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 Deadvlei and other high dunes), which is one of the major visitor attractions of Namibia.
The name "Sossusvlei" is of
mixed origin and roughly means "dead-end marsh". Vlei is the Afrikaans word for "marsh", while
"sossus" is Nama for
"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 Sossusvlei area belongs to a wider
region of southern Namib with homogeneous features (about 32.000 km²)
extending between rivers Koichab and Kuiseb. This area is characterized by
high sand dunes of vivid pink-to-orange color, an indication of a high
concentration of ironin the sand and consequent oxidation processes. The oldest dunes are
those of a more intense reddish color. These dunes are among the highest in the
world; many of them are above 200 metres, the highest being the one nicknamed
Big Daddy, about 325 metres high, however the highest dune in the Namib Desert,
Dune 7, is about 388 metres high.
The highest and more stable dunes are
partially covered with a relatively rich vegetation, which is mainly watered by
a number of underground and ephemeral rivers that seasonally flood the pans,
creating marshes that are locally known as vlei; when dry, these pans look almost white in color, due to the
high concentration of salt. Another relevant source of water for Sossusvlei is the humidity
brought by the daily morning fogs that enter the desert from
the Atlantic Ocean.
Fauna in the Sossusvlei area is
relatively rich. It mostly comprises small animals that can survive with little
water, including a number of arthropods, small reptiles and small mammalians such as rodents or jackals); bigger animals include antelopes (mainly oryxes and springboks) and ostriches. During the flood season, several
migrant bird species appear along the marshes and rivers. Much of the
Sossusvlei and Namib fauna is endemic and highly adapted to the specific
features of the Namib. Most notably, fog beetles such as the Namib Desert Beetle have developed a technique for collecting water from
early morning fogs through the bumps in their back.
Sesriem
Access to the Sossusvlei area of the
Namib-Naukluft National Park is from the Sesriem gate, which is located in the
surroundings of the eponymous canyon. From Sesriem, a 60 km tarmac road leads
to Sossusvlei proper.
Elim Dune
The Elim Dune is a high and relatively
isolated dune located 5 km past the Sesriem gate, on a branch of the main
road connecting Sesriem to Sossusvlei. The dune takes its name from a farm that used to be in the area before
the National Park was established.
Dune 45
Dune 45 is so called because it lies 45 km past
Sesriem on the road to Sossusvlei. It is 80 meters high and it is composed of
5-million-year-old sands.
Sossusvlei
Sossusvlei is about 66 km past the
Sesriem gate. The last 6 km can only be traversed with 4WD vehicles as the metalled road ends
and sand begins (the place where the metalled road ends is known as "2x4
parking" as any non-4WD vehicle must stop there). Sossusvlei is a clay
pan, of roughly elliptical shape, covered in a crust of salt-rich sand. 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 one
flood and the next one. The river is dry most of the year, and even when it is
not, it carries relatively little water to the vlei. The vlei is surrounded by
high orange-reddish dunes, partially covered by a vegetation comprising grass,
bushes, and some tree (mostly of species Acacia erioloba).
Big Daddy
Big Daddy is the highest dune in the
Sossusvlei area, at about 325 meters. Dune 7 which is the highest dune in
Namibia, not Big Daddy, as it is the seventh dune past the Tsauchab river before dune 45 on the right
hand side toward Sossusvlei. Big Daddy is located past Sossusvlei proper,
near Deadvlei. It faces another very high dune known as "Big
Mama".
Big Daddy is distinct from Dune 7 in Namibia,
near Walvis Bay.
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 acaciatrees; 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 innumerable pictures
and has been used as a setting for films and videos.
Hiddenvlei
Hiddenvlei (or Hidden Vlei) is the third most
famous vlei in the Sossusvlei area. It is 4 km from the
2x4 parking, and it is the least visited.
Petrified dunes
Petrified dunes are sand dunes that have solidified to
rock and are found in several places in the Sossusvlei area.
Tourism
Since Sossusvlei is possibly the
foremost attraction of Namibia, much has been done by the Namibian authorities
to support and facilitate tourism in the area. The asphalt road was built in
the early 2000s (decade) to connect Sesriem and Sossusvlei's 2x4 parking is one
of the very few non-urban metalled roads in Namibia. Numerous places of
accommodation are found along the border of the National Park, between Sesriem
and the nearest settlement, Solitaire. Recently, accommodation has been built
inside the park. It is also possible to take scenic flights over the dunes,
either with small planes (mainly from Swakopmund and Walvis
Bay) or in hot air balloons (departing
from Sesriem in the morning).
In popular culture
As a consequence of its fascinating and
surrealistic landscapes, Sossusvlei is one of the most photographed places
in Subsaharan Africa. The area has been the setting of a number of commercials,
music videos, and movies, especially of the fantasy genre; one of the most well-known
examples is the psychological thriller The Cell (2000), where the Sossusvlei landscape is used to represent
an oneiric virtual reality.
The nonverbal documentary "Samsara" depends on a number of shots of the desert for subtle
spiritual commentary. Other movies with scenes shot in Sossusvlei include
"The Fall" and "Steel
Dawn