Kaokaland West

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Kaokaland West

is a wild desert area

with Himba tribespeople

truly wild country, a privilege to explore

Set in the extreme northwest of Namibia, Kaokaland West is a very little-visited area of remarkable desert scenery, isolated Himba tribespeople and a miraculous river which runs incongruously through the middle of an ocean of sand.

The area is anchored in the south by the frontier village of Purros, on the ephemeral Hoarusib River. A pretty area of riverine forest immediately east of the village sometimes contains some impressive desert wildlife, including giraffes, elephants and baboons. To the west the river has cut a dramatic ravine, also populated with wildlife, which would eventually lead you to the Skeleton Coast, where entry to that area is not strictly forbidden.

Running northwards from Purros is the famously remote Hartmann Valley. Wildlife is much more sparse up here, just the occasional herds of oryx and mountain zebras.

Remarkably there are Himba tribespeople living in this arid terrain. Very much living in their traditional manner, these people are wonderfully hardy and yet very hospitable.

In the extreme north of the region the miraculous Kunene River cuts through these desert landscapes, a remarkable ribbon oasis which sustains both the people and wildlife through the harsh dry season. On this southern side, huge dune-fields cascade over a ridge of red basalt cliffs down to meet the river, in stark contrast to the bare grey rock across in Angola. Surprisingly there is little wildlife along the Kunene, other than birds, baboons and crocodiles, but the scenery is mind-blowing.

Kaokaland West is a fabulously remote and scenically majestic part of the world.

The area is anchored in the south by the frontier village of Purros, on the ephemeral Hoaruseb River.

A pretty riverine area east of the village sometimes contains some impressive desert wildlife.

Running northwards is the famously remote Hartmann Valley.

Wildlife is much more sparse up here, just the occasional herds of oryx and mountain zebras.

Remarkably there are Himba tribespeople living in this arid terrain.

Very much living in their traditional manner, these people are wonderfully hardy and yet hospitable.

In the extreme north the miraculous Kunene River cuts through these desert landscapes, providing an unexpected ribbon of life.

But there is surprisingly little wildlife along the Kunene, other than birds, baboons and crocodiles.

The primary activity is vehicle safari, whether looking for animals or simply journeying from place to place.

This is also a truly great area for walking and hiking.

One of the lodges also offers the most spectactular quad-biking in the dunes.

Self-drivers can only access to the southern part of this area, around Purros.

The best way to visit is as part of a longer private guided expedition, bivouac camping along the way.

By far the easiest, but also the most expensive way is to fly into one of the two remote lodges up on the Kunene River.

Gallery

Map

Unfortunately, the fabulous Kaokaland West area features relatively rarely in trips, due to the time and financial commitment that it requires.

The usual stay duration is 1-2 nights when passing through on mobile expeditions, 3-4 nights when visiting one lodge, 4-8 nights when combining two lodges.

Seasonality

The climate in Kaokaland West is relatively stable and the area can be visited year round, although the most popular period is the long Apr-Dec dry season.

Getting around

There are three main ways to get around Namibia and visit Kaokaland West …

Self-drive

The first option is to self-drive, which is reasonably safe and easy to do. The upside is that it is by far the lowest cost way to get around. The downside is that, for safety reasons, you are obliged to stick to a relatively limited network of main roads locations.

The Kaokaland North area is relatively rarely visited by self-drivers. Having said that, the village of Purros is reachable to those who are suitably equipped and determined.

Flying safari

The second option is to travel around by light aircraft. This is both a great deal easier and enables you to access some wonderfully remote locations. The downside is that it’s much more expensive, as much as three times the price of self-drive.

By far the most common way to access the remote camps in this area is to fly in by light aircraft, which is fabulous and easy, but inherently expensive.

Guided overland expedition

The third option is guided overland safari, which enables you to really explore the truly wild and wonderful parts of the country. The downsides are that this can be quite an arduous way to travel and can become quite costly.

Guided overland expeditions tend to often include the Kaokaland West area, which is prime territory for this style of exploration.

Combinations

Many of the very best trips to Namibia combine two or three of these ways of travelling around.

We always include all connecting transport in your trip unless you specifically ask us not to.

Where to stay

It is important to appreciate that the Kaokaland West area contains two very different safari areas, with two distinct clusters of accommodation options …

The Purros area is the furthest north that self-drivers regularly reach and the village has a number of very simple lodges and campgrounds to service this small flow of vehicles. Just north of Purros lies the relatively upmarket Okahirongo Elephant Camp, which is more commonly reached by air. All of the accommodation options in this area provide access to the wildlife areas of the Hoarusib Valley and cultural interaction with local Himba tribespeople.

Much further north in and way beyond the range of self-drivers, the Kunene River is home to another cluster of accommodation options, centred on the renowned and very upmarket Serra Cafema Lodge.