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Sossusvlei and Deadvlei

Countries in the atlas · Africa

Namibia

The most photogenic deserts in the world: the red dunes of Sossusvlei, the waterholes of Etosha and the foggy Skeleton Coast.

Russian passport: visa-free · 90 daysprices ×1.1 vs Russia

Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Sossusvlei and Deadvlei
Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Namib-Naukluft, Namibia · World’s best

Sossusvlei and Deadvlei

Access 3/5 · needs planningJFMAMJJASOND

Sossusvlei has some of the highest dunes in the world, orange-red at sunrise. Deadvlei is a dried-up clay pan where dead acacias have stood for hundreds of years.

The Namib Sand Sea is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park gates open at sunrise, and that is the moment to be there.

Getting there
From Windhoek, 5–6 hours by car on gravel roads to Sesriem; independent travellers drive rented 4x4s here.
Fees and tickets
Since 01.04.2026 entry has cost 280 Namibian dollars per adult and 60 per car.
Why it’s hard
Hundreds of kilometres of gravel roads, heat and almost no phone signal. Go in a 4x4 with spare water and fuel.
Sources (4)
Etosha
Photo: Yathin S Krishnappa · CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Namibia

Etosha

Access 3/5 · needs planningJFMAMJJASOND

Etosha National Park surrounds a salt pan that can be seen from space. In the dry season animals gather at the waterholes, and you can go on safari in your own car.

At the camps inside the park the waterholes are floodlit at night, and black rhinos and elephants come to drink.

Getting there
From Windhoek, about 5 hours by car to Andersson Gate.
Fees and tickets
Since 01.04.2026 entry has cost 280 Namibian dollars per adult and 60 per car.
Why it’s hard
Far and hot; you can drive in the park only in daylight, and places at the park camps are booked up well in advance.
Sources (3)
Skeleton Coast
Photo: Sonse · CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Namibia

Skeleton Coast

Access 4/5 · hardJFMAMJJASOND

The Skeleton Coast is named after the whale bones and the wrecks of ships broken on its foggy shore. A cold current creates the fog, and the dunes run straight down into the ocean.

Cape Cross is home to one of the largest fur seal colonies in the world — tens of thousands of animals.

Getting there
The southern part by car from Swakopmund; the north of the national park only by light aircraft on a tour.
Fees and tickets
Since 01.04.2026 entry has cost 280 Namibian dollars per adult and 60 per car; the north only on fly-in safaris.
Why it’s hard
The north of the park is closed to independent travel — only charter flights and licensed tours. In the south: an empty road, fog and no services at all.
Sources (5)

Before you go

Namibia: entry, safety, money, flights, laws and budget — with sources.

Entry

Russian citizens: visa-free for up to 90 days within 180 days (2021 agreement). Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months after the trip and have 2 blank pages; the immigration card is handed out at the airport.

Rules for any passport

Checked 2 November 2026. These are the rules for a Russian citizen with an international passport on a tourist trip. For other passports and purposes, see the official website — the button above.

Sources (3)

Safety

No Russian Foreign Ministry advice to refrain from travel (as of 02.11.2026). The embassy advises visiting the areas near the border with Angola only in large groups.

Sources (2)

Money and cards

The Mir card does not work. Bring dollars or euros in cash; at petrol stations and lodges people pay by card or in Namibian dollars in cash.

Sources (2)

Flights

There are no direct flights. Connections are via Doha, Dubai, Istanbul, Addis Ababa and Johannesburg.

Sources (1)

Laws and bans

  • Picking up and taking out diamonds and minerals is prohibited; diamond areas are open only with a permit.
  • Hunting without a licence is prohibited, and trophies may be taken out only with a permit.
  • National parks require a paid permit; on the Skeleton Coast, for any part of it.
Sources (3)

Budget

prices ×1.1 vs Russia · price level 0.41 (US = 1), 2025

Prices are slightly higher than in Russia, but getting around and car hire are expensive. Since 01.04.2026, entry to Etosha, Namib-Naukluft and the Skeleton Coast has been 280 Namibian dollars per adult plus 60 per car.

The price level is the ratio of purchasing power parity for household consumption to the market exchange rate (World Bank). These are national averages: resorts and capitals cost more, the countryside less. Flights are not included.

Sources (3)