Namib Naukluft National Park | fly in safari | Namibie
Namib Naukluft Park is without a doubt one of Namibia's best highlights. The picturesque Sesriem Canyon and Sossusvlei, which are famed for having the world's highest sand dunes, offer commanding views across this desert region. These are particularly stunning at sunrise and sunset.
In Nama, Namib means 'vast' and when you see Namib Naukluft Park, you'll get the feeling that this designation is somewhat of an understatement. Covering an area of 50.000 km2, Namib Naukluft Park is the largest nature reserve in Namibia and of the largest in the world. The park contains very different landscapes: a lagoon on the 'wet side' where the river spills down into Sandwich Harbour, flat stone plains in the north of the park that resemble moon landscapes, and the purple mountains and rock basins of the Naukluft mountain range, where wild animals come to drink following rainfall.
Namib Naukluft Park's fame, however, is due in particular to its ochre-coloured dunes, which turn an orangey red colour at sunrise and sunset. Geologists suspect that the desert that dominates the largest part of Namib Naukluft Park is the oldest in the world. The older the sand dune, the brighter the colour; a phenomenon that is caused by gradual oxidisation and zillions of tiny garnet grains.
Somewhat less famous, yet certainly no less worthy of a visit, is the region around the Tropic of Capricorn, where the Kuiseb Canyon traverses the desolate landscape.
At 300 metres, the mighty Sossusvlei Dunes are the highest in the world. Luck might lead you to happen across the odd gemsbok lurking behind an acacia bush in this overwhelming and infinitely empty environment, whose spiral shaped horns are guaranteed to bring unicorns to mind.
Besides this, you will be completely isolated and your footsteps will pale into insignificance. Around a kilometre from Sossusvlei lies Dead Vlei, which is a dried up lake bed that has left a salty flat.
Around four kilometres from Sossusvlei lies Sesriem Canyon and a beautiful walking trail. From here, you can descend down into a gorge and, if the water is high enough, swim in the muddy basins among the fish. The considerable depth of the gorge prevents the water from ever evaporating entirely. The gorge was an important watering place for the first settlers and travellers, and Sesriem is Afrikaans for 'six belts', referring to the number of leather belts these people had to attach together in order to reach buckets down into the canyon to scoop up water.
