5 minute read
Tsau //Khaeb National Park: Unlocking the Forbidden Territory
What enticed men to leave their homes in Europe for a far-off German colony on the African Continent to dig through burning gravel under the relentless sun of the Namib Desert for a gemstone made of carbon arranged in a crystal structure?
The Sperrgebiet was proclaimed the Tsau //Khaeb National Park in 2008. It covers an area of 2,2 million hectares, the majority of which falls within the Succulent Karoo biome. It had been closed to the public for more than a hundred years to protect the diamond wealth of the area. As a result, the fragile Succulent Karoo ecosystem, which boasts the highest diversity of succulent flora globally, was left largely undisturbed for all these years – an amazing feat when considering how rare it is to have a protected area such as this in modern times.
Around 1,050 plant species are known to occur in Tsau // Khaeb National Park. That is nearly 25 percent of the entire flora of Namibia on less than three percent of the country’s land area. The Succulent Karoo is listed as one of the world’s top 34 biodiversity hotspots.
For this reason, any form of tourism in the area had to be well thought through as it holds the potential to adversely affect this preserved area. A tourism development plan was drawn up and approved in August 2019 for a period of 10 years. As part of the development plan, nine tourism concessions were awarded by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism with very strict guidelines.
The concession that covers the mining tourism hot spots as well as the awe-inspiring Bogenfels, was awarded to a company called Sandwich Harbour 4x4, which invited the Travel News Namibia team on its Bogenfels and Diamonds Scenic Tour.
The full-day tour enters the park through the Rotkopf entrance gate some 20 kilometres east of Lüderitz. The first stop, after a short drive, is Grillental. This was an important pump station (water is not easy to come by in the desert) that provided fresh water to the mining towns several kilometres away. Apart from a couple of buildings, tools are scattered through the area, a reminder of the hard labour on this site all those years ago.
Our guide, Günther Berens, explaining some of the fascinating geography of the area.
Driving further, the route takes guests through a diverse landscape of rocky outcrops, shifting dunes and, of course, the gravel plains that held the promise of the sought-after diamonds. The only remnants of the diamond days are hundreds of gravel heaps that were sifted through for the valuable stones.
Just before reaching the ghost town of Pomona, the tour passes through Idatal, named after August Stauch's wife. Stauch is famous for starting the diamond rush after Zacharias Lewala, the above-mentioned railway worker under his charge, brought him the first stone. According to Stauch, the valley was so rich in diamonds that when his party discovered Idatal the men crawled on their stomachs at night picking up the stones that glittered in the moonlight.
The mine manager’s house at Pomona
Pomona with its abandoned houses and their disintegrating wooden frames, is similar to Kolmanskop, but it covers a larger area with a lot more manmade remnants strewn around. The narrow-gauge railway tracks, once the lifeline to the Lüderitz harbour, are only discernible by the rustcoloured lines on the ground. The metal has completely rusted away.
After a delicious lunch, which includes oysters, the tour departs for the natural highlight of the southern coast – Bogenfels. The massive rock arch is 55 metres high and arches over the Atlantic shore. It is a sight to behold and difficult to explain in its striking beauty and size. Barely visible when driving towards it, Bogenfels never fails to impress even returning visitors. A walk to the top of the arch affords amazing, if slightly scary (for those with a fear of heights) views of the surrounding area. While a look at the arch from below offers a completely different perspective of the giant rock structure.
Exploring the processing plant at Pomona
Exploring the remnants of the settlements of the diamond pioneers gives a little insight into what it must have been to battle the elements – heavy fog, wind, sand storms and a burning sun – in a remote part of an unknown country. The former settlements of these adventurous spirits have been preserved by the desert. They allow extraordinarily fascinating glimpses into the past and what some would do for the ultimate prize of a small stone and the promise of wealth. TNN
Text & Photographs Le Roux van Schalkwyk
