In August 1979, Namib Naukluft National Park was declared an ecologically protected area. With a total area of 49,800 km², the park was Namibia’s largest protected area at the time.
The park is located on the Atlantic coast and borders the private NamibRand Nature Reserve to the east, Dorob Park to the north, and the Restricted Diamond Area to the south. The park also includes the Naukluft Mountains in the northeast.
Namib, Naukluft, Sesriem/Sossusvlei, and Sandwich Harbour were the four regions that made up the park. Later, more parts of the Restricted Diamond Area were added.
There have been suggestions to expand the park to the South African border if the diamond reserves in the remaining restricted area are used up.
Highlights of the Namib Naukluft Park
The Namib Desert
The Namib is the oldest desert in the world. It covers all of western Namibia, including areas beyond the park. The part of the Namib inside the park is about 500 km long and between 100 and 180 km wide.
The highest dunes in the world, reaching up to 300 meters, are found here.
Sandwich Harbour
Sandwich Harbour is located about 45 kilometers south of Walvis Bay in the northern part of the park. It is a 10-kilometer-long bay or lagoon with reed plants and is surrounded by dunes.
The bay, which can only be reached by 4×4 from Walvis Bay, is home to about 200,000 birds, including pelicans, cormorants, flamingos, and other seabirds.
Sossusvlei, Dead Vlei, and Sesriem
Sossusvlei and Sesriem are some of the main attractions in Namib Naukluft Park. At Sesriem, the Tsauchab River has carved a canyon about 1 kilometer long and 30 meters deep. Around 60 kilometers from Sesriem is Sossusvlei, a salt-clay pan surrounded by dunes.
Most parts of Namib Naukluft Park cannot be visited. Only the areas north of the Kuiseb River, the Naukluft Mountains, and Sossusvlei are open to visitors, out of the 32,000 km² of dune fields.
Since 2010, Namib Naukluft Park has been part of the Namib Skeleton Coast National Park, which is the largest protected area in Namibia and the eighth largest in the world.
This new park was formed by combining the Skeleton Coast Park, Namib Naukluft Park, Dorob National Park, the Restricted Diamond Area, the Fish River Canyon, and the marine reserve Meob-Chamais.
The Namib Skeleton Coast National Park is 1,570 km long and covers the entire Atlantic coast of Namibia, from the northern border with Angola to the southern border with South Africa.
