Roller coaster dunes, diamond fields and desert dragons await in
the sandy expanse of Namibia’s Dorob National ParkIMAGE: GETTY
“So, on a scale of one to 10, how exciting
would you like this to be?”
We’re poised at the foot of a cascade of
dunes in a top-of-the-range 4WD, with
Hennie Roets, our local guide at the wheel.
“Ten!” we whoop, and we’re of, lying along
a barely-there track, sand fountaining around
us as we accelerate. Plunging down the irst
slope at exhilarating speed, we pause, then
zoom up the next. And the next. And the next.
We stop on a peak the colour of clotted
cream. Undulating dunes recede to the
southern horizon and below, to the west, is
the silver-lecked Atlantic. “Let me take your
shoes,” says Hennie. “You’re going to love it.”
He’s right. The moment my toes sink into the
dune, I’m as happy as a kid in a sandbox.
This is Dorob, Namibia’s newest national
park. Declared in 2010, it added the inal link
to a chain of protected areas stretching all
the way along the Namib, Namibia’s coastal
desert, from the Kunene River on the Angolan
border to the Orange River, bordering South
Africa. Called the Namib-Skeleton Coast
National Park, this remarkable, 975-mile-long
megapark has diamond ields and sunbaked
sands lapped by cold Atlantic currents.At irst sight, the Namib’s dramatic
landscapes appear barren, but look more
closely and a fascinating ecosystem unfolds.
Desert-adapted beetles and barking geckos
thrive here. In the north, hardy lions survive
by hunting antelopes in dry gullies and seals
on the shore. Protecting their habitat has
been a crowning achievement for Nambia,
a nation that’s had huge conservation
successes. Much of the Namib is out of
bounds to vehicles, but parts of Dorob, near
Walvis Bay, are reserved for 4WD adventures
like ours.
This is a region rich in minerals. Wave a
magnet over a pinch of Dorob sand, and it
dances: it contains ferrimagnetic magnetite.
Halfway through a sentence, Hennie darts
of then returns clasping something tiny. It’s
a shovel-snouted lizard with long toes suited
to running on the sand. And it’s more perfect
than any desert jewel. EMMA GREGGDESERTS
Audley Travel’s 15-day Namibia self-drive safari
includes climbing Sossusvlei’s famous dunes and
sleeping in a desert camp. From £2,951 per person.
audleytravel.com
Best for: Adventurous travellers of any ageWAHIBA SANDS, OMAN
The Omani desert is best
appreciated overnighting in
a desert camp. Also known
as Sharqiya Sands, it has both
dunes and salt lats home to
migrating birds.
HOW TO DO IT: KE Adventure’s
eight-day Oman Family
Adventure combines dolphin-
spotting with sandboarding,
camel rides and a Bedouin
homestay. From £2,290 per
person. keadventure.com
BEST FOR: Eight-plusSAHARA, MOROCCO
If you’ve a real head for
adventure, explore the dunes of
the Moroccan Sahara. They’re
easy to reach, but no less
jaw-dropping than those in its
impenetrable centre.
HOW TO DO IT: The nine-day
Fez and the Sahara tour from
Families Worldwide includes
camping in the desert and
camel rides. From £1,199 per
person. familiesworldwide.co.uk
BEST FOR: Eight-plusATACAMA, CHILE
Stay in the high-altitude village
of San Pedro de Atacama and
head out into one of the the
driest place on Earth. Enjoy
hiking, horse-riding, stargazing
and geyser tours.
HOW TO DO IT: Original Travel’s
14-day Highlights of Chile tour
starts at £8,460 per person.
originaltravel.co.uk
BEST FOR: Eight-plusGOBI, MONGOLIA
A vast wilderness claiming
a huge swathe of southern
Mongolia, the Gobi is a
patchwork of mountains,
forest, icy canyons and mighty
great dunes.
HOW TO DO IT: See the Gobi’s
Flaming Clifs and visit a
nomadic family during the 10-
day Kids and Camels tour with
Nomadic Expeditions. Two
weeks from £7,200 for a family
of four. stubbornmuletravel.com
BEST FOR: Teens HWJUST DESERTS:
FAB FOURNamib-Skeleton Coast
National Park, NamibiaTRAVELLER 10October 2019 17107