- Gondwana Desert Collection/ News



		News 2006News 09.01.06

Four-Deserts-Tour in the Year of Deserts - 09.01.06
The United Nations have proclaimed 2006 the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. At the start of the year, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan explained that the UN aims at highlighting the dangers of desertification. World-wide losses in agricultural production due to drought or soil becoming barren are estimated at 42 billion US Dollar.

Annan also emphasised, however, that at the same time awareness of the delicate desert habitats needs to be increased and that protection of these areas must be supported. An amazing and fascinating diversity of plants and animals has evolved in many of the deserts.

Nowhere else on earth is this as apparent as it is in Namibia. The south of the country is characterised by four desert systems: the Kalahari (the world’s largest stretch of sand), the Nama Karoo, the Succulent Karoo (the most bio-diverse desert on earth) and of course the Namib (the oldest desert in the world).

The four nature reserves of the Gondwana Desert Collection offer ample opportunity to discover the larger and smaller wonders of these deserts. Gondwana Kalahari Park north-east of Mariental casts its spell on hiking tours and scenic drives through the red dunes of the Kalahari. Guests of Gondwana Cañon Park at the Fish River Canyon discover the stark beauty of the Nama Karoo with its characteristic quiver trees on hiking tours, on horseback or on scenic drives. Situated in the northern parts of the Succulent Karoo, dubbed Namibia’s Namaqualand, Gondwana Sperrgebiet Rand Park near Aus is a hiker’s paradise, while Gondwana Namib Park north of Sesriem is an ideal starting point for excursions to famous Sossusvlei. The park includes the sandsea of the ‘young’ Namib as well as the fossilised dunes of the protomorphic Namib. All four parks are linked by the Gondwana Desert Route which leads through the south in the shape of a horseshoe.


		- For more about Namibia’s deserts see - Deserts and Parks/Background - More about the Year of Deserts at www.un.org