Travel Guide Naukluft

The Naukluft section of the Namib-Naukluft Park has been a protected area since 1964. It is a mountainous plateau with steep gorges overlooking the vast expanses of the Namib. Peaks of more than 2,000 m rise from the white and red expanses. Three rivers, sources of life in the desert, originate in the Naukluft mountains: the Tsondab in the north, the Tsams in the west and the Tsauchab in the south. They are generally dry outside of heavy rains, but the passages they have dug to the ocean have allowed the survival of a rich desert flora and fauna. In the heart of these rocky formations, some rivers still let appear their crystalline transparency, forming small basins where it is possible to bathe. The green oases at the bottom of the ravines are the refuge of a varied fauna: shy Hartmann's zebras (of the mountains), kudus, springboks, hares, baboons come to quench their thirst. Cheetahs, leopards and hyenas also inhabit these mountains and, if it is very difficult to see them, their footprints in the sand, near the waterways, betray their passage. Early in the morning or late in the afternoon,klipspringers like to perch on the rocky ridges, while black eagles circle in search of their favorite prey, therock dassie. At the end of the 19th century, the Nama chief Hendrik Witbooi, refusing to submit to German rule, established his base in this natural fort. Numerous tombstones bear witness to the fighting between the Nama and German troops.