Sossusvlei is a salt and clay pan surrounded by high red dunes, located in the southern part of the Namib Desert, in the Namib-Naukluft National Park of Namibia. 
 
The name "Sossusvlei" is of mixed origin and roughly means "dead-end marsh". Vlei is the Afrikaans word for "marsh", while "sossus" is Nama for "no return" or "dead end". Sossusvlei owes this name to the fact that it is an endorheic drainage basin (i.e., a drainage basin without outflows) for the ephemeral Tsauchab River.
 
The vivid pink-to-orange color in some of the dunes is an indication of a high concentration of iron in the sand and consequent oxidation processes. The oldest dunes are those of a more intense reddish color.
 
Located in Namibia, the Namib Desert is an effortlessly beautiful landscape that shows its age with ancient scars carved into the earth. Unique shapes and patterns form over great lengths of time as the winds whip to transform, shape and move this majestic landscape. The Namib Desert stretches 1,000 miles along the Atlantic coast of Southern Africa making Namibia one of the least densely populated countries in the world, with a population of 2.1 million people.