Dead camel-thorn trees stand on a white clay pan under some of the tallest red dunes in the Namib.
About Sossusvlei & Deadvlei
Sossusvlei is a white salt and clay pan in the southern Namib, surrounded by some of the highest dunes on Earth. Many are over 200 m, and “Big Daddy” reaches about 325 m. Iron oxide colours the sand orange to deep red, and the older the dune, the redder it is. The name means roughly “dead-end marsh”: the Tsauchab River runs out here and never reaches the sea. Morning fog drifts in from the Atlantic and brings moisture to oryx, springbok, ostriches and many small desert creatures. Next door lies Deadvlei, below Big Daddy.
Getting there
- Best months
- Not stated
- Nearest airport / gateway
- Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH), Windhoek. It is most of a day's drive from Windhoek to Sesriem, and Sossusvlei is 65 km further.
- Permits & fees
- A Namib-Naukluft park permit is required. Buy it at the park office at Sesriem.
- Sources
- en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Sossusvlei
en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Windhoek
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sossusvlei
Photos of Sossusvlei & Deadvlei
