After arriving into Windhoek International Airport from O.R. Tambo (Jo'burg) we were one final leg from our destination. Varinka, our pilot for the final flight, met us in the Arrivals lounge. After weighing our luggage (and ourselves) we quickly boarded our Scenic Air Cessna 210 for the 1.5hr flight to &Beyond's Sossusvlei (Sus-sus-vlay) Desert Lodge. As we flew into the valley you could see the lodge spread in a thin line below. 10 private suites extending with the main lodge in the middle. Out in the distance extended the sea of orange sand for which this corner of the world is famous. The scenery was breathtaking. We landed on the private airstrip and were greeted by our personal ranger, Siegfried.

The early morning and early evening light in Namibia is magical. It brings a peace and serenity much missed in today's modern world. Every day I made it a point to experience those moments. You could just sit and stare and think or not. I loved being in the present--a true highlight of my trip.

On the way back to the lodge after a game drive on the 445,000 acre NamibRand Nature Reserve, our ranger Siegfried asked if we wanted to stop, watch the sun go down, and have a true African sundowner. For my brother and I it was a spontaneous gesture, but Siegfried had the moment planned all along. From the back of the truck he pulled out a table and cooler. We snacked on nuts and bilton (beef jerky) while sipping on Johnny Walker and ginger ale. Not a bad life thanks to a thoughtful guide. It's a moment I'll always remember--spending the sunset with my bro in Namibia.

The food at andBeyond's Sossusvlei Desert Lodge is impressive. Combine it with the setting and you are easily in the category of "Most Memorable Meal Ever." Over the course of our days at the lodge we had some of the most incredible meals with locally sourced meats including Springbok and Kudu. The breads and pastas were top notch and I was blown away by the freshness of the produce. There was enough complexity with the dishes to be interesting but they never overdid it. And to top it off, we were surprised on several occasions to have meals in the desert under the shade of a tree or the lights of the stars.

&Beyond's location in NamibRand Nature Reserve is perfectly situated for exclusive access to the concession and a close journey to the massive dunes of Sossusvlei. Pictured here is the lodge's pool at the crack of dawn which overlooks a waterhole and the vastness of the veld. I met more Americans here than at any other location in my travels in Namibia. I made friends with a charming South African couple and we climbed the dunes at daybreak. Afterwards our guide prepared a sinful breakfast on location. You can also quadbike around the dunes of NamibRand, but honestly I chickened out and opted for more safari drives to see the animals.

While traveling with researchers from N/a'an ku sê as we searched for a collared wild cheetah, I noticed the incredible abundance of animals in this region. Large herds of springbok (pictured here), oryx, zebra and ostrich still barely filled the vast open plains of NamibRand. This breathtaking region was recently awarded International Dark Sky Reserve status. See the animals in the day, and the brilliant Southern Cross at night.

One of the world's best photography spots, Deadvlei in Sossusvlei, Namibia, lives up to the hype. Where once a river ran, a drought and blowing sand from dunes covered this artery for life hundreds of years ago, and all that remain are these tree carcasses, begging to be preserved digitally in the photo albums of visiting tourists.

[I lifted the description from Wikipedia. Definitely come here if you're in Namibia. There are quite a few tourists so if you do, come early and go with a proper outfitter, you can have more solitude and an easier time getting in.] Deadvlei is a white clay pan located near the more famous salt pan of Sossusvlei, inside the Namib-Naukluft Park in Namibia. Also written DeadVlei or Dead Vlei, its name means "dead marsh" (from English dead, and Afrikaans vlei, a lake or marsh in a valley between the dunes). The pan also is referred to as "Dooie Vlei" which is the (presumably original) fully Afrikaans name. Dead Vlei has been claimed to be surrounded by the highest sand dunes in the world, the highest reaching 300-400 meters (350m on average, named "Big Daddy" or "Crazy Dune"), which rest on a sandstone terrace. The clay pan was formed after rainfall, when the Tsauchab river flooded, creating temporary shallow pools where the abundance of water allowed camel thorn trees to grow. When the climate changed, drought hit the area, and sand dunes encroached on the pan, which blocked the river from the area. The remaining skeletons of the trees, which are believed to be about 900 years old, are now black because the intense sun has scorched them. Though not petrified, the wood does not decompose because it is so dry.

