Sossusvlei

The dunes of Sossusvlei

Situated in the Namib-Naukluft Park, the dunes of Sossusvlei are one of Namibia’s most spectacular sights. No matter how many pictures you have seen of these colossal forms, seeing them with your own eyes is a wonderful experience.

Sunrise and sunset are definitely the best times to see this beautiful landscape. The dunes look even more magnificent as the enormous shadows accentuate their troughs and peaks and their amazing terracotta hues intensify. They are positively mountainous in their dimensions as they tower several hundred feet above the valley floor.

The geography behind them

The Namib sand dunes are dynamic; that is, they are constantly shifting with the wind. The breeze displaces sand from the crest, sending it falling down the slipface hence perpetuating the continually changing shapes and contours.
The various shapes of dunes are results of different wind patterns and there are several distinctive types;

• Transverse dunes are long and linear with the crest perpendicular to the prevailing winds, such as the dunes around Walvis Bay.
• In the area around Sossusvlei parabolic dunes prevail, a result of variable wind patterns. Being the most stable, they are also the most vegetated.
• Star dunes have multiple ridges, their eponymous form created by the forces of multi-directional winds.
• Lastly, there are barchan dunes which are formed by unidirectional winds and are the most mobile of all the dunes. These can be found in the southern part of the Skeleton Coast Park, and fitting to the sometimes sinister characterisation of this bit of coastline, they are slowly swallowing the ghost town of Kolkmanskop.

With thanks to Dana Allen and Wilderness Safaris for the photographs