Sossusvlei
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Sossusvlei (sometimes written Sossus Vlei) is a
The name "Sossusvlei" is of mixed origin and roughly means "dead-end marsh".
Environment
The Sossusvlei area forms part of a wider region of the southern Namib Desert with homogeneous features (about 32.000 km²) extending between the
The highest and more stable dunes are partially covered with a relatively rich vegetation, which is mainly watered by a number of underground and ephemeral rivers that seasonally flood the pans, creating marshes that are locally known as vleis. When dried up, these pans look almost white in color, due to the high concentration of salt. Another important source of water for Sossusvlei is the moisture from the daily morning fogs that enter the desert from the Atlantic Ocean.
Fauna in the Sossusvlei area is surprisingly rich in variety. It mostly comprises small animals that can survive with little water, including a number of
Climate
Sossusvlei has a hot desert climate. The annual mean average temperature is 24 °C. In winter, the nighttime lows are around 10 °C, while in summer temperatures often reaches up to 40 °C. Being situated in the Namib desert, there is a large variation between day and night temperatures. Rain is a rare phenomenon.
Climate data for Sesriem, Namibia (2010–2017 averages) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 40.6 (105.1) |
39.8 (103.6) |
36.8 (98.2) |
37.0 (98.6) |
34.7 (94.5) |
29.8 (85.6) |
29.9 (85.8) |
35.8 (96.4) |
38.5 (101.3) |
40.1 (104.2) |
40.5 (104.9) |
40.1 (104.2) |
40.6 (105.1) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 33.2 (91.8) |
34.5 (94.1) |
34.2 (93.6) |
31.4 (88.5) |
29.1 (84.4) |
25.7 (78.3) |
25.3 (77.5) |
28.1 (82.6) |
30.7 (87.3) |
32.9 (91.2) |
33.5 (92.3) |
34.1 (93.4) |
34.5 (94.1) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 25.4 (77.7) |
26.7 (80.1) |
26.7 (80.1) |
23.4 (74.1) |
20.7 (69.3) |
16.5 (61.7) |
16.9 (62.4) |
18.4 (65.1) |
21.8 (71.2) |
23.9 (75.0) |
25.2 (77.4) |
25.5 (77.9) |
22.6 (72.7) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 17.2 (63.0) |
19.1 (66.4) |
20.2 (68.4) |
15.3 (59.5) |
12.3 (54.1) |
7.9 (46.2) |
8.4 (47.1) |
8.6 (47.5) |
12.0 (53.6) |
13.6 (56.5) |
15.5 (59.9) |
15.8 (60.4) |
7.9 (46.2) |
Record low °C (°F) | 7.6 (45.7) |
11.1 (52.0) |
14.9 (58.8) |
5.6 (42.1) |
0.6 (33.1) |
−2.3 (27.9) |
−2.3 (27.9) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
1.7 (35.1) |
4.4 (39.9) |
5.2 (41.4) |
0 (32) |
−2.3 (27.9) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 14.9 (0.59) |
16.1 (0.63) |
39.6 (1.56) |
8.9 (0.35) |
13.2 (0.52) |
0.8 (0.03) |
0.1 (0.00) |
1.2 (0.05) |
2.6 (0.10) |
1.4 (0.06) |
0.8 (0.03) |
4.1 (0.16) |
104 (4.1) |
Source: [3] |
Landmarks
Sesriem
Access to the Sossusvlei area of the Namib-Naukluft National Park is from the Sesriem gate, which is located in the surroundings of the eponymous canyon. From Sesriem, a 60 km tarmac road leads to Sossusvlei proper.
Elim Dune
The Elim Dune is a high and relatively isolated dune located 5 km past the Sesriem gate, on a branch of the main road connecting Sesriem to Sossusvlei. The dune takes its name from a farm that used to be in the area before the National Park was established.
Dune 45
Dune 45 is so called because it lies 45 km past Sesriem on the road to Sossusvlei. It is 80 meters high and it is composed of 5-million-year-old sands.
Sossusvlei
Sossusvlei is about 66 km past the Sesriem gate. The last 6 km can only be traversed with
Big Daddy
Big Daddy is the highest dune in the Sossusvlei area, at about 325 meters. Big Daddy is located past Sossusvlei proper, near Deadvlei. It faces another very high dune known as "Big Mama".
Big Daddy is distinct from Dune 7, near Walvis Bay.
Deadvlei
Deadvlei is another clay pan, about 2 km from Sossusvlei. A notable feature of Deadvlei is that it used to be an oasis with several camelthorn trees; afterwards, the river that watered the oasis changed its course. The pan is thus punctuated by blackened, dead camelthorn trees, in vivid contrast to the shiny white of the salty floor of the pan and the intense orange of the dunes. This creates a particularly fascinating and surrealistic landscape, that appears in innumerable pictures and has been used as a setting for films and videos.
Hiddenvlei
Hiddenvlei (or Hidden Vlei) is another vlei in the Sossusvlei area. It is 4 km from the 2×4 parking, and it is the least visited.
Petrified dunes
Petrified dunes are sand dunes that have solidified to rock and are found in several places in the Sossusvlei area.
Tourism
Since Sossusvlei is possibly the foremost attraction of Namibia, much has been done by the Namibian authorities to support and facilitate tourism in the area. The asphalt road was built in the early 2000s (decade) to connect Sesriem and Sossusvlei's 2x4 parking is one of the very few non-urban metalled roads in Namibia. Numerous places of accommodation are found along the border of the National Park, between Sesriem and the nearest settlement, Solitaire. Recently, accommodation has been built inside the park. It is also possible to take scenic flights over the dunes, either with small planes (mainly from Swakopmund and Walvis Bay) or in hot air balloons (departing from Sesriem in the morning).
In popular culture
As a consequence of its fascinating and surrealistic landscapes, Sossusvlei is one of the most photographed places in
The nonverbal documentary Samsara depends on a number of shots of the desert for subtle spiritual commentary. Other movies with scenes shot in Sossusvlei include The Fall and Steel Dawn.[1]
Notes
- ^ a b c "Deadvlei". Atlasobscura.com. Retrieved 2012-12-26.
- ^ "Sossusvlei". Sossusvlei. Retrieved 2012-12-26.
- ^ "Monthly reports / Namib Desert (Reference period 2010−2018)". Namib Desert (Sesriem): Namibia Weather Network. 20 February 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
References
- Santcross, Nick; et al. (2001), Namibia Handbook: The Travel Guide, Footprint Travel Guides, ISBN 1-900949-91-1
24°44′23.39″S 15°17′15.54″E / 24.7398306°S 15.2876500°E
External links
- Sossusvlei travel guide from Wikivoyage