Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The 11km Olive Trail, named for the wild olives that grow alongside it, begins at the car
park 4km northeast of the park headquarters. The walk runs clockwise around the triangu-
lar loop and takes four to five hours.
The route begins with a steep climb onto the plateau, affording good views of the
Naukluft Valley. It then turns sharply east and descends a constricted river valley, which
becomes deeper and steeper and makes a couple of perfect U-turns before it reaches a
point where hikers must traverse a canyon wall - past a pool - using anchored chains. In
several places along this stretch, the dramatic geology presents an astonishing gallery of
natural artwork. Near the end of the route, the trail strikes the Naukluft 4WD route and
swings sharply south, where it makes a beeline back to the car park.
Four-Day & Eight-Day Loops
The two big loops through the massif can be hiked in four and eight days. For many
people the Naukluft is a magical place, but its charm is more subtle than that of Fish River
Canyon in southern Namibia. For example, some parts are undeniably spectacular, such as
the Zebra Highway, Ubusis Canyon and Die Valle (look for the fantastic stallion profile on
the rock beside the falls). However, a couple of days involve walking in relatively open
country or along some maddeningly rocky riverbeds.
The four-day 60km loop is actually just the first third of the eight-day 120km loop,
combined with a 22km cross-country jaunt across the plateau back to park headquarters. It
joins up with the Waterkloof Trail at its halfway point, and follows it the rest of the way
back to park headquarters. Alternatively, you can finish the four-day route at Tsams Ost
Shelter, midway through the eight-day loop, where a road leads out to the Sesriem-Solit-
aire Rd. However, you must prearrange to leave a vehicle there before setting off from
park headquarters. Note that hikers may not begin from Tsams Ost without special per-
mission from the rangers at Naukluft.
These straightforward hikes are marked by white footprints (except those sections that
coincide with the Waterkloof Trail, which is marked with yellow footprints). Conditions
are typically hot and dry, and water is only reliably available at overnight stops (at Putte,
it's 400m from the shelter).
To shorten the eight-day hike to seven days, it's possible to skip Ubusis Canyon by
turning north at Bergpos and staying the second night at Adlerhorst. Alternatively, very fit
hikers combine the seventh and eighth days.
In four places - Ubusis Canyon, above Tsams Ost, Die Valle and just beyond Tufa Shel-
ter - hikers must negotiate dry waterfalls, boulder-blocked
kloofs
and steep tufa forma-
tions with the aid of chains. Some people find this off-putting, so be sure you're up to it.
HIKING
