Sossusvlei

Sossusvlei lies in the southern Namib Desert, inside Namibia’s Namib-Naukluft National Park. Here, huge red dunes surround a flat clay pan, or vlei, where water collects only in rare rainy years. The Namib Sand Sea, which includes this area, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2013.

Giants of sand

The dunes around Sossusvlei are among the tallest in the world. The highest, nicknamed Big Daddy, rises about 325 metres. Dune 45, a smaller dune about 80 metres high, is famous because it is easy to reach and climb from the road.

The deep orange and red colours come from iron in the sand. Over time the iron oxidises, a little like rust, so the redder a dune is, the older it usually is.

Deadvlei

Close by lies Deadvlei, a white clay pan dotted with black, twisted camel thorn trees. Long ago this was an oasis. When the river that fed it changed course, the trees died. Because the air is so dry, they have not rotted away, and they still stand after centuries.

Visiting tips

• Start very early: the light at sunrise is the most beautiful, and the sand is still cool.
• Climbing a big dune is hard work. Walk along the crest, where the sand is firmer.
• Carry plenty of water, a hat and sunscreen. There is almost no shade.

Key facts