Tsau ǁKhaeb National Park

The Sperrgebiet, the forbidden zone, was closed to everyone from 1908 when diamonds were found in the sand, and a century of exclusion left around twenty-six thousand square kilometres of coastal Namib untouched by anything except mining. It became a national park in 2008 but access is still tightly controlled and only permitted with licensed operators. The Bogenfels, a fifty-five-metre natural rock arch standing in the sea, is the best-known feature, along with abandoned mining settlements.

Background

Sperrgebiet is German for "Prohibited Area", and the zone is also known as Diamond Area 1. It runs 320 km along the Atlantic coast from Oranjemund to around 72 kilometres north of Lüderitz and reaches around 100 km inland, three percent of Namibia's land mass. Mining takes place in only five percent of it, and the rest serves as a buffer zone. August Stauch found the first diamond near Grasplatz station in April 1908. The land rises to 1488 metres at its highest point, and Roter Kamm, an impact crater 2.5 kilometres across, lies inside it. Of 776 plant types here, 234 are endemic to southwest Namibia. The national park dates from June 2004.

Source: Wikipedia, "Tsau ǁKhaeb Sperrgebiet National Park"

Highlights

• The Bogenfels - a fifty-five-metre natural rock arch on the coast.
• The abandoned settlements - mining camps left when the diamond fields moved.
• The untouched desert - coastal Namib closed to entry for over a century.
• The succulent flora - a very high concentration of endemic desert plants.

When to go

March to October is the cooler window. Tours run to fixed schedules and must be booked in advance. Fog off the cold current is frequent year round.

What to expect

Independent access is not possible: permits and a licensed guide are required and enforcement is strict. Tours are infrequent and expensive. Much of the park remains closed even to permitted visitors.

Nearby

Luderitz is north, and Kolmanskop is on its edge.

Key facts