Africa. Namibia. Namib Desert - Sossusvlei

Writes Alexander Savchenko: The Sossusvlei Plateau is the most visited part of the desert by travelers, which is part of the Namib Naukluft National Park. There is practically no vegetation here, the most common plant is camel acacia. Sossusvlei is the kingdom of sand and dry lakes. At this point, the waters of the Tsauchad River dry up in anticipation of the rainy season. The name of this area comes from two words: sossus, which means "water collection place", and vlei - a shallow lake filled with water during the rainy season. After seasonal rains, the water in these small lakes is stored for several months and then evaporates.

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Source: Journal/savchenko-alex

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3. In the heart of Sossusvlei is the Dead Lake (The Dead Vlei). Skeletons of trees sticking out around the lake have 800 years of history. The dry air of the desert helps the trees to survive for so long - there is not enough moisture for decomposition. The temperature of the sand in these places on a good sunny day can reach 75'C.

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15. Sand dunes are one of the main attractions of Sossusway - approximately 90% of them are made up of quartz sand. On some of them, places with sand of darker reddish-black shades are noticeable. Interestingly, the sands appeared here thanks to the east winds that brought them here from the central part of eastern Namibia. Some grains of sand are coated with iron oxide, which gives them their characteristic red color. In some parts of Sossusvlei there are two-tone red-yellow dunes.

16. These are the desert landscapes you can see in Sossusvlei…

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