AGA SZYDLIK: ELEMENTS | SOSSUSVLEI

Namib desert, stark and rugged in its beauty, Surrounded by the striking ancient red dunes, one of the oldest and highest in the world, reaching 300-400 meters and scorched by the sun for thousands of years to a rusty red color.

- AGA SZYDLIK

Namib desert, stark and rugged in its beauty, Surrounded by the striking ancient red dunes, one of the oldest and highest in the world, reaching 300-400 meters and scorched by the sun for thousands of years to a rusty red color.

Sossusvlei pan was formed when the Tsauchab River flooded the desert, and the abundance of water allowed camel thorn trees to grow. However, as the climate changed, the sand dunes encroached on the pan, blocking the river from reaching the area.

The Sossusvlei, also known as the Sossus Vlei, is located in Namibia and is a beige salt-clay pan in the Namib, surrounded by sand dunes, which is only used in rare good rainy years water leads. For a short time, a lake a few centimeters to several meters deep forms in the Vlei at the end of the Tsauchab. Sossus means blind river in the Nama language.

Blind refers to the fact that after heavy rainfall from a mountainous region in the country's interior, it is heading towards the Atlantic flowing river Tsauchab at Sossusvlei in the sand dunes of the Namib coastal desert ends or silts up - about 50 km from the sea. The area is part of the Namib-NaukluftNational Park.

The Sossusvlei has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage of the Namib Sand Sea since June 21, 2013. The entire area, including the surrounding dune landscapes and vleis, is referred to as Sossusvlei.