Kaokoveld | Damaraland | Namibia

"This tour provides adventurous self-drive travellers with a mix of remote wilderness places, memorable wildlife encounters, stunning scenery, diverse cultural highlights, challenging driving conditions, ancient geological formations, and wonderful photographic opportunities!"

Kaokoveld Desert Elephants and Himba Tour

Tour highlights:

• Exciting driving challenges across varied terrain
• Khowarib Schlucht with its deep sand and 'dust holes'
• Epupa Falls on the Kunene River
• Opportunity to visit a Himba village, giving insight into their culture and traditions
• Van Zyl's Pass - a rugged and steeply-descending route through the mountains
• Spectacular Marienfluss Valley with its grasslands situated between high mountain ranges
• Panoramic scenery, including the Hartmann's Valley, Purros and Amspoort areas
• Secluded campsites and bush-camps
• Opportunity to see desert-adapted elephants, giraffe and other wildlife of the Kaokoveld

This adventure is for anyone who is interested in an unrivalled wilderness, cultural and driving experience. This may be one of the last opportunities to experience the untouched beauty of Namibia's arid north-west region... Read about our May 2007 tour to the Kaokoveld with Getaway Magazine and eight readers in the August edition of the magazine.

This tour offers travellers a combination of remote wilderness places, diverse cultural highlights, ancient geological formations, and wonderful photographic opportunities! Situated in the northwest region of Namibia, the Kaokoveld (now known as the Kunene Region) is one of Africa's great wilderness areas, and an expedition to its more remote areas requires careful thought, planning and preparation.

The Kaokoveld consists of Damaraland and Kaokoland. The southern areas of Damaraland (around Twyfelfontein) are accessible to normal 2WD vehicles. As we move further northwards, population densities decrease and the terrain becomes progressively more challenging. Moving northwards from Warmquelle into the mopane woodlands beyond Opuwo and on to Epupa Falls, then west into the more remote reaches of Kaokoland, well-equipped and self-sufficient 4WD vehicles are essential.

Our tour traverses the domain of the desert-dwelling elephants and giraffe, free-ranging black rhino, and the fascinating pastoral-nomadic Himba people. The towering scenery and chance encounters with the amazing wildlife of the area are undoubtedly a major attraction. But it is the solitude and unrivalled wilderness atmosphere of this generally inhospitable and starkly beautiful region that calls to the adventurer and explorer in each of us! Don't miss this opportunity to join our small-group expedition to this rugged wilderness.

Important notes:

• Passports and vehicle papers are required for entry to Namibia
• Malaria area, therefore anti-malarial prophylaxis strongly advised - consult your doctor or travel clinic
• No off-road trailers / caravans permitted
• Tour cost includes guiding fee, camping costs and three dinners provided by us
• Unfenced campsites and bush-camps in remote areas
• Fuel, water and provisions required for about nine days away from shops and supplies

Check our tour schedule for available tour dates.

Contact us for further information.

We have been on several 4x4 adventures with different tour operators and they have all been outstandingly good! Chris, however, is an exceptionally good guide - he has a calm and collected manner in handling any situation, and is a very good host who made our trip special in every way. It is an outstretched and arid area, yet his calmness and enthusiastic manner suited so well with the total package. The trip was well planned and very professionally managed. The correspondence and guidelines are the most professional that we have read. We highly recommend Chris and Navigators to any person wishing to build memories on 4x4 tracks...!

Rosarie Saaijman

Tour Information

Tour cost includes:

• Tour bookings
• Professional tour leader / guide
• Detailed information pack with GPS points
• Camping costs (14 nights)
• Three dinners provided by us

Off-road driving conditions:

Gravel, corrugations, sand, rock, loose stones, possible water / mud in places

Experience level:

Reasonable, particularly to cope with steep rocky side-slopes, inclines and descents on Van Zyl's Pass. Where required, advice and assistance will be given by your tour leader

Minimum off-road fuel range:

1,200 km

Vehicle requirements:

Good ground clearance, transfer gearbox (hi / lo range), lockable differential/s, strong recovery points front and rear, good set of tyres, spare wheel and 2nd spare

Essential equipment:

Long-range fuel and water tanks, dual battery system with deep-cycle battery, fridge / freezer

Optional / recommended:

29 MHz radio, vehicle snorkel

Recovery gear:

Advanced set-up including Hi-lift jack, jacking plate, spade, tow strap, tree protector, snatch strap, bow- and D-shackles, compressor, tyre guage, tyre repair kit, tyre levers, tyre tube, radiator seed net, spare V-belts, spare oils & fluids, assorted nuts & bolts, etc.

Tour distance:

2,000 km Otjiwarongo to Kaokoveld to Warmquelle