Two experiments are performed in order to investigate suspended sediment transport in a turbulent open channel flow. The first experiment used particle image velocimetry (PIV) to measure the fluid velocity with a high spatial resolution, while particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) was used to measure the velocity of individual sediment particles. The sediment particles were injected in the flume close to the free surface at different distances from the measurement section. In this way, the development of a sediment plume towards an equilibrium situation could be studied. The results were compared with direct numerical simulations, in which the particle equation of motion was used to calculate the movement of individual sediment particles. The second experiment used refractive index matching, in order to make the sediment particle invisible. In this way, a PIV experiment could be performed in order to determine changes in the flow and turbulence structure due to high sediment concentrations.