Untamed Views / 14 September, 2005
Millenial Forest
Dead Vlei | The ancient tree skeletons of the Namib desert
Many years ago when the River Tsauchab still flowed nearby, torrential rains created a small lake surrounded by abundant vegetation. With the passage of time the climate became much hotter and more arid, the lake evaporated, taking away the only source of life, and the sand dunes encroached. More than 900 years later the desiccated skeletons of trees known as 'Camel Thorn' are all that remain. With rotting impeded by the extremely dry conditions, this ghostly location takes on a life of its own when night falls over this millenial cemetery.
Dead Vlei
24°45'31" S | 15°17'23" E
Namib-Naukluft National Park, Namibia