 Landscape
The NamibRand Nature Reserve is situated in the pristine Namib
Desert - a world of immense solitude, wind-sculpted, orange dunes
and jagged mountains. The Namib is know as the "living desert"
because of the diversity of life existing in seemingly inhospitable
conditions. In this dry place, an intriguing array of desert-adapted
animals and plants are nourished by condensation from the sea mists
rising off the distant Atlantic Ocean.
Game drives
This area hosts some animal life unlike that found anywhere else
on earth. Mammals include springbok, Hartmann's zebra, baboon, hartebeest,
Grant's golden mole and the silent dune sentinel, the clown-like
oryx (gemsbok). Local predators to look out for are hyena, cheetah,
jackal, Cape and bat-eared foxes, aardwolf and African wildcat.
Birds
 Over
115 species of birds occur in the area. These include Ostrich, Lappet-faced
Vultures, Black Eagles, Booted Eagles, Martial Eagles and Sociable
Weavers, the haphazard architects of the largest bird nests in the
world
Reptiles & Insects
A dune lizard of interest is the fearsome-looking Namaqua Chameleon,
which grows up to 25cm in length. Several variety of Namib "skink"
(snake-like creatures) may also be seen. Geckos slip over the dunes.
Flora
Green trees like the Quiver, Camelthorn Acacia, Phantom Tree and
Wild Hair Green Tree are among the picturesque vegetation punctuating
the intense colour of the orange desert against the cobalt blue
sky.
Habitats
The
NamibRand Nature Reserve is on the eastern boundary of the Namib-Naukluft
National Park. It is part of the Namib Desert, the oldest and one
of the driest in the world. Its aridity is shaped by the cold Benguela
which captures and condenses humid air that would otherwise be blown
ashore.
Conservation
The NamibRand Nature Reserve has reclaimed 184 000 hectares of
the pristine Namib Desert for conservation and is the largest private
nature reserve in Southern Africa.
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