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Tsauchab river, the actual flooding of the pan is a relatively rare event, and sometimes several years pass between one flood and the next one. The river is dry most of the year, and even when it is not, it carries relatively little water to the vlei. The vlei is surrounded by high orange-reddish dunes, partially covered by a vegetation comprising grass, bushes, and some trees (mostly of species
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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
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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 reach up to 40 °C. Being situated in the Namib desert, there is a large variation between day and night temperatures.
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vehicles as the metalled road ends and sand begins (the place where the metalled road ends is known as "2x4 parking" as any non-4WD vehicle must stop there). Sossusvlei is a clay pan, of roughly elliptical shape, covered in a crust of salt-rich sand. While the pan has been shaped over time by the
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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
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over many years. The older the dunes, the more intense the reddish colour. These dunes are among the highest in the world; many of them higher than 200 metres, the highest being the one nicknamed Big Daddy, about 325 metres high. The highest dune in the Namib Desert however, Dune 7, is about 388
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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
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The highest and more stable dunes are partially covered with 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
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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
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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.
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The
Sossusvlei area. The Sossusvlei pan proper is the flat ellipse in a lighter shade of color seen behind the dune in the foreground (mostly on its right)
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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
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The
Sossusvlei area forms part of a wider region of the southern Namib Desert with homogeneous features (about 32.000 km²) extending between the
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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
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which has developed a technique for collecting water from the early morning fog with the help of the specially adapted bumps on its back.
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depends on a number of shots of the desert for subtle spiritual commentary. Other movies with scenes shot in
Sossusvlei include
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Big Daddy is the highest dune in the
Sossusvlei area, at about 325 meters. Big Daddy is located past Sossusvlei proper, near
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190:. The name "Sossusvlei" is often used in an extended meaning to refer to the surrounding area (including other neighbouring
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As a consequence of its fascinating and surrealistic landscapes, Sossusvlei is one of the most photographed places in
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Deadvlei is another clay pan, about 2 km from Sossusvlei. A notable feature of Deadvlei is that it used to be an
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Lithified dunes are sand dunes that have solidified to rock and are found in several places in the Sossusvlei area.
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landscape, that appears in innumerable pictures and has been used as a setting for films and videos.
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Sossusvlei is about 66 km past the Sesriem gate. The last 6 km can only be traversed with
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in the Sossusvlei area. It is 4 km from the 2×4 parking, and it is the least visited.
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When dried up, these pans look almost white in color, due to the high concentration of
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in different shades of orange - the colour an indication of a high concentration of
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for "no return" or "dead end". Sossusvlei owes this name to the fact that it is an
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species might be found in the water. Much of the Sossusvlei and Namib fauna is
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and highly adapted to the specific conditions of the Namib, for instance, the
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The name "Sossusvlei" is of mixed origin and roughly means "dead-end marsh".
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that used to be in the area before the National Park was established.
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1309:. Namib Desert (Sesriem): Namibia Weather Network. 20 February 2018
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surrounded by high red dunes, located in the southern part of the
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1307:"Monthly reports / Namib Desert (Reference period 2010−2018)"
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and other high dunes). These landmarks are some of the major
398:. On the rare occasion that the pans flood, several migrant
224:(i.e., a drainage basin without outflows) for the ephemeral
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Traces in the sand, left by insects and other small animals
1011:. It faces another very high dune known as "Big Mama".
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Climate data for Sesriem, Namibia (2010–2017 averages)
49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
1205:genre; one of the most well-known examples is the
16:Salt and clay pan in the Namib Desert, Namibia
8:
1140:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
318:rivers. This area is characterized by high
278:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
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1160:Learn how and when to remove this message
298:Learn how and when to remove this message
109:Learn how and when to remove this message
326:, after being exposed to the process of
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1084:Hiddenvlei (or Hidden Vlei) is another
1332:Santcross, Nick; et al. (2001),
984:Sossusvlei during an occasional flood
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1138:adding citations to reliable sources
276:adding citations to reliable sources
213:word for "marsh", while "sossus" is
47:adding citations to reliable sources
1334:Namibia Handbook: The Travel Guide
14:
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133:Aerial view of Sossusvlei (2017)
23:
355:that enter the desert from the
155:Satellite image of Sossusvlei (
34:needs additional citations for
976:Sossusvlei seen from the dunes
1:
926:. From Sesriem, a 60 km
1420:Namib-Naukluft National Park
1396:travel guide from Wikivoyage
930:leads to Sossusvlei proper.
184:Namib-Naukluft National Park
1336:, Footprint Travel Guides,
1014:Big Daddy is distinct from
685:Mean daily minimum °C (°F)
545:Mean daily maximum °C (°F)
419:Rain is a rare phenomenon.
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1224:The nonverbal documentary
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382:). Bigger animals include
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1207:psychological thriller
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1410:Salt pans of Namibia
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755:Record low °C (°F)
615:Daily mean °C (°F)
408:Namib Desert Beetle
200:visitor attractions
166:(sometimes written
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1193:In popular culture
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996:Vachellia erioloba
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54:Find sources:
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32:This article
30:
26:
21:
20:
1349:
1333:
1311:. Retrieved
1301:
1290:. Retrieved
1288:. Sossusvlei
1286:"Sossusvlei"
1280:
1269:. Retrieved
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1225:
1223:
1209:
1196:
1171:
1156:
1147:
1132:Please help
1120:
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1085:
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963:
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921:
829:mm (inches)
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370:, and small
361:
344:
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270:Please help
258:
204:
202:of Namibia.
