Damaraland & Kaokoland

Venturing inland from the Skeleton Coast, the bleak, foggy and desolate landscape along the seaboard soon gives way to new biomes. The coastal plains incline towards the desert mountains before the ground levels out onto Namibia's central plateaus. Damaraland lies to the east of the Skeleton Coast, occupying the transitional zone between coast and inland plateau. Above this is the region of Kaokoland. These are the lands of the resilient Himba and Damara tribes and home to a clutch of familiar African species, who seem to have defied all odds and adapted to survive the inconceivably tough conditions.

 

Damaraland

The name of this region comes from the Damara people who live here and constitute a large share of its very low population. The region is also home to a variety of game including zebra, giraffe, antelope, elephant and black rhino. Damaraland is famous for its numerous, intriguing natural landmarks such as the Petrified Forest, the volcanic Burnt Mountain and the basalt Organ Pipes, a peculiar geological feature comprising numerous 12 ft high dolerite columns. Damaraland incorporates the Brandberg, Twyfelfontein and Spitzkoppe and is also renowned for its incredible prehistoric rock paintings and engravings.

 

Kaokoland

Here, the conditions are even harsher than in Damaraland - and the ability of certain animals to survive the intensely arid conditions is even more startling. There are gemsbok, kudu, springbok, ostrich, giraffe, mountain zebra and small numbers of rhino. But the most astonishing inhabitant of this inhospitable region must surely be the desert elephant. Kaokoland is extremely remote and, once you leave the Sesfontein-Opuwo tourist route, there is virtually no traffic. There are a few scattered villages but they have absolutely no services whatsoever. Heading off into this region as an independent traveller is without a doubt the reserve of the intrepid!

Photographs by kind permission of Dana Allen, Michael Poliza and Wilderness Safaris