This magnificent desert wilderness of vast, rust-coloured sand dunes, clay pans and petrified forests lies in the Namib-Naukluft Park. Formed over countless centuries, some of the dunes measure up to 300 metres in height and are among the highest in the world. In the rare event of an especially wet rainy season, the ‘vlei’ – meaning marsh or wetland – of Sossusvlei fills up with water, and its glistening surface forms a strikingly beautiful contrast with the reddish dunes.