Naukluft Namibia Hiking Trail: 8 Days Through Wonderful Desolation

Imagine a place so remote that you don’t see another human being for days. Imagine a trail through desolate valleys, mountains, and large flat plains of sand, rocks, and clumps of dry grass. The Naukluft Hiking Trail in Namibia takes you through there.

It all begins in an old house perched on top of a small hill in what is known as the Namib-Naukluft Park in southwestern Namibia. Hikers Haven is the base camp for this amazing trail. Here you can enjoy a last beer, grilled steak and warm shower. Then follow 8 days of carrying a heavy backpack through some of the most beautiful and desolate areas Namibia has to offer.

Normally one needs to get up around 5 in the morning to be able to reach the trail at 7. The first day is no exception, and it covers a distance of 14 km. There is a beautiful viewpoint at “Panorama” when one begins to ascend into the mountains a few kilometers from the hike. Spend some time here and enjoy the view of the plain below.

From here the trail rises steadily into the Naukluft Mountains. A good place for lunch is “Fontein Kloof”. There are a few large trees for shade and spring is usually flowing.

As with most overnight shelters on this trail, the “Putte” shelter for tonight is simply a square stone structure with a wall approximately 1.2m high, on top of which a roof of tinplate is supported by steel tubes. The ground is gravel. Approximately 150 m from the refuge there is a well with a large wheel that must be turned to obtain water.

The second day is 15 km long and leads to the famous ravine or Ubusis Kloof. The descent into the ravine is done with the help of a series of chains, some of which are up to 30 m long and act as aids for descending the cliffs. As one descends further down, a geologic time capsule is exposed in the rock layers to the sides. The landscape is quite impressive.

The Ubusis Cabin is the only “normal” lodge on this trail. This cabin used to be a small vacation home many years ago when the area still consisted of farms. The water is supplied by a wind pump and a well.

The third day takes one back to Ubusis Kloof in the same way as the day before. At the top, once Bergpos is reached, the trail turns north through the Kudu Plains. This day is only 12 km long and is considered the easiest of all days.

At the end of the Kudu plains is the Adlerhorst night refuge, which can be reached in the early afternoon. This leaves plenty of time to admire the scenery and relax a bit. The water is supplied again through a well with a handle at the top of the pipe.

When we got there, the opening in the well’s pipe was covered by hundreds of bees desperately waiting for someone to turn the handle and pump some water into them. No one was stung even once. It seems as if they realized that the humans who came to this place were their only hope of getting some water.

The fourth day is usually a bit difficult and is quite long with 17 km. The tricky part comes when one has to descend a waterfall into a dry river bed with the help of a long chain. The angle of the rocks makes this a difficult descent.

Further on there is another steep descent down the side of a mountain of loose slate. In the past, this has been the cause of injuries to hikers slipping on the slate.

The Tsams-Ost night shelter contains a large water tank on a perch that is supplied with water from a well and a wind pump. It is possible to have a cold shower under the tank.

The next day, the fifth day, begins with a steep climb up the mountain behind the Tsams-Ost night shelter and covers another 17 km.

A few hours later you reach the plain of Melkbos. This plain involves many kilometers of walking on sandy tracks and dry river beds. This is where herds of antelope such as Eland or Kudu are most likely to graze on the sparse grass and vegetation.

The Die Valle night retreat is surrounded on three sides by mountains, and the sun tends to set quite early behind these mountains. The water is left here in a small tank truck that may not hold a lot of water, especially at the end of the hiking season, so washing is very limited on this day.

The sixth day is usually the longest and most difficult of the entire route. Although it is only 10 miles long, it spends most of the day climbing.

Immediately after leaving the Die Valle night shelter, there is a 200m vertical climb to the top of a waterfall. There, afterwards, one follows a gorge and a stream that feeds this waterfall for most of the day, always rising upwards.

It is along this gorge where there are some interesting geological formations called Tufa. Tuff is a sedimentary rock that contains a large amount of carbonates that are deposited through water. It often forms in waterfalls or streams. Here, in this gorge, the tuff looks like a gigantic solidified waterfall. Higher up one comes across a huge fig tree whose roots run along a small cliff.

Once at the top of the gorge, you have to cross a small flat plateau before beginning the long descent along an old jeep track to the night refuge of Tufa. Be careful at the end of the trail as the shelter is almost hidden in some bushes on the left. The water is again supplied in the form of a well along a dry stream bed about 150 m from the refuge.

Day seven covers 14 km and takes one to the highest, and usually the coldest point of the trek in Kapokvlakte.

From the Tufa night shelter, the trail cuts through some very large rocks as it heads back towards the mountains. At the base of the mountains that eventually lead to Kapokvlakte, there are some chains to help one climb some of the most difficult cliffs.

Once at the top, the trail follows a dry creek bed that rises steadily all the way to the top at World’s View. The name is very appropriate, as it can be seen from many miles away. It is a good place to stop for a while and admire the view of the plains below and the mountains on the other side. From here the terrain is quite flat and the route is easy.

The Kapokvlakte night shelter is usually reached in the early afternoon. The refuge is hidden behind a group of bushes that are practically the only largest vegetation in the area. The rest of the plateau is covered with short grass and the occasional bush. Kapokvlakte can get very cold at night, and wearing a down sleeping bag is a must here.

The last day has finally arrived. By now everyone dreams of fat steaks and beer, but there are still 10 miles to go. A few miles across the top of the plateau, and the trail makes its long descent along a winding gorge to Hikers Haven.

As the day warms up, more and more insects and other little critters can be heard in this lonely gorge. Be careful collecting rocks. Very often there are scorpions hiding under them.

As one descends the trail, there are small pools with large trees on the sides that are good places to rest. A few hundred meters from Hikers Haven, there is a campground. Here one can meet the first humans again after having spent so many days in the desert. By now you can also see the roof of the old house in Hikers Haven. Just a few hundred more meters and one is back. What a moment it had been!

Now one can finally take a hot shower again! For those who brought in vacuum packed meat and managed to keep it fresh in their cars during this period, there will be a party tonight!