A red dune above a plain of grass with mountains behind it

Dune · Along the road

Elim Dune

Around 100 metres high, five kilometres past Sesriem gate. The one dune you still reach in morning light if the outer gate only lets you in at sunrise.

Five kilometres, that is all. A red dune rises out of a plain of dry grass, with the mountains standing hazy behind it. The engine ticks as it cools, and nothing else makes a sound. Elim Dune sits closer to Sesriem gate than any other dune and stands around 100 metres high.

Height
about 100 m
Position
nearest dune to the gate
Named after
a farm called Elim

That closeness is the whole point. The outer gate at Sesriem opens at sunrise, so if you sleep outside you cannot get in any earlier. From there it is a good 40 minutes to Dune 45 at kilometre 45 and over an hour to the car park at Sossusvlei, by which time the first light has gone. Five kilometres take you ten minutes.

The name goes back to a farm called Elim that once lay in this area. Beyond that the dune brings no record figures: around 100 metres, no crest you know from postcards, and no source that gives a climbing time. What it does give you is the open plain between the edge of the sand and the Naukluft mountains, ten minutes after the gate opens.

A red dune above a plain of grass with mountains behind it
Grass plain in front, mountains behind. A lot of space for a ten minute drive.
Time needed
ten minutes to drive there, no source gives a climbing time
Cost
covered by the park entry fee
When
at sunrise, if the outer gate is your earliest way in
From Sesriem gate
5 km, 10 minutes

Our tipSleeping outside the gate? Take Elim Dune first thing and drive on to Sossusvlei afterwards. Do it the other way round and you spend the good light behind the wheel.

Elim Dune: frequently asked questions

Where is Elim Dune?

Elim Dune lies five kilometres past Sesriem gate in the Namib Naukluft Park, which makes it the closest dune to the gate. By car it is about ten minutes.

Why is Elim Dune called that?

Elim Dune near Sesriem is named after a former farm called Elim that lay in this part of the desert.

Is Elim Dune worth it if you sleep outside the park?

Yes. Because the outer gate at Sesriem only opens at sunrise, Elim Dune is the one dune you still reach in morning light afterwards. By the time you get to Dune 45 or Sossusvlei the first light has gone.

How high is Elim Dune?

Elim Dune near Sesriem is given as around 100 metres. That keeps it well below Dune 45 and Big Daddy further west along the road.