Lake Sossusvlei

Lake Sossusvlei is located on the same clay plateau in the central part of the Namib desert in the Namib Naukluft National Park. The plateau is a stunning natural reserve, in addition to a unique lake known for the highest red sand dunes on the planet.

The name of this area comes from two words: sossus, which means “water collection place”, and vlei, a shallow lake filled with water during the rainy season. The very existence of Lake Sossusvlei is like a miracle - only once every few years the river Tsohab reaches the Namib desert, and in rare moments of rain in the desert, when precipitation is calculated only 10-15 millimeters per year, forms a drainless lake. And then it, like the river itself, disappears without a trace, evaporates under the scorching African sun.

The best time to visit this place is at sunrise or at sunset, when the sun is still relatively soft, the colors are bright and not so hot. However, you can hide from the sun in the shadow of thick thickets of camel thorns, which are found here quite often. In addition, in the vicinity of the lake there is an endemic species of wild melon - tsamka, which serves as the main source of moisture for Bushmen. Oryxes and springboks are also found here.