A thorny, leafless bush at the edge of the pan, green although no rain has fallen for months. That is the nara. It looks as though somebody left a pile of barbed wire lying in the sand.
- Length of the nara roots
- up to 40 m
- Diameter of the fruit
- 15 to 20 cm
- Seeds per fruit
- around 250
- Range of the plant
- Namibia only
The nara melon grows only in Namibia, in a strip 40 to 60 kilometres wide along the coast between the Orange and the Kunene. It has no leaves. Photosynthesis happens in the branches, flowers and thorns instead, which saves water. Its roots grow up to 30 centimetres thick and up to 40 metres long, far enough to reach groundwater under the sand. The fruit reaches the size of an ostrich egg, weighs more than a kilo and carries around 250 seeds.
For desert animals that is one of very few dependable meals. Antelope, jackals and hyenas eat the fruit, porcupines and elephants spread the seeds. People have used the nara for generations too, and the Topnaar on the Kuiseb still eat the flesh and the dried seeds. On Naravlei itself the sources are thin. It sits close to Sossusvlei, still takes water now and then, and counts as one of the four pans in the area.
- Time needed
- half an hour at the edge of the pan
- Cost
- covered by the park entry fee
- When
- the same morning as Sossusvlei
- From Sesriem gate
- 65 km, 75 minutes
Our tipKeep your hands off the nara, its thorns grow two to three centimetres long and sit close together. If fruit is hanging on the bush, leave it there. For oryx, jackal and porcupine it is often the only moisture for miles.
Naravlei: frequently asked questions
Where does the name Naravlei come from?
Naravlei near Sossusvlei is named after the nara melon, a thorny leafless wild plant that grows along the edge of the pan. Its fruit has long been food for desert animals and for the Topnaar people on the Kuiseb.
What is a nara melon?
The nara melon grows only in Namibia, in a strip 40 to 60 kilometres wide along the coast. It has no leaves, photosynthesises through branches and thorns, and reaches groundwater with roots up to 40 metres long.
Can you eat nara fruit?
Nara fruit is edible, and Nama and Damara people have used the flesh and the dried seeds for generations. Inside the park it is better left on the bush, where antelope, jackals and porcupines depend on it.