Here the chaos of primeval forces, there the gentleness and eroticism of the windblown sand. This endless place, seemingly without life – during the day at the mercy of the scorching sun, and at night freezing under the cold wafts of mist, which float inland from the Atlantic, mystically illuminated by a frosty distant moon. It is almost a miracle to find life above and below this deserts hostile surface. Here, plants and animals survive due to the wind, humidity and fog.

The hot winds form the highest sand dunes in the world, true sand mountains, ranging from the eroded riverbed of the Tsauchab along to the mystical place called the Sossusvlei.In the wonderful world of the Sossusvlei, dunes of up to over 300 m high are stretched across the landscape, with sharp contours and smooth sand surfaces looking like majestic, towering Alpine peaks amongst a shimmering pearl ribbon of clay pans.