大多数人降落在纳米比亚霍齐亚·库塔科国际机场(Hosea Kutako International Airport)后,会急着租车奔向苏丝斯黎的红沙漠或者埃托沙的盐沼。但很少有人知道,就在距离机场约45公里、开车不到30分钟的地方,藏着一个被安洁莉纳·朱莉(Angelina Jolie)多次资助的世外桃源。纳库塞野生动物保护区(Naankuse Wildlife Sanctuary)并不是那种把动物关在笼子里的动物园,它是一座占地约3200公顷的私人避难所。这里专门收留那些因人兽冲突受伤、或者失去双亲的动物孤儿。对于旅行者来说,这里不仅是落地后的第一站,更是真正读懂纳米比亚土地与野性契约的地方。
Naankuse这个名字源于当地桑人(San)的语言,意为上帝保佑我们。这片保护区由鲁迪(Rudie)和玛丽丝·范·福伦(Marlice van Vuuren)夫妇在2007年正式建立。玛丽丝从小在农场长大,能说一口流利的桑人克里语,她对野生动物的热爱几乎是刻在骨子里的。比起普通的营利性旅游景区,纳库塞更像是一个非营利的科研和救助机构。这里的每一个食肉动物都有自己的档案。2011年,朱莉-皮特基金会(Jolie-Pitt Foundation)正式与这里合作,以朱莉在纳米比亚出生的女儿希洛(Shilo)的名字命名了一部分项目,专门用于犀牛和大象的保护。
走进保护区,你会发现这里并不追求动物品种的大而全。目前这里长期照顾着几十只猎豹、豹子、非洲野狗、狮子和狞猫。保护区的核心逻辑很简单:如果动物健康且具备野外生存能力,就尽可能将其放归。只有那些因伤残或对人类产生过度依赖、无法在野外存活的动物,才会留在中心作为大使动物(Ambassador Animals)。通过让游客参与喂食和观察,中心获得的收入会全部投入到野外冲突预警研究和当地社区的医疗教育中。
如果你的预算有限或者时间紧凑,最推荐的一定是肉食动物喂食巡游(Carnivore Feeding Tour)。成人票价大约在840纳元(NAD)左右。每天上午和下午各有一场,建议选上午十点那次。你会坐上敞篷猎游车,跟着经验丰富的向导进入不同的围场。当向导吹起口哨,灌木丛中会突然窜出几只猎豹或野狗。你能近距离看清楚猎豹脸上的泪痕,甚至能听到狮子撕裂生肉的声音。这不是表演,而是保护区日常管护的一部分。向导会详细讲解每一只动物的来历,比如哪一只曾是农场主的战利品,哪一只又是从非法走私中解救出来的。
想要更刺激一点的体验,可以预订猎豹漫步(Cheetah Experience)或狞猫漫步。这项活动价格较高,每人约1640纳元。所谓的散步,并不是牵着绳子,而是你跟着它们在灌木丛中行走。这些猎豹虽然习惯了人类的存在,但依然保留着狩猎本能。清晨六七点钟出发时,纳米比亚的高原气温很低,你需要抱着热水杯取暖,但看着猎豹在金色的草丛中优雅穿梭,那种原始的生命力会瞬间让你忘记寒冷。需要注意的是,出于安全考虑,这项活动严格禁止16岁以下的未成年人参加。女性在生理期也建议避开,因为食肉动物对血腥味极其敏感。
如果你对动物的热情一般,那么这里的布什曼人体验(Ancient San Skills Walk)绝对值得一试。桑人被认为是世界上最古老的民族之一,他们拥有近乎神奇的追踪和生存技能。在约一小时的徒步中,当地向导会教你如何辨别泥土里微小的蹄印,如何从看似枯萎的树根中挤出水分,以及如何用两根木棍快速生火。这不是那种刻板的民俗表演,而是与这片土地延续了几万年的对话。纳库塞还专门设立了公益诊所,每年为约4500名桑人提供免费医疗服务,这种深度的社区联结在纳米比亚的旅游项目中并不多见。
说到行程安排,纳库塞距离温得和克市区约1小时车程,距离机场仅30分钟。如果你是晚班机抵达或早班机离开,建议直接住在保护区内的旅舍(Lodge)或别墅。虽然住宿价格不菲,但包含了更私密的活动权限。如果不打算住宿,纯玩项目一定要提前至少一周在官网预订,特别是猎豹步行这种每天名额非常有限的活动。着装方面,千万别穿裙子或带飘带的衣服,在动物眼中,飘动的丝带就像是诱人的猎物。建议穿深色或大地的工装裤,带上一副好的望远镜,你绝对会用到它。
保护区距离霍齐亚·库塔科国际机场(WDH)约42至45公里,驱车前往通常只需要30分钟。这个位置非常适合作为纳米比亚旅行的第一站或最后一站,可以避免在温得和克市区堵车或绕行。
有的。出于安全考虑,猎豹漫步和狞猫步行等近距离接触食肉动物的活动严禁16岁以下儿童参与。未成年人可以选择参加普通的驱车巡游(Game Drive)或食肉动物喂食团,这些活动相对安全且视野极佳。
非常建议提前预订。虽然现场可能有少量余票,但像食肉动物喂食巡游(Carnivore Feeding Tour)和布什曼文化体验这类热门项目经常被旅行团订满。你可以通过纳库塞官网或发邮件提前锁定位子,以确保行程不跑空。
保护区提供多种档次的住宿,包括豪华的纳库塞旅舍(Lodge Room)、独立别墅(Villa)以及相对亲民的丛林营地(Bush Camp)。入住旅客通常可以享受更早的活动时间预约,还能在清晨听到保护区内狮吼和狒狒的叫声,体验非常独特。
根据2024至2025年的最新价格参考,最基础的食肉动物喂食活动约为840纳元,而像猎豹漫步、犀牛追踪等深度项目单价通常在1600至1800纳元之间。建议出发前查看官网获取最新报价,因为价格会随季节和汇率小幅波动。