The Namib Desert is quite possibly one of the most stunning places in the world. The pockets of green bushes that grow out of the vivid orange sand look almost surreal. To avoid the crowds, we set out to Sossusvlei well before sunrise and made it there by around 7am. The sky was the bluest I'd ever seen, the sand a bright orange. With temperatures already hovering around 97F, we climbed one beautiful dune after another. After a little rest at the top of one, I gave in to my impulse of taking my shoes off to feel the cool sand then ran down to the bottom. What an adrenaline rush!

Almost everywhere you look in Namibia, your eyes experience visual delight: beautiful dunes, trees standing dead over hundreds of years, mountains, ocean, and animals, all enveloped in fantastical light. Namibia's topography can be described in one word: stunning, as this photo taken after a sandstorm clearly shows. Visiting Namibia is a trip of a lifetime.

You don't come to the NamibRand to see the "Big 5". You come to experience the vastness and the subtleties. Over the course of a day you'll watch herds of zebra, oryx (pictured), springbok and ostrich roam the grasslands. They move with the wind and it's fascinating to observe their rhythms. If you look close you'll observe ground squirrels and even an owl hiding in the grasses. As night approaches you might spot a bat-eared fox. I never expected to connect with the animals of this place but clearly I did.

This adventure started in the capital of Windhoek, Namibia, where two friends and I rented a 2-wheel drive car and headed west towards the Skeleton Coast. After spending two days there, we took our incompetent rig south. Recent rains made for some interesting river crossings in several dramatic canyons along the way. The car took a severe beating, but we finally arrived at Sossusvlei. This shot was taken shortly after sunrise. Dune 45 is a massive red sand dune in Sossusvlei Park. We ascended it in darkness and were treated to a spectacular desert sunrise. I took this of two other hikers that were farther along, and loved the contrast of light, dark, red, and blue. The hikers give this massive sand sculpture some perspective. There are several ways to reach this inspiring destination. Our route was by no means the quickest or easiest, but did add some incredible adventure. It's best to check local road conditions to decide the best route.

It's 4am when I am brusquely awakened by the vigorous shaking of my tent. Time to get up for our hike up Sossusvlei, the lofty red sand dunes in the southern part of the Namib desert. I am not an earlier riser by habit and very rarely wake up naturally to see the sun creep into the morning sky. So, reluctantly and still half asleep, I slap on some clothes and brush my teeth. After a short drive in the pitch black, we begin our ascent, slogging through sand to the top, still not fully awake. Then we wait. Soon the sky starts to stir. Yellow and red flickers emerge on the horizon, quickly and completely turning our sandy surroundings into a deep crimson red. Spectacular! I'm always a bit skeptical of these early morning touristic awakenings, but this was most definitely a sunrise to remember.

Rise at dawn and watch the colors light up the world's largest dunes like fire. The depth of oranges, greens and golds is astounding. Sossuslvei is located in the southern part of the Namib Desert. The dune pictured here is the largest known as Big Daddy. (I'm not making that up, its really called Big Daddy). I climbed to the top, past the footprints of critters that had run about in the night, scattering before the tourists arrive. When I reached the tip, I slid all the way down, one foot in the front of the other, like skiing. Giggling all the way, over 300m meters to the bottom where the Dead Vlei awaited. The Dead Vlei (so gothic!) is a dry lake bed with a petrified forest of beautiful trees creating surrealist shapes. As the heat rose I knew it was well worth it to be there early! And breakfast was calling me...

Half covered by nightime shadow, half by waking sun, the walk up Dune 45 was magical, and, due to an abundance of rainfall in previous months our red desert scenery was dotted with green

Our overlander truck raced to the Sossusvlei park gate to make the sunrise open. This morning's goal - to walk Namibia's Dune 45 and witness the play of sun and shadows over the awe-inspriring red sand dunes at daybreak. In our hurry we stopped, jumping out to capture this equally breathtaking moment.