The term Kluft means ‘narrow gorge’ in German or Dutch. The Naukluft is comprised of a large number of narrow ravines in the mountain range in which, the most prominent and notable one is the Tsondab Gorge which extends to a long distance of about 40 km. The Naukluft mountain range lies at the border of Namib Desert, which is at the south of the Tropic of Capricorn. It has area coverage of 2100 square kilometer.
In Namibia, there is no other mountain range that can be compared to the variety of Naukluft morphology. The mighty mountain itself is made up of very ancient pre-Cambrean rock, which is about a million years old. The Nappe complex is comprised of carbonate rocks. The high porosity and karst solution are the typical features of these rocks. The rain which falls on the plateau is well absorbed into the rock and reappears in the sides of the massif. It is this capacity of high water retention that makes the Naukluft mountainous plateau, a natural water reservoir bordering the desert. These perennial springs, which are the specialty of the dry massif, are definitely a boon to the entire region, even in serious drought periods.
There is a diverse and species rich mountain fauna in the Naukluft massif, and are easily found at the multitude of spring. In Namibia which has many vegetation zones, the Naukluft and its surrounding belong to the escarpment zone, which is rich in species and in the occurrence of many endemics. A dwarf tree having shiny, golden yellow bark, commonly known as Commiphora glaucescens are found abundantly in these areas. Naukluft which is a huge unpopulated habitat welcomes about 300 bird species.
The region experiences good rainfall by the end of January, which practically changes the Naukluft into a paradise. In a comparatively small region, one can find great many species of birds including hamercops, Egyptian geese and grey herons. Naukluft can thus be termed as a spot to view landscape beauty, birds, flora and fauna.