The orange Sossusvlei sand dunes in Namibia. This is not a painting, it’s a real photo! It looks like a bright orange sky but it’s actually the sand.

This picture looks more like a painting and less like a photograph. In fact what looks like a bright sky that is orange in color, is actually the sand. This is called the Sossusvlei sand dunes. Sossusvlei is a clay and salt pan surrounded all around by red dunes in Namibia. This particular pan is the Deadvlei clay pan. This was an oasis with many acacia trees. But when the river changed its course, the pan was slowly filled with the dead acacia trees. These blackened trees in contrast to the shiny white of salty pans and the intense orange of the dunes, creates this fascinating landscape. No wonder this photograph looks more like a surrealistic painting.