Explore the Kaokoveld

This is 4×4 country. The former homeland of the Himba is too dry for agriculture and has hardly been developed at all. You will need a 4×4, decent camping equipment and enough supplies to venture into these stunning valleys and mountain passes. There is no public transport, hitching is near impossible and you’ll have to be lucky not to get stuck in a 2WD. If you and your vehicle are looking for a challenge this is it. Van Zyl’s Pass will push even experienced drivers to their limits.

Kaokoland is not for the faint-hearted but don’t be intimidated. If you are well equipped and know which roads to take, this part of Namibia holds desert mountains, waterfalls and wildlife exclusive to this area. Also get to meet the Himba people. You know the ladies with the red mud all over them? That’s them and in this area they haven’t been corrupted and disturbed by masses of tourism.

The Himba People

If there is one thing the Kaokoveld is rich in, it’s elbow-space. The area has a population density of two square kilometres per person. 5,000 of the 16,000 people living in this area belong to the Himba. You probably will have seen a photograph of a Himba women already. The braided hair and almost naked skin are covered in a mixture of red mud and fat. Artistic neck and ankle bracelets complete the picture. Due to the inaccessibility and aridness Kaokoland the Himba in this area still live in a fairly traditional manner. The semi-nomadic Himba herd cattle and goats. They have cone-shaped huts, moving from one to another to feed the cattle. Hardly touched by Christian missionaries the Himba still have strong ancestral beliefs with each family keeping an ancestral fire. The absence of westernisation can also be seen in the traditional clothing. The Himba go topless in the Namibian heat with the women covering themselves in the red otjize paste, which protects them from the sun.

Desert Elephants

Another inhabitant bringing fame to the Kaokoveld area is the desert dwelling elephant. The desert elephants are something close to a wonder surviving in extremely hot and dry conditions. Only an intimate knowledge of the scarce food and water sources in the area keeps them alive. They are invaluable to other species as well digging for water and making it accessible to other desert dwellers.

Epupa Falls

Rivers from the Highlands of Angola feed the Kunene river on the Namibian boarder to make the fastest flowing river in Namibia. The Kunene boasts some spectacular waterfalls in the otherwise dry and arid Kaokoland. Among 500 metres of parallel channels flowing over the edge the steepest drop is about 40 metres.

Marienfluss and Van Zyl’s Pass

This valley to the east of the Hartmann’s Mountains meets the Kunene to the north. Look out for fairy circles, a phenomenon almost exclusively fond in the Marienfluss valley. People have long been searching for an explanation for these round naked spots in the grassland. Apparently these red craters in the landscape are due to termites eating up to 12 metre holes into the vegetation.

If you feel up to the challenge take the Van Zyl’s Pass into the valley. This is the most challenging piece of road a car can drive in Namibia. It can only be driven downhill into the valley as the other direction is too dangerous.

Purros and Sesfontein

Take a 5-hour drive from the regions largest town Opuwo to the remote village of Purros. Here on the Hoarusib river you stand good chances of finding the desert dwelling elephants or even a desert lion.

Travel a little further to Sesfontein to find more picturesque mountain scenery and an old German fort now turned tourist accomodation.