Deadvlei is without a doubt one of the most beautiful, photographed hidden gems in Namibia nestled in the midst of the highest dunes of the Namib Naukluft National Park, the largest conservation area in Africa and the fourth largest in the world. The white limestone clay floors and fossilized trees over 900 years old give it an eerie, but peaceful sense of calmness. The name ‘Deadvlei derives from two languages English ‘Dead’ and Afrikaans ‘Vlei’ meaning ‘Lake of Marsh or hollow’. As you clamper over the dunes to the view of Deadsvei, the name really gives you the impression of a ‘lake with dead trees floating’ as the heat rises over the floor giving the area a mirage effect.
The pan was formed when the Tsauchab River that runs nearby flooded an area where the Acacia trees were able to flourish. Between 800-900 years ago, the change in the climate dried this area allowing the dunes to shift (being blow dunes) stopping any water to enter and pass through, which preserved the trees to the state they are today and allowing the floor to set and crack giving it a rippling water effect.
The best time to view Deadsvlei is close to sunrise and sunset; the colours are strong and constantly changing, allowing wonderful photographic opportunities and a cooler more relaxed walk though this desolate terrain.
Join Acacia on an optional desert walk with ‘Sossus on Foot’ in the Namib Naukluft National Park, Namibia. You certainly will not regret it!
Written by: Michelle Lewis