The surreal Deadvlei is a white clay pan in the world’s oldest desert, the Namib, and was formed aeons ago when the Tsauchab River flooded and created pools of abundant water. The camel thorn trees that grew here eventually died around 700 years ago when sand dunes, considered some of the world’s highest, moved in closer and blocked the river flow. The strong desert sun over hundreds of years has turned the tree skeletons dark and the extreme dry climate has prevented decomposition.