October 12: Sossusvlei & Deadvlei

We entered Namib-Naukluft National Park and were immediately blown away by the expansive red sand dunes that line either side of the paved road. The Namibian government has done an excellent job of preserving this national treasure.   Our first stop was to Sossusvlei, which required a 2.5 km walk to the extraordinary sight of dunes surrounding a dried out water bed with white floor and petrified trees.  According to Google, “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."  

Deadvlei, a white clay  pan,  provided similar spectacular views but with a more extensive white floor bed and blackened trees. This area was formed over 900 years ago when the dunes cut off Deadvlei from the river.  The trees didn’t stand a chance and were scorched to their black color. Its name literally means “dead marsh.”