On the look for a beautiful remote setting for your next production? Consider this incredible Namibia location with it’s barren landscape. It is the perfect setting if you are looking for miles and miles of breathtakingly beautiful nothingness.
Hear about the Namib Desert in Namibia? You may not know that it is the oldest desert in the world. If you are looking for a beautiful remote Namibia location for your next production, look no further. This incredible Namibia location is the perfect spot if you are looking for miles and miles of breathtakingly beautiful nothingness.
The Namib Desert is massive. It stretches more than 2000 kilometres down the West coast of Southern Africa. Practically from the Carunjamba River in Angola, down to the Olifants River in South Africa. It is also one of the most arid deserts in the world, with areas experiencing annual precipitation of as little as 2 millimetres!
Kuiseb Canyon
Perhaps a little lesser known landmark – and hidden treasure – is the ancient Kuiseb Canyon which has been carved out by the Kuiseb River over millions of years as it winds its way through the Namib Desert toward Walvis Bay. It is a very special Namibia location – and we love it.
The magnificent Kuiseb River Canyon, Namibia
Topnaars
The amazing Kuiseb River is home to another of Namibia’s treasures – the scattered hunter-gatherer Topnaar people. They are amongst the oldest residents of Namibia. Topnaars stem from the nomadic Strandlopers – dubbed the ‘first people’ of Southern Africa. Their extensive knowledge of the region and the fragile ecosystem enables them to eke out a living from the animal and insect life and about 50 different endemic plants for food, wood, fuel, cosmetics, drugs, and for construction.
Their main source of income is harvesting the endemic !Nara plant– a bitter-sweet, melon shaped fruit which is enclosed in a spiky skin. The !Nara epitomises life in the Namib Desert, stubbornly surviving in the sand dunes of the Namib Desert by growing roots that reach deep into the waters of the subterranean Kuiseb River.
The Namib Desert is home to more endemic species than any other desert in the world, featuring desert wildlife and flora that can survive on scarce water supply. This makes it a hotbed for research. Introducing another hidden treasure of the Kuiseb River – and a firm favourite for Film Fixer locations – the Gobabeb Research and Training Centre in the heart of the Kuiseb Canyon.
Gobabeb Research and Training Centre, Namib desert, Namibia
Gobabeb Research and Training Centre
Led by Dr Gillian Maggs-Kolling, this internationally renowned research facility is a catalyst for gathering, disseminating and implementing understanding of arid environments. Subjects include dune morphology, geology, conservation physiology (with a strong emphasis on the effects of climate change) and atmospheric sciences and meteorology. These are conducted in partnership with scientists from all corners of the globe.
Research at Gobabeb is conducted both in pursuit of greater scientific understanding and in promoting environmental education and sustainable management – from the endemic Welwitchias to the centre’s restoration ecology research projects which focus on restoring the sensitive landscape which has suffered from mining activity.
This Namibia location option is perfect for reality shows looking for harsh environments. It also provides endless subject matter for documentaries. Television production folk reading this will be be happy to know that there is positive support from both the Centre as well as the local community for television productions – as well as sufficient infrastructure to make Namibia television productions in the Namib Desert a reality. And it is an incredible bonus that you are only a few hours away from commercial hubs.
But – despite the very welcome infrastructural support for the production crews – don’t underestimate the vast distances, the intense conditions, and lack of resources in the region. And that is where we can make it all happen. Besides our local knowledge and relationships with key stakeholders, Film Fixers also know how to navigate not-so-small red tape of Namibia film permits, as well as Namibia customs regulations for getting equipment in and out of the country.
And if you want even more remote, your favorite Namibia Fixer has relationships with suppliers who can provide tented camps where you need them – with flushing loos and hot running water! At the end of a long, hot shoot in the desert, watch the sun setting on the beautiful landmark red dunes of the Namib Desert, followed by the vast, unpolluted night sky.
