This has to be one of the most sought after early morning photographic shots in the world, however its pretty difficult to shoot if you are travelling on a budget. The Park is closed until sunrise and staying in the park is expensive and usually fully booked for months in advance. Consequently I had to stay some 90 minutes drive away. Up at 3am, I joined everyone queuing in their cars outside the park waiting for the ranger, (who sits watching the sun emerge rom behind the hills behind) to open the park gates. Once open, there is an 80 km drive towards Sossusvlei which is the closest experience to a car rally I have witnessed. At the end of the tarmac road you have the choice to either walk the final 8 kms over the sand tracks or wait for the 4x4 public bus (meaning you will no doubt miss the colours of the sunrise). I was therefore exhausted when I finally reached the Dead Lake of Sossusvlei with its erie tree stumps. However I did see the final moments of the famous glowing red dunes just before the sun reached a height that stopped this effect. I took several shots of which this is one.