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Namibia ~ Namib

NAMIB DESERT

Thought to be the oldest desert in the world (over 55 million years old) and the only true desert in Africa lying south of the equator, the Namib Desert extends from southern Angola to Lüderitz in the South of Namibia, 1570km along coastline and 50-160 km towards the interior with an area of 80,950 km². The Namib Desert’s aridity is due to the combination of coastal air being cooled by the cold waters of the Benguela current (descending and becoming less able to bear water) with hot dry winds from the east that have lost their moisture over the mountains. The hot and cold air currents meet at the coastline, often forming fog with their little remaining water vapour along the coastline – a life-giving source of water for specialist desert-dwelling plants and animals, and a major hazard for sailors whose shipwrecks line the Skeleton Coast.

The flora and flora of the Namib Desert is weird and wonderful, including the ‘living fossil’ plant Welwitschia mirabilis, a relict gymnosperm which has its very own taxonomic group. Very slow-growing, welwitschias can live over 1000 years (the largest estimated at around 2500 years old), collecting moisture from the coastal fog through specially adapted leaves. Wildlife biodiversity is high in reptiles with around 70 species with 25 endemic or near-endemic to the Namib Desert. The wedge-snouted sand lizard, small-scaled sand lizard, web-footed gecko, barking gecko and Namib day gecko all dive beneath the sand when they sense danger. Small rodents include Grant’s golden mole which can swim through the sand dunes, gerbils, the Namaqua dune molerat, the Namib long-eared bat and Angola wing-gland bat which feed on the dune dwelling insects. This is also the home to Peringuey's adder (Namib desert sidewinder) – an ambush hunter that buries itself beneath the sand, with only the eyes and tip of its tail exposed, waiting for prey such as desert lizards. When on the move it has a wonderful side-winding motion to give it purchase on the shifting sand. The Namaqua chameleon is also specially adapted to the desert, digging holes and changing colour throughout the day to help thermoregulation and excreting salt from nasal glands to conserve water. They stalk prey such as beetles, crickets, scorpions and lizards, and are in turn hunted by hawks, eagles and jackals.

Desert insects includes tiny endemic Namib Desert darkling beetles or “fog beetles” which employ various strategies to harvest moisture from the fog including using the fog-basking beetles which use their bodies as fog collectors by assuming the characteristic fog-basking pose, whilst the ‘flying saucer trench beetle’ digs trenches to capture the fog’s moisture to drink.

Larger animals of the Namib include gemsbok (oryx) antelopes which can regulate their body temperature and survive for weeks without drinking, springbok, klipspringer, steenbok and Hartmann’s zebra towards the eastern boundary. Predators include spotted and brown hyena, cheetah, Cape fox, bat-eared fox. Other species are mostly confined to the rivers such as baboon and leopard.

Of the 180 bird species found in the Namib Desert, the most prominent bird found is the ostrich. There are six endemic birds: the dune lark, Benguela long-billed lark, Gray’s lark, bank cormorant, tractrac chat, and Rüppell’s korhaan. As the environment is so harsh, most birds of the Namib are concentrated along the coastline, with hotspots in Walvis Bay and Sandwich Harbour areas.

A strange phenomenon in the Namib Desert is the presence of ‘fairy circles’. Best seen from the air, these denuded circles of grassland of 5-8m average diameter dot the landscape for miles. Fairy circles (also known as 'fairy rings') can be found on the eastern border regions of the desert from southern Angola to the Orange River in the south.  There are several theories about their cause, from the residue of allopathic growth inhibitors by Euphorbia plants, radioactivity, Gods or, indeed, fairies! A more likely explanation seems to be harvester ants or harvester termites which gather vegetable matter from the affected area. However, despite various studies, concrete scientific evidence for any of the theories remains lacking and the mystery remains! Fairy circles last around 100 years before becoming re-colonised by plants.

Mostly impenetrable and uninhabited, permanent settlements in the Namib Desert include Sesriem (near Sossusvlei), Lüderitz, Walvis Bay and Swakopmund. The Namib Desert is mineral-rich and an important area for salt, tungsten and diamond mining.  Protected areas within the Namib Desert include the Namib-Naukluft Park, NamibRand Private Nature Reserve, Dorob National Park and the Skeleton Coast Park. 

NAMIB-NAUKLUFT NATIONAL PARK

One of the largest conservation areas in Africa, approaching 50,000km², the Namib-Naukluft National Park is the place of Namibia’s iconic rusty-red dunes, some up to 300 metres high, together with gravel pans, canyons and mountains making for a truly spectacular setting. The Namib-Naukluft encompasses famous sites such as Sossusvlei, Dead Vlei, Dune 45, Big Daddy, and Sesriem Canyon, as well as rare desert-adapted wildlife and bizarre and wonderful xerophytic plants.

