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Sossusvlei

Sossusvlei / Sesriem
Namib Naukluft Park


Springbok near SossusvleiThe Sossusvlei, Namibia's famous highlight in the heart of the Namib Desert, is a huge clay pan, enclosed by giant sand dunes. Some of the spectacular hills of sand are, at a height of 300 metres, the highest in the world. Only after a heavy rainfall, which is a rare event in this area, 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 dunes of the Namib desert have developed over a period of many millions of years. It is thought that the vast quantities of sand were deposited into the Alantic Ocean by the Orange river. This material was subsequently moved northwards by the Benguela current to be dumped back onto the land by the surf.

Sossusvlei DuneThe coastal dunes developed as a result of this and were shifted further and further inland by the wind. Wind continuously reshapes the patterns of the huge dunes of the Namib desert. It timelessly forces the grains of sand on the flat windward slope upwards to the crest of the dune. Here they fall down in the wind shade. The leeward slope is therefore always considerably steeper than the windward side.

More information and accommodation for Sossusvlei and Namib Naukluft Park on the Info page.
Sossusvlei 1986
Right: The world's highest dunes in the afternoon sun.
Top left: Springbok on a dune.
Bottom left: The Sossusvlei filled with water, which only occurrs once every 10 years.

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