When you look up Namibia in your travel guide, you’ll read about the vast open plains of Etosha National Park, the small seaside resort of Swakopmund with its old colonial buildings, or the red sand dunes surrounding Sossusvlei and Deadvlei. But rarely do you come across an article that explains in detail the different desert environments that make up the south of our beautiful country called Namibia.
Coinciding with the “International Year of Deserts and Desertification”, the Gondwana Desert Collection, in association with Open Africa and other stakeholders, has launched a wide-ranging tourist route through the 4 deserts of Namibia. This aptly named “Four Deserts Route, Namibia” covers all of southern Namibia from the Tropic of Capricorn to the Orange River.
In the east is the Kalahari desert with its red sand dunes that are partially covered with grasses, bushes and old camelthorn trees. Although surface water is a rarity, the Kalahari is home to large numbers of antelope, predators, and a surprising number of birds. The Kalahari Anib Lodge, Bagatelle Game Ranch, and the Intu Africa Game Reserve, to name just a few, lie within the Kalahari’s perimeter and make an ideal stop for the first night on the trail.
The Nama Karoo is characterized by dwarf shrubs and scattered grasslands and has as its distinctive feature the well-known quiver tree. The deep gorges of the Fish River Canyon fall into this desert environment, as do the canyons of the Zebra River. Animals such as the indigenous mountain zebra can be found here. The four properties of Canon; Canon Lodge, Canon Village, Caron Roadhouse and Canon Mountain Camp, as well as Zebra River Lodge, are ideal overnight stops en route through the second wilderness to visit.
Situated around the historic city of Aus and stretching south to Namaqualand in South Africa, the Succulent Karoo is the third desert we will visit on our route. This environment is unique because it receives winter rains and as such has plants specially adapted to survive the dry summer months. This desert is known as one of the most plant diverse in the world and has been listed as one of the world’s 25 global biodiversity ‘hotspots’. After the rains, this seemingly dry and barren landscape turns into a spectacle of color as the different plants bloom. Animal life is reduced to small antelope and rodents, but fascinating enough are the wild desert horses that reside west of Aus. Klein Aus Vista, just west of Aus, offers beautiful bungalow accommodations at Desert Horse Inn and rock chalets at Eagle’s Nest. The newly renovated Bahnhof hotel in Aus also offers a comfortable bed for the weary traveller.
The fourth and last desert on our Route is the best known of all: the Namib desert. This desert consists of a narrow strip along the cold Atlantic Ocean with red dunes (the highest in the world) in the south, gravel plains and inselbergs in the central parts, and blue mountains with deep valleys in the north. The Namib reaches as far north as south of Angola and is home to the prehistoric Welwitschia plant. The fog that arrives from the Atlantic provides the humidity that gives life to plants and animals. The Namib offers a variety of lodges and guest farms for travelers to Sossusvlei and the Namib Naukluft Park. Desert Homestead, Tsauchab River Lodge and Hoodia Desert Camp are just a few of the establishments where guests can spend their last night on the ‘Route of the Four Deserts’.