Tsau //Khaeb (Sperrgebiet) National Park

Tsau //Khaeb, formerly known as the Sperrgebiet ('forbidden territory'), is one of the least visited and most mysterious national parks in Africa. For over a century, this vast coastal desert was closed to the public as a restricted diamond mining area, allowing its ecosystems to develop virtually undisturbed by human activity. Opened as a national park in 2008, it encompasses over 26,000 square kilometres of pristine Succulent Karoo and Namib Desert, harbouring extraordinary botanical diversity with over 800 plant species, many found nowhere else on Earth. The ghost town of Kolmanskop — a sand-engulfed former diamond mining settlement — is the park's most famous attraction.