Gopi Nathan Cheetah can go from zero to 45 miles an hour in just two and a half seconds. The bad news: They've gone from a healthy worldwide population of 100,000 to as few as 7,500 in a little over a century. One of the few places where Cheetah can be seen is Naankuse Wildlife Sanctuary . Between a quarter and a third of those cheetahs live here in Namibia, more than in any other country. Namibia is a leader in preserving the future of this fast feline. The city of Otjiwarongo, Namibia, is home to the world's only center for cheetah genetics, where the first cheetah conceived through in-vitro fertilization was born in 2007. Hopefully with some help, these record-setting cats are on the fast track to recovery.
Vinciane Klein This is the most beautiful place on earth. Imagine taking your breakfast on the terrace surrounded by giraffes, zebras, Antilopes, springboks, ostriches, and kudus. Yes, it is possible. Coming 20 m from the terrace... Whether you go to Naankuse Windhoek, Neuras, Timbila, or Kanaan, you will experience that feeling only Africa can give you. It just goes under your skin, that peaceful and powerful feeling...the lodges and accommodations are perfect, the staff is very professional and any activities you do perfectly arranged from sunrise, sunset, game drives, etc. Also, the schools and research centres are very interesting to visit. The anti poaching and K9 brigades are super impressive. All are worth a visit . A place you will never forget!
Vikram Jhajj Absolutely brilliant. Attended a conservation medicine course here. Sensational set up, knowledgeable staff and moreover, extremely friendly. Would thoroughly recommend it as a volunteering place or as a location to see the Namibian wild.
Angela Taylor We had a wonderful experience during our half day trip to the sanctuary for the "Roots of Na'an ku se Tour" (formerly called the "Carnivore Feeding Tour"). Our guide, Jensen, was very knowledgeable about the animals and was able to answer all our questions. We saw wild dogs, baboons, caracal, cheetahs, and leopards. We unfortunately didn't get to see the lions since they were doing a health check on them, but it was still a great and informative tour. It's nice knowing that injured or semi-domesticated animals have a place to live out a peaceful life if they can't be released back into the wild. Each enclosure we saw has multiple hectares of space for the animals to roam freely.
Kexin Liu Fascinating adventure in my life. Definitely a destination to review yourself and find the true you with all types of wild lives around.