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.

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.

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Zebra

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.

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Vultures

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.

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Chameleons

Busy, often burrowing insects such as tok-tokkies and sunspiders scuttle across the desert floor. There are various scorpions as well as a range of beetles.

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.

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.

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.