After a sunrise near dune 45, a typical activity to to cross the Sossusvlei high sand dunes until Deadvlei, the Dead Lake and its dead trees. Here are some pictures of my 3 hours walk in this incredible orange landscape.
Navigate back to the complete Namibia Travel Guide
INFO & PLANNING TIPS - SOSSUSVLEI AND DEADVLEI
Situated in the the Namib-Naukluft National Park, Sossusvlei is Namibia’s most famous attraction. It is a large, white, salt and clay pan surrounded by large red dunes. The dunes in this area are some of the highest in the world, reaching almost 400 meters. Despite the harsh desert conditions, you can still find a variety of plants and animals that have adapted to survive.
In the area of Sossusvlei, you can also find Deadvlei, also known as the Dead Lake, a white clay pan surrounded by high sand dunes and dotted with dark dead thorn trees estimated to be approximately 900 years old. The pan was formed when the Tsauchab River flooded, creating shallw pools allowing trees to grow. But when the climate changed and dunes took over, the river was blocked. The dry climate
TIPS FOR TRAVEL PLANNING ADDICTS - Deadvlei
Getting to Deadvlei
- 68 km from the Sesriem gate. The last 6km can only be driven by 4WD.
Visiting Deadvlei
- The 3 hour walk to cover the last 6km organized as part of my 2 week tour of Namibia was great but exhausting. There is not shade and you are walking in the sand the whole way
- Jeep shuttles do a circuit (for a fee of N$100 – 110 per person return) and stops at different points including 1km from Deadvlei. This last part include some walk going up and some going down (20m height I think, but remember it is sand!)
- Be sure to take plenty of water.
WALK AMONG THE SAND DUNES
So we did a 3 hour nature walk between the sand dunes of the Sossusvlei area during which our guide explained us some plants and showed us tracks of animals. We had time to take it all in, admire each dunes from all angles. Walking in the sand was a more difficult but a more rewarding way of reaching the dead Lake than the jeeps.
And sometimes you get lucky… a Springbok arrived right between the trees just as you clicked
If you want to see more pictures of those sand dunes, you can check Erika's Travels article about Namibia's Great Sand Sea.
DEADVLEI: The dead lake
At the end, even if you arrive by jeep, you have to climb a little bit before discovering this surreal scenery of the ‘lake’ and dead treas in the middle of the desert
Look at the contrast between the salty floor of the pan, the intense orange of the dunes and the deep blue of the sky!
Deadvlei is one of my top 5 places to visit in Namibia.
I was so tired I sadly do not have many pictures of those amazing dark trees contrasting with the orange sand dunes, the white pan and the deep blue sky. For more amazing pictures of Deadvlei check out this Huffington post's article on the most beautiful 'dead' place.
Want to see MORE of NAMIBIA?
Discover more things to do with photos and planning information in my online Namibia Travel Guide.
Incredible landscapes, don't you think?
