Which salt and clay pan in the Namib Desert is famous for its red sand dunes? The answer is Sossusvlei.
Sossusvlei is an endorheic salt-and-clay pan in Namibia’s Namib-Naukluft National Park. It lies at the end of the ephemeral Tsauchab River, which rarely carries enough water to reach the pan. When flooding does occur, the water may briefly create a marshy vlei before disappearing into the desert heat.
The surrounding dunes are famous for their intense orange-red color. Iron in the sand oxidizes over time, much like rust, and older dunes generally develop deeper hues. Several dunes rise more than 200 metres; nearby Big Daddy is commonly measured at about 325 metres and is one of the area’s most prominent landmarks.
Sossusvlei is often confused with Deadvlei, the nearby white clay pan photographed with blackened camelthorn trees. Deadvlei is a separate pan, although both belong to the same dramatic landscape. The name combines Nama “sossus,” meaning dead end or no return, with Afrikaans “vlei,” meaning marsh.