After sunset it stays quiet. No engine, no generator, no light on the horizon that does not come from the sky itself. Twenty minutes in, the Milky Way reads as a band with dark rifts. That is what earned the reserve gold tier status as an International Dark Sky Reserve in May 2012.
- Size of the reserve
- 202,200 hectares
- First farms bought by Albi Brückner
- 1984
- Registered as a private nature reserve
- 1992
- Gold tier dark sky status
- May 2012
It began in 1984, when Albi Brückner started buying up overgrazed sheep farms on the edge of the Namib. In 1992 the area was formally registered as a non-profit private nature reserve. The principle was simple and new for Namibia: take down the fences, bring the game back, treat the farms as one landscape. By 2016, 16 farms had grown together, with Springbokvlakte and Saffier adding 30,000 hectares in 2012.
Today the reserve covers 202,200 hectares, roughly 2,022 square kilometres, and holds four ecosystems side by side: dunes, sand flats, inselbergs and gravel plains. The 2012 award was the second of its kind anywhere and the first in Africa. The reserve also describes itself as Namibia's first Wilderness Quiet Park, certified by Quiet Parks International. We found no reliable driving distance from Sesriem; the access lies south of the park gate on the route heading south.
- Time needed
- a day to drive through, better two nights for the sky
- Cost
- a reserve fee, charged through the lodges inside
- When
- around new moon, if the night sky is the point
Our tipIf you plan a night in the NamibRand, plan one without a moon. Gold tier means artificial light barely touches this sky, but no reserve on earth helps against a half moon.
NamibRand Nature Reserve: frequently asked questions
How big is the NamibRand Nature Reserve?
The NamibRand Nature Reserve south of Sesriem covers 202,200 hectares, about 2,022 square kilometres, which makes it one of the largest private nature reserves in Africa.
Why is the night sky over the NamibRand so dark?
The NamibRand Nature Reserve was designated an International Dark Sky Reserve at gold tier in May 2012. That category describes places where artificial light has little to no effect on the night sky.
How did the NamibRand Nature Reserve come about?
From 1984 Albi Brückner bought up several overgrazed sheep farms on the edge of the Namib, had the fences between them taken down and reintroduced game. The area was registered as a non-profit private nature reserve in 1992, and by 2016 it comprised 16 merged farms.
Was NamibRand the first dark sky reserve in Africa?
Yes. The designation of the NamibRand Nature Reserve in May 2012 was the first for an African site and only the second worldwide.