The Namib is often called the oldest desert in the world — it has been arid for tens of millions of years — and the Namib Sand Sea is its heart: more than three million hectares of dunes, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013. Nowhere is it more spectacular than around Sandwich Harbour, where dunes more than 100 metres high end abruptly in the crashing surf of the Atlantic.
On a 4x4 tour you drive up, along and over these dunes — a roller-coaster ride of steep slip faces and knife-edge crests — before stopping on the summits for views that seem to belong to another planet: golden sand on one side, cold blue ocean on the other, and nothing but sky above.
Top things to do at Where the Dunes Meet the Ocean
Ride the “dune roller-coaster”
Expert guides let the vehicle slide down steep slip faces and crest ridge after ridge. It is exhilarating but safe in experienced hands.
Try sandboarding
Some tours include boards so you can slide down the soft slopes on your stomach or standing up.
Spot desert wildlife
Oryx, springbok, black-backed jackals and even brown hyenas roam the dune belt; smaller residents include geckos, lizards and the dancing white lady spider.
Photograph the dune textures
Ripples, knife-edge crests and long shadows are at their best in the morning and late afternoon.
Best tours that visit Where the Dunes Meet the Ocean
These top-rated GetYourGuide experiences are the easiest way to see Where the Dunes Meet the Ocean:
