Background Information

Sossusvlei is one of the most remarkable sights in the Namib-Naukluft Park and the Namib Desert. Huge towering dunes, said to be the highest in the world, rise dramatically over 1000 feet above the surrounding plains at Sossusvlei, a huge pan set amid red sand dunes. The spectacle of changing colors and the lonely oryx silhouetted against the red dunes is one which visitors and photographers from around the world come to savor and capture on film. At any time of the year you may observe gemsbok and ostrich wandering over the sand. This vast expanse of dunes stretches from the Khoichab River in the south to the Kuiseb River in the north. It’s likely that this sand originated in the Kalahari between three and five million years ago. Although it’s certainly a workout, the best way to get a feeling for this sea of sand is to climb one of the dunes and have a look around.