The Namib Desert runs along Namibia's Atlantic coast and continues north into Angola. Its heart, the Namib Sand Sea, is a UNESCO World Heritage site of more than three million hectares and, according to IUCN, the only coastal desert in the world with extensive dune fields shaped by fog. The easiest place to see its dunes is Sossusvlei in Namib-Naukluft Park.
Key points
- Where: along the whole Atlantic coast of Namibia; Namibia's environment ministry says the desert extends north into Angola's Iona National Park.
- The Namib Sand Sea became a World Heritage site in 2013. It covers more than 3 million hectares, plus a 899,500 ha buffer zone.
- Fog is the main source of water. Many species live only here: 108 insects, 37 arachnids, 8 reptiles and 8 plants are known only from the sand sea.
- The dunes at Sossusvlei reach up to 325 m from their base (NWR). Entry to Namib-Naukluft Park costs N$280 per day for a foreign adult from 1 April 2026.
Where is the Namib Desert on the map?
The Namib is a strip of desert along Namibia's Atlantic coast. In the north it continues across the Kunene River into Angola: the environment ministry notes that the Namib extends into Iona National Park, where Welwitschia mirabilis also grows. In Namibia most of the desert lies inside a chain of protected areas, from Tsau //Khaeb (Sperrgebiet) National Park in the south through Namib-Naukluft and Dorob to Skeleton Coast Park in the north.
| Part of the Namib | Protected area | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| Southern coast | Tsau //Khaeb (Sperrgebiet) National Park | Kolmanskop ghost town, Bogenfels rock arch |
| Central sand sea | Namib-Naukluft Park | Sossusvlei, Deadvlei, Sesriem Canyon |
| Central coast | Dorob National Park | Swakopmund, Cape Cross, lichen fields |
| Northern coast | Skeleton Coast Park | Shipwrecks, fog, desert-adapted wildlife |
How big is the Namib Sand Sea?
IUCN gives the World Heritage site an area of more than three million hectares with a buffer zone of 899,500 hectares. Dunes make up 84% of it; the rest is gravel plains (8%), coastal pans (4%), rocky hills (3%) and inselbergs (1%), plus a coastal lagoon and seasonal rivers. Namib-Naukluft Park, which contains the sand sea, covers almost 50,000 square kilometres according to NWR, and the environment ministry calls it Namibia's largest conservation area.
How old is the Namib Desert?
The Namib is often called the oldest desert in the world. That is a popular claim: the IUCN assessment of the World Heritage site does not use it. IUCN describes two dune systems, an ancient semi-consolidated one covered by a younger, active one. The sand itself comes from far away: it is washed out of the Orange River into the Atlantic, carried north by ocean currents and blown inland by the wind.
Human history here is long too. The ministry dates Stone Age traces in the Kuiseb valley to 200,000 years ago, and the Topnaar people still live along the Kuiseb inside the park.
Why does fog matter in the Namib?
Rain is rare, so fog from the cold Atlantic is the main source of water. IUCN says plants and animals harvest it "in extraordinary ways", and the loose, well-aired sand gives insects, reptiles and small mammals somewhere to burrow away from the heat. Sixteen dune types form across the sand sea: transverse dunes near the coast, linear dunes in the centre and star dunes in the east, including those around Sossusvlei.
What animals live in the Namib Desert?
Overall species numbers are low, but endemism is high. IUCN lists species known only from Namib Sand Sea habitats:
- 108 insect species (52% of the sand sea's insects);
- 37 arachnids (84%);
- 8 reptiles (44%);
- 8 plants (53%);
- two mammals and one bird.
Larger animals live on the desert's edges and in its riverbeds: Hartmann's mountain zebra in the Naukluft mountains, and desert-adapted elephant, lion and oryx on the Skeleton Coast, according to the ministry.
Where to see the Namib dunes
About three quarters of Namib-Naukluft's visitors go to Sossusvlei and Sesriem, IUCN notes. There the dunes reach up to 325 m from their base, and Deadvlei's camelthorn trees are 500 to 600 years old, according to NWR. From 1 April 2026 Namib-Naukluft Park costs N$280 per day for a non-SADC foreign adult, N$180 for a child over 8 and under 16 and N$60 for a car. Gate times, the shuttle and what to check are in our Sossusvlei and Deadvlei guide.
This material is provided for reference. Data as of October 2026.
FAQ
Where is the Namib Desert?
Along the Atlantic coast of Namibia. In the north it continues into Angola: Namibia's environment ministry says the Namib extends into Angola's Iona National Park.
Is the Namib the oldest desert in the world?
It is often described that way, but it is a popular claim rather than an official one. The IUCN assessment of the Namib Sand Sea World Heritage site speaks of an ancient dune system overlain by a younger, active one and does not call it the oldest desert.
How big is the Namib Sand Sea?
The World Heritage site covers more than three million hectares, with a buffer zone of 899,500 hectares. Dunes make up 84% of the area.
What animals live in the Namib Desert?
IUCN lists 108 insects, 37 arachnids, 8 reptiles, two mammals and one bird known only from the Namib Sand Sea. On the desert's edges there are oryx, Hartmann's mountain zebra and, on the Skeleton Coast, desert-adapted elephants and lions.
Where can you see the Namib dunes?
At Sossusvlei and Deadvlei in Namib-Naukluft Park, where the dunes reach up to 325 m from their base. Park entry costs N$280 per day for a foreign adult from 1 April 2026.
