Sossus Oasis Campsite

Our very last camping night was spent at Sossus Oasis Campsite, in Sesreim. This site was conveniently located just outside the gates into Sossusvlei, Namibia’s premier tourist attraction.

Sesreim isn’t close to anything by the way – visitors either come in from the coast (ie. Walvis Bay and Swakopmund) or they drive from Windhoek. The roads to get here are challenging. However, once you arrive, there’s a little bakery/cafe with fresh rolls and pastries and a small grocery shop in the petrol station. There’s also a mechanic if your car has suffered any injuries! All of this is run by the same people who manage the campsite, so check in the same place you’d pay for petrol.

Once you’ve completed check in, you can then drive just past the petrol station to your campsite. The sites are set in a circle, with a pool at the centre. We were allocated site no. 10, which was right next to the road.

The site was raked soft sand, spacious and had a covered area containing a hot water shower, toilet and handbasin. There was also a small counter with a couple of power points, a kitchen sink and a solar powered light. Of course, there was also the all-important firepit and braai/barbecue grill.

The pool at the centre of the site was a short walk from us, and we spent a fair bit of time hanging out in there before sunset. Then, we made a snack run to the servo – which closed at 5:30pm - before returning to our campsite for dinner.

At dusk, a howling wind blew through the campsite causing people to take down their tents. However, by this stage we were pros, and had parked our cars in such a way as to create a windbreak. We’d also pegged down our tent with rocks so weren't we just smug little bugs! 

We weren't nearly so smug later that evening however, as our proximity to the road meant that cars racing down the strip until 10pm (nutters!) caused clouds of dust to blow right through our site.

Our opinion: Excellent campsite with respect to facilities and location. By chance, we were allocated a site close to a noisy, dusty road. If this bothers you, perhaps request sites 1-5, to be away from this road.