Namib-Naukluft National Park

Namibia


Welcome to the Namib, the oldest desert on earth and certainly one of the most beautiful and accessible desert regions on the planet. This is sand-dune country par excellence, silent, constantly shifting and ageless, and an undoubted highlight of any visit to Namibia. The epicentre of its appeal is at Sossusvlei, Namibia’s most famous strip of sand, where gargantuan dunes tower more than 300m above the underlying strata.

Elsewhere the land lives up to its name: the Nama word ‘Namib’ inspired the name of the entire country and rather prosaically means ‘vast dry plain’. Then there are the Naukluft Mountains, which are barren and beautiful and filled with an appeal all their own.

The Namib-Naukluft National Park takes in around 23,000 sq km of arid and semi-arid land and protects various areas of vast ecological importance in the Namib and the Naukluft. The park also abuts the NamibRand Nature Reserve, the largest privately owned property in Southern Africa, forming a massive wildlife corridor that promotes migratory movement.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Namibia attractions

1. Elim Dune

5.44 MILES

This often visited red dune, 5km north from the Sesriem Camp Site, can be reached with 2WD vehicles, but also makes a pleasant morning or afternoon walk…

2. Sesriem Canyon

8.31 MILES

The 3km-long, 30m-deep Sesriem Canyon, 4km south of the Sesriem headquarters, was carved by the Tsauchab River through the 15-million-year-old deposits of…

3. Dune 45

24.98 MILES

The most accessible of the large red dunes along the Sossusvlei road is Dune 45, so-called because it’s 45km from Sesriem. It rises over 150m above the…

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