NamibRand Nature Reserve

About the park

NamibRand was pieced together from old livestock farms from 1984 onwards and now covers more than 215,000 ha of red dunes, sandy and gravel plains, inselbergs and mountains, sharing a 100 km border with Namib-Naukluft National Park and the Nubib Mountains to the east. It pays its way through low-impact tourism, so you visit by booking one of its operators: Wolwedans, Natural Selection's Kwessi Dunes, The Family Hideout, Tok Tokkie Trails for guided desert walking, or Namib Sky for balloon flights. The night sky is the reason many come: in 2012 it became Africa's first International Dark Sky Reserve. Small desert specialists like Grant's golden mole and the Namib dune gecko live alongside the larger game. NaDEET runs environmental education courses here for Namibian school groups.

Highlights

• Stargazing under one of the darkest skies in Africa
• Guided desert walks with Tok Tokkie Trails
• Hot-air balloon flights over the dunes
• Wolwedans dune camps

Good to know

• Over 215,000 ha; 100 km border with Namib-Naukluft National Park
• International Dark Sky Reserve since 2012
• Not-for-profit reserve funded by tourism fees
• Access through its concession lodges, camps and trail operators