Sossusvlei

Probably the most iconic area of Namibia, Sossusvlei is a (normally) dry pan surrounded by the highest dunes in the Namib Desert, some reaching over 300m tall – some of the highest in the world. The rust-red dunes of bewildering variety of form are magnificent, and their colours particularly striking at sunrise and sunset. The dunes, pans, and mountains together with occasional acacia trees and wildlife such as gemsbok (oryx), ostrich and springbok make this area a photographer’s paradise. On very rare occasions after heavy rain, the Tsauchab River floods into Sossusvlei, creating a temporary inland wetland to the excitement of wildlife, locals and visitors alike. Enormous dunes reflected in water is a sight to behold!

Whilst visiting this area there is the opportunity to climb the 170m tall star dune, Dune 45, not only for the incredible views it offers, but also for the thrill of walking on sand which, 5 million years ago, made its way down the Orange River on the southern border of Namibia with South Africa, to be deposited into the Atlantic Ocean. From there it gradually moved northwards with the Benguela Current, to be washed ashore with the pounding surf before being blown inland, creating the immense dune sea. The high iron content of the particles has meant that as time progressed the oxidisation process turns the sand from a yellowish colour by the coast to the dramatic red of the ancient ‘rusted’ sand beneath your feet at Dune 45. Of course this history continues with the dunes continually evolving with the shifting sand.

Other vleis in the area include !Nara Vlei, Hidden Vlei and Dead Vlei.

Dead Vlei

Normally combined with a visit to Sossusvlei, the nearby Dead Vlei (“Dead Marsh” in English) is a white clay pan surrounded by some of the biggest dunes in the world, such as the imposing Big Daddy dune at around 350 metres tall and a fun challenge to climb! Another classic site in Namibia for photography, Dead Vlei was formed when the Tsauchab River used to flood the area along with Sossusvlei. With this water availability, camelthorn acacia trees were able to grow and survive. However, about 900 years ago, Dead Vlei was cut off from the Tsauchab River valley by sand and silt deposits, parching the soil and causing the trees’ demise. Due to the extreme aridity of the area the remains of the trees have not rotted or petrified but simply stand sentinel as bare black trunks and branches on the white pan of parched clay, with the backdrop of the red dunes – a striking sight indeed.

Sesriem

A small settlement best known for the access point to the Namib-Naukluft National Park and Sossusvlei at Sesriem Gate and for the nearby Sesriem Canyon. There is a fuelling station, shops for general supplies and various campsites and accommodation choices in the area. Some excursions such as hot air ballooning over the dunes departs from Sesriem Gate.

Sesriem Canyon

Geologically very interesting, the Sesriem Canyon, carved through the sedimentary and conglomerate rock by the Tsauchab River over the last 30 million years, is around a kilometre long and 30 metres deep. In fact the name ‘Sesriem’ was given by Afrikaners on the Dorsland Trek, and translates as ‘six belts’ for the number of leather belts or straps (which would normally fasten an ox to the wagon) tied together required for a bucket to reach the water at the bottom of the canyon. Most of the riverbed is normally dry, but there are some permanent pools which were historically an important water source for local people and is now enjoyed by birds, fish and occasionally bathing tourists!

NAMIB-RAND PRIVATE NATURE RESERVE

South of Sossusvlei, the NamibRand is a breathtakingly beautiful private nature reserve on the eastern fringe of the Namib Desert bordering the Namib-Naukluft National Park to the west and the Nubib Mountains to the east. At 172,000 hectares, it is one of the largest private nature reserves in Southern Africa, encompassing a wide variety of habitats including vegetated red-sand dunes, gravel and sandy plains, mountains and inselbergs, together with mysterious fairy circles which extend for miles around. The NamibRand is important for protecting seasonal migration routes for the desert-adapted wildlife. Animals include gemsbok (oryx), springbok, Burchell’s (plains) and Hartmann’s mountain zebra, kudu, giraffe, red hartebeest, blesbok, klipspringer, steenbok, porcupine and baboon. Predators can afford to be shy and elusive in this vast wilderness but include leopard, brown and spotted hyena, black-backed jackal, bat-eared fox, aardwolf, Cape fox, African wildcat, genet and caracal. New species of smaller desert creatures such as rodents, reptiles and invertebrates are continually being added to the species list as research continues. Around 150 species of bird have been noted in the NamibRand reserve, ranging from the large ostrich, to the Ludwig’s bustard, down in size to the little endemic dune lark and many more.

The lodges on the NamibRand are kept intentionally small and, with an expansive area of beautiful wilderness per person (1000 hectares per bed!), the reserve is a nature lovers' paradise. Lodges in the NamibRand include Sossusvlei Desert Lodge in the north of the reserve, properties in the Wolwedans collection further south and there is a fantastic opportunity to hike in the far south NamibRand and sleep under the stars with Tok Tokkie Trails.

Wolwedans

Set within the NamibRand Private Nature Reserve in an area of sublime natural beauty, the lodges of Wolwedans with their outstanding outlooks and top quality guides are rightfully renowned for immersing guests in the full splendour and serenity of this part of the Namibian desert.