The Namib-Naukluft National Park is a 50,000 square kilometre wilderness in the Namib Desert, with shifting terracotta dunes, wide plains, and sparkling savannah bordered in the east by the spectacular Naukluft Mountains.  The Namib is Africa’s largest protected area, as well as one of the best spots on the planet to see absolutely spectacular desert landscapes.  It forms part of the Namib Sand Sea (a UNESCO World Heritage Area), which is the world’s only coastal desert with significant dune fields impacted by fog.

The passage of materials thousands of kilometres from the hinterland, carried by river, ocean current, and wind, forms the desert dunes. Gravel plains, coastal flats, rocky hills, inselbergs inside the sand sea, a coastal lagoon, and ephemeral rivers make for breathtaking scenery. Fog is the site’s principal supply of water, creating a unique environment in which indigenous invertebrates, reptiles, and mammals adapt to a range of microhabitats and ecological niches that change constantly.

From oryx, kudu, giraffe, springbok, black-backed jackals, African wild cats, aardvarks, and leopards to more than 340 species of birds, many reptiles, and some strange-looking welwitschia, the Namib Desert is home to a stunning array of plant and animal life, all of which have adapted to life under a harsh sun with very little water, from oryx, kudu, giraffe,

There are various ways to enjoy the Namib-Naukluft, whether you’re on a short trip and only have time to see Sossusvlei, where you can climb the world’s largest dunes, or you want a more adventurous take on the desert by taking a multi-day 4×4 path or hiking path deep into isolated nature. Regardless matter how you spend your time in the Namib-Naukluft, the desert’s beauty, vastness, and tranquillity will be with you for a long time.