Park

Naute is one of Namibia’s largest man-made lakes. Its shoreline, abutting long stretches of rocky plains and intricate sections of small bays, is very attractive The dam location on the Löwen River was already identified by German engineers over a century ago, yet construction of the reservoir only took place 70 years later. The dam was created as a reliable source of water for the nearby town of Keetmanshoop, and to enable an agricultural scheme adjacent to the reservoir.

The lake creates an ideal focal point for a game park, although this was only proclaimed just prior to independence. Thirty years on, its tourism potential remains untapped, overlooked in the vastness of the ‘forgotten South’. Discussions around a tourism concession with the neighbouring !Gawachab Conservancy may gain momentum in the future. For now, Naute is still worth a brief stop-over visit while travelling between Keetmanshoop and the Fish River Canyon.

Travel Tips

WHEN TO BE THERE:

Visitor access is restricted to the recreation area; this is open all year
Day temperatures can be very hot during summer
Fishing competitions are held intermittently & the recreation area is a weekend retreat for locals
The game park is currently not open to visitors

WHAT TO DO:

Stop at the lake for a refreshing break on your travels
Enjoy a short walk & some good birding
Do a spot fishing along the shore
Visit the nearby agricultural scheme

WHAT TO REMEMBER:

Access is restricted to the small recreation area
A permit is required for fishing, obtainable at the Karas Regional Council in Keetmanshoop
There are no amenities at the dam
Do not litter, take all rubbish with you

History

Those interested in geology will definitely get their money’s worth. The fossilised dunes go back to shifting sand dunes which existed in this very same spot already 20 million years ago. The sand solidified and became sandstone during more humid periods 16 to 8 million years ago. Therefore the Namib is rightfully regarded as the oldest desert on earth. Besides, the sandstone contains fossils, including up to 16-million-year-old egg shells from the ancestor of today’s ostrich. They are proof that the large bird evolved in Africa and not in Eurasia, which was considered a possibility for quite some time. The sand of the young Namib is the debris of erosion in the Drakensberg Mountains and other mountain ranges in South Africa. The debris was carried into the sea by the Gariep (Orange) River, deposited along the coast and piled up into dunes by the wind.

San (Bushmen) regularly wandered through the Namib, but never lived there for any notable length of time. Various groups of the Nama people arrived from the 18th century onwards, including the Topnaar who still live along the banks of the Kuiseb River. Orlam groups (related to the Nama) followed later on as they backed away from European settlers at the Cape. Ten years after the area was proclaimed the colony of German South West Africa, Witbooi-Orlam, led by Kaptein Hendrik Witbooi, clashed with German colonial forces in the nearby Naukluft Mountains. The ensuing peace treaty was observed until the uprising of the OvaHerero and Nama in 1904.

Power was taken over by South Africa in the early stages of the First World War. But only during the forties was the area on the edge of the Namib divided into farms. Livestock farming was tough, however, because rains are rare and unpredictable, and the availability of grazing changes accordingly. After Karakul farming collapsed during the eighties, the land was increasingly used for tourism.

Farm Dieprivier ('deep seasonal river'), run by the Voges – an Afrikaans family - since the forties, was known throughout Namibia as an area of particular scenic beauty. In the late eighties Pieter and Ella Voges built Namib Rest Camp, later renamed Petrified Dune Lodge, at the foot of the fossilised dunes. In December 2004 Gondwana Collection Namibia purchased the 12,700 ha (127 km²) area, ended livestock farming and transformed the farm into Gondwana Namib Park

Activities

Conservations

Map

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Naute Game Park

In a way itâ€™s refreshing when a wonderful little sanctuary remains beyond our hunger for leisure destinations. While Nauteâ€™s tourism potential remains unrealised, the game park does fulfil its conservation function.