Namibia Part 2: A Forest Frozen in Time

August 23, 2013

Deadvlei: Dead Marsh

The story behind this eerie place is that once upon a time the Tsauchab River flowed through this area and these Acacia trees thrived. However; some 900 years ago with climate change the river diverted course, leaving this place high and dry (quite literally), and the water source became a dried up clay pan. The trees could no longer survive, but as a result of the dry desert climate the wood does not decompose and the dead trees remain standing and burnt from the scorching sun. 

When I first realized this place was in Namibia (I had definitely seen photos of it in National Geographic or in a movie or something at some point but had no idea where it was), it immediately made our list; it qualified as incredibly interesting and sufficiently out-of-the-way to make it a place you have to work to get to. Something about it really intrigued me. 

Adding to the eeriness of this place is the fact that it is so quiet and tucked away behind some of the highest sand dunes on earth (over 1000 feet). When we stood on the pan, we could have been thousands of miles from the nearest person. It felt an eternity away from everything.

It was a dream for the shutterbug in me (to experiment at least), and we spent an afternoon here and also returned the next day at sunrise to catch the first morning light on this sacred (and equally hellish) place. 

Something about the contrast of this place makes it seem fake to me (I promise it wasn't)

Seeing the vlei for the first time and walking out onto the pan

All the trees in the vlei were so different- as if they were caught mid-action when they died

In case there was any doubt, this only took us about 10 attempts...

Two lone trees in the far corner of the vlei that caught my eye

Big Daddy dune standing watch over Deadvlei

The sky was the most electric blue I have ever seen, and I struggled to capture the reality of it (this shot is about as close as I could get)

Taking our time at the vlei: we brought beer/cider with us (and you thought we just had water in the backpack); it was a nice way to spend a bit more time here. I thought it would be a good idea to hike up one of the really steep dunes at the back of the vlei. Fail. M was happy to be back on solid clay and heading back the way we came (opposite the big steep dune). We did climb several dunes later on, but learned to climb the ridge rather than the slope.