Lying on the Sandveld of the West Coast, the river runs past Eendekuil, Het Kruis, and Redelinghuys.

Ensign Johannes Tobias Rhenius saw the lake as "lost" in the reeds in 1724, giving it its name (Afrikaans: verlore, lit.

Around 30 km northwest of Redelinghuys, a marshy lake feeds the river.

[1] The estuary is considered an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area by BirdLife South Africa.

[3] The Verlorevlei river and estuary face threats of it drying up;[4] flow reduction from the construction of illegal dams and polluted water from planned tungsten mining upstream and surrounding farms has degraded the surrounding environment.