The Kaokoland Route

Route drawn in blue.  Most roads are gravel and not all roads are shown on this map.  A few nights will be spent in campgrounds where possible but most nights will be spent camping in the desert, including dry riverbeds.

Northwest Namibia

Where the Heck is Kaokoland?

Kaokoland is in the far North West region of Namibia. This remote area lacks many basic services, including petro availability. Our expedition will include 6 vehicles with 2 people each except for one. All are Namibian citizens, except me!!!! The lone American outsider feels very fortunate to have been included. Without many services this will be a car camping experience par excellance as Namibians really know how to camp. I am quite interested in learning the techniques and equipment they use…watch this space for more information...

Kaokoland Expedition Team

Salome Visser

There will be 11 people in 6 vehicles on the trip.  Here is what I know of my travel companions thus far...

Salome is a former anthropologist. She owned a lodge in the Caprivi for 10 years about which she has written a book. She loves nature and is a registered Namibia guide. And if that’s not enough, she is an excellent shot with a gun!!

Rita Le Roux

Nico Le Roux

 Nico and Rita Le Roux are formerly from South Africa but have been living in Namibia longer than they can remember. They are avid campers and have travelled throughout Namibia, Angola, Botswana, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Achievements include traversing the entire Skeleton Coast of Namibia and the “acre of death” in Angola. Their delightful sense of humor make them an excellent addition to the team!

Dawn and Bertie Botha

Dawn and Bertie are retired and living on the coast of Namibia.  Dawn's hobbies include painting in both watercolor and oil.  Bertie has compiled an excellent collection of gems and is extremely knowledgable regarding gems and the rocks in which they are found.  He has collected many gems from Namibia including the beautiful "mandarin" garnet found only in the Kunene River. He and I will have our rock hammers ready on this trip!

Martie and Leon Hugo

Leon and Martie Hugo

The Henties Bay doctor and his wife the nurse!  Leon is the only doctor between Henties Bay and the Kenune River, which is the Namibian border with Angola. Good additions to the team although I hope they won't need to work during the trip!

Roelof and Rykie - Rudolph is a Gynecologist from South Africa...more to follow

Tom Wiley - Friend of Dawn and Bertie for 40 years.  His wife doesn't like these trips!...more to follow

Trip to Kaokoland Sept 9-26, 2011

Kaokoland…remote, isolated and beautiful north west Namibia. Follow posts for the entire trip: the planning, the team, and actual events.

Road to Soussus Vlei Namibia

What will we see? notes from the web...

"East of the Skeleton Coast Park lies a very rugged area that is one of Namibia’s most scenic regions – Kaokoland. Pronounce it “Coco-land” to sound like you know your apples! It is a starkly beautiful landscape of table top mountains, cone shaped hills, and rock- strewn plains where desert dwelling elephant, rhino and giraffe roam. The region is also home the home of the nomadic Himba people, who migrate seasonally with their herds of livestock in search of grazing, much as they did a century ago. Covering some 49,500km sq, Kaokoland stretches from the Hoanib River northward to the Kunene. Among its scenic attractions are the Epupa and Ruacana Falls, as well as the rapids at Enyandi and Ondorusu.

Though wildlife encounters are rare, you may be lucky enough to see giraffe, mountain zebra, gemsbok, black-faced impala, springbok. The northern border of Namibia follows the perennial Kunene River through an almost barren landscape towards the Skeleton Coast and the northern reaches of the Namib Desert. Two of southern Africa's rarest birds - the cinderella waxbill and the rufous-tailed palm thrush - live in the tropical belt of vegetation along the river."