Namib dunes

Dune 45 is a popular one for climbing, not as easy as it looks with that fine powdery sand. Every morning, all those footsteps are gone again.

Dead vlei (marsh or lake), formed when the Tsauchab River was cut off from the area by encroaching dunes about 900 years ago. All the acacia trees died, leaving their skeletons to populate the dry salt pan.



Not far away, though, is Sossusvlei (meaning "dead end marsh"), which still had quite a bit of water in it from the fall rains, and the waterbirds to go with it.