What's on in Sossusvlei (Namib), Namibia through the year

Busy — Festive season peak, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  The desert rains

  1 Jan – 31 Mar · usuallyMonsoonRisk

  Rain here is a handful of storms rather than a season, but a big one cuts the Sesriem road, runs the canyon and puts grass on the dune streets within a week. It is also the emptiest the park gets.

• Rule

  The inner gate opens an hour early

  1 Jan – 31 Dec · usuallyClosures

  The outer gate at Sesriem opens at sunrise; the inner gate opens an hour before, and only guests staying inside the fence get through it. That hour is the difference between shooting Deadvlei in low light and arriving with everybody else. Source ↗

Still on: Festive season peak (15 Dec – 5 Jan (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Nature

  Water in the vlei

  1 Feb – 15 Apr · usuallyHigh water

  Every few years the Tsauchab runs far enough to put water into Sossusvlei itself and it stands for weeks. It is not annual and it cannot be planned for; the years it happens, getting down the last stretch is the problem.

Still on: The desert rains (1 Jan – 31 Mar (usually)), The inner gate opens an hour early (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: The desert rains (1 Jan – 31 Mar (usually)), The inner gate opens an hour early (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Water in the vlei (1 Feb – 15 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Nature

  Milky Way over the dunes

  1 Apr – 30 Sep · usuallyDark-sky season

  The reserves either side of the park are among the darkest measured places on earth, and the dry months put the core of the Milky Way overhead on cloudless nights. No lodge here fights it with outdoor lighting.

Still on: The inner gate opens an hour early (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Water in the vlei (1 Feb – 15 Apr (usually))

Busy — The cool dry months, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  The cool dry months

  1 May – 30 Sep · usuallyDry seasonCrowded

  Cold at dawn, warm by ten and cloudless throughout. It is the comfortable half of the year for climbing a dune before breakfast, and the half everybody else has also booked.

Still on: The inner gate opens an hour early (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Milky Way over the dunes (1 Apr – 30 Sep (usually))

Busy — The cool dry months, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: The inner gate opens an hour early (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Milky Way over the dunes (1 Apr – 30 Sep (usually)), The cool dry months (1 May – 30 Sep (usually))

Busy — The cool dry months, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: The inner gate opens an hour early (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Milky Way over the dunes (1 Apr – 30 Sep (usually)), The cool dry months (1 May – 30 Sep (usually))

Busy — The cool dry months, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: The inner gate opens an hour early (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Milky Way over the dunes (1 Apr – 30 Sep (usually)), The cool dry months (1 May – 30 Sep (usually))

Busy — The cool dry months, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: The inner gate opens an hour early (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Milky Way over the dunes (1 Apr – 30 Sep (usually)), The cool dry months (1 May – 30 Sep (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Hazard

  Heat before the rains

  1 Oct – 31 Dec · usuallyExtreme heat

  From October the dunes are unclimbable much after nine in the morning and the walk into Deadvlei is a first-light job or nothing. Carry your own water; there is none between the gate and the vlei. Source ↗

Still on: The inner gate opens an hour early (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: The inner gate opens an hour early (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Heat before the rains (1 Oct – 31 Dec (usually))

Busy — Festive season peak, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Festive season peak

  15 Dec – 5 Jan · usuallyChristmas & New YearCrowdedBook early

  The Sesriem campsite and the handful of lodges within reach of the gate are full over the holidays, in the hottest weeks of the year. The alternative is a two-hour drive in the dark from further out. Source ↗

Still on: The inner gate opens an hour early (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Heat before the rains (1 Oct – 31 Dec (usually))