Hiking · Namib-Naukluft, Namibia · recorded with NomadTracks

The Olive Trail, Namib-Naukluft: 10.9 km through a desert canyon

The Olive Trail is the Naukluft's classic half-day loop: 10.9 km up a plateau of wild olives, then down into a canyon that narrows until you're traversing above green pools on chains bolted to the rock. Roughly 500 m of climbing, all of it interesting.

Distance10.9 km
Elevation gain506 m
ActivityHiking
Duration3 h 15 min

About this data: this track and its photos were personally shared with us as samples by a NomadTracks user. NomadTracks never uploads, collects or shares your tracks or photos — your recordings stay on your devices and in your own cloud.

Route map of The Olive Trail, Namib-Naukluft: 10.9 km through a desert canyon drawn from the recorded GPS points on an OpenStreetMap basemap
The actual recorded GPS track — start marked green, finish orange. Numbered pins mark where the photos below were taken.

Download GPX Coordinates, elevation and relative times — recording dates are normalized out, photos not included.

Elevation profile of the track
Elevation profile over the full distance. Switch the map above to interactive mode, then slide across the chart — a marker follows the route.

A canyon that hides its water

In one of the driest landscapes on earth, the canyon hoards improbable pools of green water. They make perfect POIs — pinned with photos and exact coordinates, because 'somewhere in the narrows' is not a place you can send a friend to.

Why record in a canyon

GPS in slot canyons gets patchy — and that's useful to see honestly. The recorded line shows exactly where the walls pinched reception, while the entry and exit waypoints keep the navigation anchored. Combined with the park's paper map as an overlay, the loop is unambiguous.

About the place: Namib-Naukluft, Namibia

The Olive Trail is the classic half-day loop of the Naukluft mountains inside Namib-Naukluft National Park, starting near the park office between Solitaire and Sesriem. Wild olives shade the plateau, and the canyon section traverses above seasonal pools on fixed chains. Start at first light — by 11:00 the rock radiates desert heat even in the May–September cool season.

Rocky desert canyon on the Olive Trail in the Naukluft mountains
1 · Rocky desert canyon on the Olive Trail in the Naukluft mountains
Narrow slot canyon section of the Olive Trail
2 · Narrow slot canyon section of the Olive Trail
Green water pool hidden between the rock walls of the canyon
3 · Green water pool hidden between the rock walls of the canyon
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