101 Reasons to visit Namibia: Under Starry Skies and Fairy Circles

The last traces of sunlight had long since faded and darkness folded its arms around the world. The restless wind had become a whisper and even the desert seemed to be holding its breath. Within the sound of silence, I could hear the soft voices singing: “Hello darkness, my old friend. I’ve come to talk with you again…”.

Mesmerised, I gazed at the stars as they lit up the dark sky. The Milky Way stretched across the sky like a celestial bridge that connects nothing and everything. In a fast growing and developing world it often seems as though nature is slowly giving way to the iron structures of ever-growing cities. These cities are known to cause light pollution. There are but a few places in the world that are not affected by this pollution. Namibia is one of these special places where the light doesn’t disrupt the dark starry skies. Tucked away in the Namib Desert, just south of the Namib Naukluft Park, lies the largest private nature reserve in Southern Africa – the NamibRand.

Photo credits: Janke Murray

It is a place where silence is louder than words, stars are brighter than the sun and where fairies roam. The NamibRand Nature Reserve covers an area of 188 980.016 ha and was established in 1984 by J.A Bückner. Seventeen livestock farms have been rehabilitated into a single continuous natural habitat. This reserve is a non-profit private nature reserve that focuses on conservation. The nature reserve has been designated a Gold Tier International Dark Sky Reserve by the International Dark Sky Association. What makes this nomination even more exceptional is that the reserve is only the second place on earth to be designated with the Gold Tier status due to its exceptionally dark skies.

Photo credits: Janke Murray 

This makes the NamibRand the perfect place for stargazing. Although the dark skies of the NamibRand create magical evenings the fairies of the sand dunes are hard at work during the night, causing an even greater mystery! All along the northwestern Cape into southern Angola mysterious bare circles in the sand characterise the landscape. These bare circles support little flora. Numerous research studies have been done on these circles, but the cause or their purpose has not been determined. There are many theories regarding their origin. Some say it is due to euphorbia poisoning, animal dust baths, termites or meteor showers, or maybe even underground gas vents.

The truth is still yet a mystery. Besides the spectacular landscape of the south, it is these mysteries and the dark skies that make Namibia unique. For those stargazers and fantasy lovers the NamibRand will mesmerize you! This is an absolute must - visit when traveling to Namibia and who knows maybe you can adopt a fairy circle and contribute to conservation of the Namibian desert.

Author: Janke Murray