What is it
It is a clay pan that is surrounded by some of the tallest dunes in the world.
Where is it
Namib Naukluft park, Namibia
Did you know?
Sossusvlei is part of the Namib desert which is the oldest desert in the world (more facts)
A little more on Sossusvlei
Sossusvlei (sometimes written Sossus Vlei) is a salt and clay pan surrounded by high red dunes, located in the southern part of the Namib Desert, in the Namib-Naukluft National Park of Namibia. The name “Sossusvlei” is often used in an extended meaning to refer to the surrounding area (including other neighbouring vleis such as Dead Vlei and other high dunes).
The name “Sossusvlei” is of mixed origin, and roughly means “dead end marsh”. Vlei is the afrikaans word for “marsh”, while “sossus” means “no return” or “dead end”. Sossusvlei owes this name to the fact that it is an endorheic drainage basin (i.e., a drainage basin without outflows) for the ephemeral Tsauchab River.
The two main attractions of Sossusvlei are Dune 45 and Deadvlei.
Deadvlei is another clay pan, about 2 km from Sossusvlei. A notable feature of Deadvlei is that it used to be an oasis with several acacia trees; afterwards, the river that watered the oasis changed its course. The pan is thus punctuated by blackened, dead acacia trees, in vivid contrast to the shiny white of the salty floor of the pan and the intense orange of the dunes. This creates a particularly fascinating and surrealistic landscape, that appears in uncountable pictures and that has been used as a setting for films and videos.
Dune 45 is so called because it lies 45km past Sesriem on the road to Sossusvlei. It is also known as “the most photographed dune in the world”; because of its unusually simple and fascinating shape, and its proximity to the road, that make it convenient for visitors to stop by and take pictures.
