Sossusvlei

The Sossusvlei is a huge clay pan, enclosed by giant sand dunes, some of the spectacular dunes reach a height of 300 metres, which makes them the highest dunes in the world. It is located in Namibia's Namib-Naukluft National Park and the ancient dunes of the Namib Desert offer the quintessential desert landscape. "Sossus" is from Bushman and Nama origin for "gathering place of water", while "Vlei" is the Afrikaans word for a shallow depression filled with water. Basically "Sossusvlei" is only the name of the huge clay pan covered in a crust of salt-rich sand. But the name is also commonly used in an extended meaning to refer to the surrounding area of the high red dunes and the famous neighboring Dead Vlei. The clay ground of the Sossusvlei is almost always dry. Only after a heavy rainfall, which is a rare event in this area, every ten years in average, does the vlei fill with water. As the clay layers hardly allow any water infiltration, a turquoise lake will remain for quite some time.

The best time to view Sossusvlei is close to sunrise and sunset; the colours are strong and constantly changing and the combination of rusty red sand and clear blue skies makes Sossusvlei, one of the worlds most popular photographic destinations. The gate to Sossusvlei opens at 5:00 in the morning. Since there are no accommodation facilities directly at the dunes, you have to stay in one of the lodges or camps around Sesriem. 45 km past the gate the Dune 45 is situated, also known as one of the most photographed dunes in the world. The dune is 80 meters high and it is not very steep, so that it can easily be climbed.

If possible you should take time for a guided tour, there is surprisingly plenty to see, and it is really interesting to get information about the desert flora and fauna of this area. To watch the sunset it is probably a good idea to visit Dead Vlei and the surrounded dunes. 'Vlei' is the Afrikaans word for a shallow depression filled with water. Dead Vlei is only reachable by 4x4, and from the parking area it is another 1km hike to the Dead Vlei area itself. Many of the images associated with Sossusvlei are actually taken at Deadvlei. Skeletons of camel thorn tree stand in parched pale ground with towering dunes in the background. The trees grew during a time when the Tsauchab River filled the pans in the area. Today the trees are dead but the air is too dry for them to decompose. Blackened by the sun over an estimated 900 years the trees of Deadvlei are a situated close to Sossusvlei and definitely worth the detour. Sossusvlei is a must-see place as the towering red sand and endless sky are a perfect image of desolation that every traveller should experience at least once in his life.