- Gondwana Namib Park/ News 05.01.05



		News 2005 News 05.01.05


		Evolvement from Cañon Park to Desert Collection - 05.01.05 The successful concept of Gondwana Cañon Park at the Fish River Canyon is being applied to other desert landscapes in southern Namibia. Similar parks with similar accommodation facilities are being set up in the Namib and in the Kalahari. Gondwana Kalahari Park is taking shape on the 100 km² farm grounds of former Anib Lodge, situated among the red dunes of the Kalahari, about 30 km north-east of Mariental. The lodge, which was acquired in early December, will be extended during the coming months and will be known as Kalahari Anib Lodge from now on. In mid-December Gondwana added Namib Restcamp (also known as Petrified Dune Lodge) to the Collection. The bungalows lie at the foot of ‘fossilised’ dunes, about 60 km north of Sesriem/Sossusvlei. After renovations and extensions it will reopen as Namib Desert Lodge. The farm grounds (100 km²) will be transformed into Gondwana Namib Park. Both of the new nature reserves will follow the example of Gondwana Cañon Park: the management will end stock farming, dismantle internal fences and establish watering places suitable for game. The accommodation establishment Klein Aus Vista, near Aus on the eastern fringe of the Restricted Area, has joined Gondwana as a partner. The 510 km² area will now trade under the name of Gondwana Sperrgebiet Rand Park. All four of the private nature reserves are gathered under the umbrella of the Gondwana Desert Collection. They provide accommodation to suit every taste and every budget, and they are ideally suited as a stopover on a roundtrip through the desert landscapes of Namibia’s south.


		- For more on the parks see GDC/Deserts and Parks/Background.