Sossusvlei
Sossusvlei, is a large ephemeral pan which is located amidst towering dunes that can reach up to heights of 330 meters. The name Sossusvlei is of mixed origin and roughly means “Dead End Marsh”. The name Sossusvlei owes this name to the fact that it is an endorheic drainage basin. This means that it is a drainage drainage basin without outflows and in specific for the ephemeral Tsauchab River. This area is characterized by high sand dunes in different shades of orange, the gorgeous reddish color is an indication of fairly high levels of iron present as a result of oxidation which has occurred over millions of years. Sossusvlei has a hot desert climate, which temperatures and aridity levels only surpassed by the Atacama Desert. The annual mean average temperature is 24 °C. In winter, the nighttime lows are around 10 °C, while in summer temperatures often reaches up to 40 °C. Being situated in the Namib desert, there is a large variation between day and night temperatures. Rain is an ultra-rare phenomenon here. Access to the Sossusvlei area of the Namib-Naukluft National Park is from the Sesriem gate. From Sesriem, a 60 km road leads to Sossusvlei and Deadvlei. The last 6 km can only be traversed with 4WD vehicles as the dense sand can turn out to be the final resting place for a vehicle which isn’t sending power to all four wheels. While the pan has been shaped over time by the Tsauchab river, the actual flooding of the pan is a relatively rare event, and sometimes several years pass between floods. The Tsauchab river is dry for most of the year, and even when it is not, it carries fairly tame amounts of water to the vlei. Deadvlei is another clay pan located roughly about 2 km from Sossusvlei. The distinct feature of Deadvlei is that it used to be an oasis with a number camelthorn trees, afterwards, the river that watered the oasis changed its course leaving the Camelthorn trees to their doom. The pan is thus punctuated by blackened, dead camelthorn trees, in contrast to the bright white of the salty floor of the pan and the iconic orange of the dunes. This creates a particularly fascinating and seemingly otherworldly landscape. Due to the extremely arid desert conditions these trees have essentially been fossilized and will remain in place for thousands of years to come.
What to expect? like most of Namibia’s iconic destinations, Sossusvlei is absolutely gorgeous in the flesh, the contrasting colors, the vast and desolate location, it all comes together creating an aura of peace and relaxation. Climbing big daddy can be a challenge but the view of deadvlei below is well worth it. Always in the conversation when it comes to planning a Namibian safari, Sossusvlei captures the imagination in a way that not many other places on Earth can.
