Equipped with incredible lands unspoilt by human activity, Namibia is dedicated to lovers of wide open spaces and wilderness. Its spectacular and unmissable red dunes that sweep across the Namib River will remain forever etched in your memory. Big Daddy, as they call the highest of these ladies, will surely leave more than one at her feet! From the famous and arid Kalahari Desert to Victoria Falls in the northeast tip, the contrasting landscapes are endless and unlike each other. The sunsets are breathtaking. In short, you are amazed and amazed by so much beauty. And a trip to Namibia is also an opportunity to meet its indigenous peoples, such as the Himbas, for a unique immersion
A journey to the land of infinite horizons
A singular diversity lives in these immense lands of Southern Africa and surprises are multiplying every day. The magnificent Fish River Canyon, the Namib and the fascinating Tiras Mountains, the impressive Sandwich Harbour site, the fur seal colonies chatting on the banks of Cape Cross, the majestic pink flamingos of the Walvis Bay lagoon, the shipwrecks on the Skeleton Coast, the rocks and rock paintings of Damaraland... Nothing will leave you indifferent. As for wildlife, there is no shortage of it! Etosha National Park and its salt marsh, unique in Africa, offer the promise of an exciting safari. All the species you dream of seeing one day are likely to show up. The private conservancies and reserves, the northwestern national parks and Zambezi, which flirt with the Okavango delta, also have some nice surprises in store. In terms of accommodation, Namibia offers a range of high-quality lodges, houses or guest farms, most of which are located in sumptuous settings, in harmony with the environment. Independent travellers who opt for camping will discover the luxury of fully equipped vehicles with tents on the roof and an incredible sense of freedom. Namibia is a destination of choice in Africa because it is so easy to travel and circulate safely. What about the Namibians in all this? Who is hiding behind such postcard landscapes? Hereros, Himbas, Bushmen, Namas... It would be foolish not to meet these indigenous peoples, they are also the ones who make up the history and culture of this country. These meetings will be unforgettable moments of sharing and it would be a pity to leave this new cultural window closed. Let yourself be carried away by the magnificence of the decor, the generosity of the souls who live there and the percussions of life that surround them..
Kaokoland, land of theimbas
Kaokoland is an inhospitable land with magnificent landscapes. It is also the refuge of the Himbas, the famous "red people", one of the last peoples on earth to know how to live in harmony with the wild nature. A trip to this region is a real adventure, in every sense of the word, a cultural, naturalistic, geographical and geological adventure, but also a logistical one, hence the advice to use the services of a specialized guide who will be able to face the difficulty of the trails, preserve the fragile ecosystem of this region and have the right cultural approach.
The Hartmann and Marienfluss valleys to the northwest offer an incredible experience, out of time and space in Namibia's most remote region. The landscapes are of absolute beauty. It takes several days of 4X4 or a few hours by air taxi to reach them. The Epupa Falls, which some people compare beautifully to Victoria Falls, are accessible by 4x4, but do not require much driving experience. Together with Opuwo, they are the two main destinations in Kaokoland that are easily accessible to the public. For the others, a knowledgeable guide of the region will be essential.
Most travellers will arrive in Kaokoland by Damaraland (Sesfontein) or from the west along Etosha on the C35. Tracks C35, C41 and C43 are suitable for all types of vehicles. The one connecting Opuwo to Epupa Falls has been redone and no longer requires 4X4s. Off these roads bordering the east side of Kaokoland, the tracks are very difficult and require not only the off-road vehicle, but above all the experience of this type of driving. The further northwest you go, the tighter the mountains get. It cannot be repeated often enough, for many reasons (including passenger safety and respect for the Himba people and the environment), it is strongly recommended to take a specialized guide to the region to explore Kaokoland.
A nomadic pastoral people
Zebra mountains carved out of barren gorges, a kingdom of rockery and dry bush, Kaokoland reveals its intimate survival strengths to anyone who wishes to immerse themselves for a moment in the heart of a life of the early ages. Here, time seems to have stopped. It is the country of the Himbas, a nomadic pastoralist people who have lived in this region for more than four centuries, far from Western influences. Away from the track, a few red earth huts encircling a kraal built of thorny branches shelter a Himba family for a season. Their faces with fine features, their torsos and their naked limbs, shine under the fat reddened by hematite powder. Women's ankles and wrists are surrounded by copper jewellery, their breasts decorated with shells, and their hair braided and coated. Men wear leather, metal and horn necklaces. Their bodies have in space the tight force of metal. All are dressed in extravagant goatskins tied on their hips. Even sleeping children lie in a leather pocket attached to their mothers' backs. The dirt tracks sink into the mountains, which appear impenetrable and bathed in milky light. At the heart of this tangle of ridges and valleys is silence. From rock to rock, the tires grab one by one, hesitate on the bumps, rest gently in the hollows, evoking the slow pace of the chameleon.
Large areas of land that are home to a variety of wildlife
The vast lands of Kaokoland extend over approximately 50,000 km², between the 17th and 20th parallels, and 12° and 15° of longitude. The altitude varies from 600 to 1,200 m, with a peak of 2,039 m in the Baynes Mountains. The mountainous terrain ranges from low dolomite hills in the south to more imposing mountain ranges in the north of the region, including the Baynes and Otjihipa mountains where some Tjimbas survive, according to their ancestral hunting and gathering way of life. Temperatures are high in summer (often above 35°C), especially in the beds of the Hoanib and Kunene rivers, and can reach 5°C on winter nights (June, July, early August). The vegetation is also very contrasting: vast grassy plains (Marienfluss, Hartmann Valley...), savannah dotted with mopanes and Terminalia prunoides on the central escarpment, drier rocky areas where there are many commiphores, almost tropical vegetation near Epupa Falls, with many trees Combretum imberbes.
The region is home to the famous desert elephants and the last wild black rhinos in Africa as well as some rare lions, leopards and spotted hyenas. Among the many ungulates found in the territory are springbok, oryx, kudu, dik-dik damara, one of the smallest antelopes in Africa, feeding on the low leaves of trees and peacefully coexisting with the larger antelopes.
Ornithologists will be able to hang on to their binoculars to try to spot the few birds endemic to Kaokoland: the white-tailed lanyard, the herero traps, the Rüppell parrot, the Monteiro hornbill, the bare-cheeked craterapus and, among the rarest in southern Africa, the Cinderella waxbill, the size of the blue waxbill, or cordon-bleu of Angola, but at the head, chest, wings and back in grey blue, with bright red lower back and sides, black tail and thin black circle around the eyes.
Smart info
When? When? Sporadic rains from November to March, dry season from April to October. The Board futé : April-June and September-October.
Getting there. From French-speaking countries, you have to go through Johannesburg and then take a connection to Windhoek
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