst the two oldies climbed a smaller dune under his guidance! He also pointed out and explained a number of features of the local area which we would otherwise have missed. The picnic lunch was very enjoyable!" Read more about this whole safari

"The guided trip to Sossusvlei was memorable. We are fortunate to have visited Sossussvlei twice before, but we have not had such an informative trip.

The guide, Lucas, was extremely knowledgeable and gave us a lengthy explanation of the formation of the dunes using the sand as his blackboard. He identified many tracks, dug up a spider and showed us mice eating flowers on a bush. These were all aspects of life in the desert that we would have missed without his expertise. He was chatty and answered all our questions, which ended up covering a vast variety of aspects of life in Namibia.

The other couple we were with chose to climb Big Daddy, but we didn’t and this caused no problem at all. Lucas made sure both couples understood their route; he advised on the best route for us to Dead Vlei, being unable to walk so well.

Lunch was truely in an 'Out of Africa' style, with plenty of excellent food, and was much enjoyed (we were surprised that beer and wine were included)." Read more about this whole safari