A wide gravel plain in morning light with a dune ridge behind it and long shadows

Around Sossusvlei · Within reach

Sesriem

Not a village, a junction with a barrier. At Sesriem everything hangs on the gate, the fuel pump and the three places behind it.

Half past four, and the gravel apron in front of the barrier is filling up. Parking lights, engines idling, someone spreading a map across a bonnet. Sesriem is not a place you arrive at. It is a junction with a gate, and everything you came for lies on the other side of it.

Tar road to Sossusvlei
60 km
To Sesriem Canyon
4 km
At the outer gate
Fuel
Inside the gate
Three places

The name is Afrikaans for six straps. Early settlers, the Dorsland trekkers, knotted six strips of oryx hide together to reach the water down in the gorge. That gorge sits about four kilometres away. From the gate it is 60 kilometres of tar to the car park before Sossusvlei, then five kilometres of deep sand.

What you find here: a filling station at the outer gate, a shop, the permit office, the Namibia Wildlife Resorts campsite and lodges. Three places lie inside the outer gate, Sesriem Campsite, Sossus Dune Lodge and Dead Valley Lodge. What you do not find: a supermarket. The nearest grocery shop named by the sources is in Solitaire, 85 kilometres north, and mobile coverage at Sesriem is nothing to count on.

A wide gravel plain in morning light with a dune ridge behind it and long shadows
This is what the country around Sesriem looks like once the barrier is behind you.
Time needed
ten minutes as a stop, two nights as a base
Cost
park entry is paid at the gate, the rates are in the section on costs
When
before sunrise, if the dunes are your morning plan
From Sesriem
right there

Our tipFill the tank at Sesriem before you drive into the park, and buy water for the whole day. There is nothing between the gate and the pan, and the round trip adds up to a good 130 kilometres including the walk.

Sesriem: frequently asked questions

What does the name Sesriem mean?

Sesriem is Afrikaans for six straps. Early settlers had to knot six strips of oryx hide together to reach the water at the bottom of Sesriem Canyon.

Is there a filling station at Sesriem?

Yes, Sesriem has a filling station right at the outer park gate. The next one is in Solitaire, about 85 kilometres to the north.

Can you buy groceries at Sesriem?

Sesriem has a shop at the gate but no supermarket. The nearest grocery shop named by the sources is in Solitaire, about 85 kilometres north.

How far is Sossusvlei from Sesriem?

From Sesriem gate to the car park before Sossusvlei it is 60 kilometres of tar road, followed by five kilometres of deep sand. Deadvlei itself is reached only on foot, a good kilometre across low dunes.