191:
180:Namib Desert
167:
163:
162:
145:
105:
96:
86:
79:
72:
65:
58:"Sossusvlei"
53:
41:Please help
36:verification
33:
1371: /
1313:20 February
928:tarmac road
232:Environment
168:Sossus Vlei
1404:Categories
1394:Sossusvlei
1326:References
1292:2012-12-26
1271:2012-12-26
1265:"Deadvlei"
1239:Steel Dawn
1179:Walvis Bay
1175:Swakopmund
1080:Hiddenvlei
1073:camelthorn
1020:Walvis Bay
968:Sossusvlei
392:springboks
364:arthropods
320:sand dunes
288:April 2023
194:s such as
164:Sossusvlei
146:Sossusvlei
69:newspapers
1121:does not
1003:Big Daddy
934:Elim Dune
907:Landmarks
899:Source:
396:ostriches
384:antelopes
374:(such as
328:oxidation
259:does not
219:endorheic
211:Afrikaans
182:, in the
157:Landsat 7
1233:The Fall
1211:The Cell
1181:) or in
1062:Deadvlei
1040:Deadvlei
1032:Deadvlei
1026:Deadvlei
1009:Deadvlei
825:Average
540:(105.1)
535:(104.2)
530:(104.9)
525:(104.2)
520:(101.3)
485:(103.6)
480:(105.1)
386:(mainly
368:reptiles
366:, small
226:Tsauchab
196:Deadvlei
176:clay pan
1227:Samsara
1216:oneiric
1203:fantasy
1187:Sesriem
1142:removed
1127:sources
1102:Tourism
1018:, near
960:Dune 45
954:Dune 45
946:Dune 45
918:Sesriem
912:Sesriem
889:(0.16)
884:(0.03)
879:(0.06)
874:(0.10)
869:(0.05)
864:(0.00)
859:(0.03)
854:(0.52)
849:(0.35)
844:(1.56)
839:(0.63)
834:(0.59)
820:(27.9)
810:(41.4)
805:(39.9)
800:(35.1)
795:(28.8)
790:(27.9)
785:(27.9)
780:(33.1)
775:(42.1)
770:(58.8)
765:(52.0)
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750:(46.2)
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730:(53.6)
725:(47.5)
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715:(46.2)
710:(54.1)
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695:(66.4)
690:(63.0)
680:(72.7)
675:(77.9)
670:(77.4)
665:(75.0)
660:(71.2)
655:(65.1)
650:(62.4)
645:(61.7)
640:(69.3)
635:(74.1)
630:(80.1)
625:(80.1)
620:(77.7)
610:(94.1)
605:(93.4)
600:(92.3)
595:(91.2)
590:(87.3)
585:(82.6)
580:(77.5)
575:(78.3)
570:(84.4)
565:(88.5)
560:(93.6)
555:(94.1)
550:(91.8)
515:(96.4)
510:(85.8)
505:(85.6)
500:(94.5)
495:(98.6)
490:(98.2)
414:Climate
404:endemic
380:jackals
376:rodents
372:mammals
312:Koichab
280:removed
265:sources
228:River.
209:is the
188:Namibia
170:) is a
83:scholar
1340:
1016:Dune 7
924:canyon
894:(4.1)
431:Month
394:) and
388:oryxes
345:vleis.
316:Kuiseb
85:
78:
71:
64:
56:
1246:Notes
1069:oasis
1056:Dead
815:(32)
470:Year
90:JSTOR
76:books
1338:ISBN
1315:2018
1236:and
1177:and
1125:any
1123:cite
1087:vlei
940:farm
852:13.2
842:39.6
837:16.1
832:14.9
818:−2.3
793:−1.8
788:−2.3
783:−2.3
768:14.9
763:11.1
743:15.8
738:15.5
733:13.6
728:12.0
708:12.3
703:15.3
698:20.2
693:19.1
688:17.2
678:22.6
673:25.5
668:25.2
663:23.9
658:21.8
653:18.4
648:16.9
643:16.5
638:20.7
633:23.4
628:26.7
623:26.7
618:25.4
608:34.5
603:34.1
598:33.5
593:32.9
588:30.7
583:28.1
578:25.3
573:25.7
568:29.1
563:31.4
558:34.2
553:34.5
548:33.2
538:40.6
533:40.1
528:40.5
523:40.1
518:38.5
513:35.8
508:29.9
503:29.8
498:34.7
493:37.0
488:36.8
483:39.8
478:40.6
467:Dec
464:Nov
461:Oct
458:Sep
455:Aug
452:Jul
449:Jun
446:May
443:Apr
440:Mar
437:Feb
434:Jan
400:bird
390:and
353:fogs
349:salt
324:iron
314:and
263:any
261:cite
215:Nama
207:Vlei
192:vlei
174:and
172:salt
62:news
1136:by
1060:in
999:).
990:4WD
892:104
887:4.1
882:0.8
877:1.4
872:2.6
867:1.2
862:0.1
857:0.8
847:8.9
808:5.2
803:4.4
798:1.7
778:0.6
773:5.6
758:7.6
748:7.9
723:8.6
718:8.4
713:7.9
378:or
274:by
186:of
45:by
1406::
1254:^
1242:.
1221:.
1022:.
359:.
1317:.
1295:.
1274:.
1163:)
1157:(
1152:)
1148:(
1144:.
1130:.
813:0
301:)
295:(
290:)
286:(
282:.
268:.
159:)
112:)
106:(
101:)
97:(
87:·
80:·
73:·
66:·
39:.
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