May 2025

An old farmhouse, red sand dunes, wildlife and rain in the desert

In our previous post, we showed you the beautiful road leading to NamibRand Nature Reserve (read here).

NamibRand Nature Reserve:

The NamibRand Nature Reserve is a small addition to the Namib-Naukluft National Park, which is one of the largest nature reserves in the world. Within its 200,000 ha boundaries lies the world’s oldest desert known as the pro-Namib.

Wildlife is plentiful, such as zebra, springbok, kudu, ostrich, leopard, giraffe, oryx (gemsbok) … oh, the list is long, but we have been warned that, because it is such a big reserve, sightings remain incredibly rare. We wondered if we might be lucky enough to see even just one of these animals.

There are also many 5-star luxury desert lodges to choose from where you can have those authentic desert experiences. But staying there would cost us an arm and a leg. However, after searching the internet for days, we found a place that was within our budget.

NamibRand Family Hideout:

Our accommodation inside NamibRand Nature Reserve

The signpost to the farmhouse was under this beautiful tree

The farmhouse is definitely not luxurious – there are a few rooms with single beds, a bathroom, kitchen, and dining/living rooms. But it had everything we needed. For an extra fee, bedding could be provided, but we decided to use our own bedding since we had it with us anyway. And there was a fire pit outside – for us, that’s as good as the most luxurious lodge out there!

Front door of the farmhouse

Dining/living rooms

Kitchen

One of the kitchen shelves

Our humble room

There was a large covered veranda (‘stoep’) outside the house with sweeping views over the grass-covered desert.  And of course, the fire pit where we could ‘braai’. This was definitely our favourite part of the farmhouse.

Veranda to relax outside

Magnificent views over the desert and mountains in the distance

The fire pit

A big green lawn is the last thing you’ll find here. Instead, everywhere is fine red desert sand, a succulent garden, an old reservoir, and a gate that’s almost buried under the sand.

Succulent garden

Old reservoir

Watering trough for animals (presumably not in use anymore)

Gate and fence buried under desert sand

Oryx (gemsbok) horn against an old crumbling wall

The caretaker who welcomed us at the farmhouse told us about a self-drive route through the dunes that is suitable for 4×4 vehicles only. He promised that the views from the dunes are incredibly beautiful. That was enough encouragement to jump in our ‘bakkie’ and went on the 30-minute-long drive.

And he was not wrong about the stunning views!

Magnificent view from the top of the dunes

Golden grass in the plain

The beautiful slow-growing Camel Thorn Tree (‘Kameeldoring’ in Afrikaans)

On top of the red dunes

Purple flower on the sand dunes

Desert sand covered with grass

The sandy road

Our ‘bakkie’ between the feathered grass

We stopped one last time along the route and got out. But we didn’t linger too long, because the clouds began to gather and the breeze was cool – probably a sign that rain was on its way (not a common sight in the desert, right).

A last stop to enjoy nature

At the farmhouse, we sat outside on the veranda and gazed into the distance. Seeing the desert covered with grass was one of the most beautiful sights – it’s not something one sees often in Namibia.

Grass covers the red sand of the desert

A seemingly dead tree

The grass stretches right up to the foot of the mountains

View from the veranda of the farmhouse

While we were sitting on the veranda, it started to drizzle and then the rain became more persistent. It was wonderful to experience this in the desert. In the distance, we saw animal silhouettes approaching through the misty rain – there is a waterhole just a few meters from the house. We were amazed when a herd of nearly fifty oryx (‘gemsbok’) came to stand almost right in front of us to drink water.

Oryx approaching the waterhole

It was such a peaceful moment – listening to the rain on the veranda’s roof, while the oryx walked through the misty rain to drink water. Here are a few photos:

Oryx at the waterhole

Oryx looking at us

Big herd of oryx

That’s how close they were to us

After about half an hour, the leading herd of oryx slowly began to head back in the direction of the mountains from where they had come. It was now time for the trailing oryx to come to the waterhole.

Oryx leaving the waterhole

More oryx at the waterhole

It was, while we were still watching the last herd of oryx, that we saw a springbok approaching. Within moments, there was a large herd of springboks gathered.

The first springbok

Big herd of springbok

A moment of serene beauty

The last of the herd of oryx leaving the waterhole

The springboks grazed in the tall grass for a while before they playfully leaped in the air and left to call it a day.

A last look at the grazing springboks

Springboks getting ready to leave

The gentle rain was starting to move away and we sat quietly next to each other – it was a magical hour to watch the animals in the rain without them feeling disturbed by our presence at all.

The animals are gone, and the weather is clearing up

It was time to make a fire and enjoy a ‘braai’. Not only did we see wildlife in the NamibRand Nature Reserve, but we also experienced rain in the desert. We will remember this day for a very long time!

Time for a ‘braai’

In our next post, we visit the famous high dunes of Sossusvlei and the dead trees at Deadvlei … and experience a sandstorm while trying to sleep in our rooftop tent!

If you want to see photos of Sossusvlei and Deadvlei (and whether we survived the sandstorm), click here.