We decided to take advantage of the lodge's offer of a guided trip into the vlei. This saves us from having to drive in the dark and through the deep sand at the end of the paved road. We also don't have to find our way or worry about breakfast.

Thanks to this arrangement, we meet our guide and a nice couple from America on time at just before five in the morning; this is the whole travel group. Ignoring all speed limits, we quickly reach the "Big Daddy" dune, one of the largest dunes in the Namib, right next to the Deadvlei with its famous dead trees.

With the first light of day, we start our climb up the dune and are actually the only people in the area for over an hour. Booking the trip was worth it for this reason alone, as we would never have been able to get this far on our own. So we enjoy the first rays of sun - albeit under a cloudy sky - on the Big Daddy and can explore Deadvlei in a relaxed manner.

There had been a light thunderstorm during the night and a few drops of rain actually fell during our breakfast in Sossusvlei. This is something very unusual and often doesn't happen for years. It's not a problem either, because the rain is warm, the wind is warm and the clouds keep the otherwise unbearable heat of the desert at bay. This means we can spend plenty of time in the vleis and also enjoy Dune 45 on the way back to the lodge.

Once there, we decided to visit the Sesriem Canyon. This canyon was the only available source of water, even if there were only a few brackish puddles. To reach the bottom of this canyon and thus the water, the settlers had to tie six straps of the ox carts together; hence the name "Sesriem".

After a well-deserved nap, we spend some time at the pool before meeting up with our new friends. An orchid visits us at the waterhole for a sundowner and we all enjoy the eventful day together.