Kaokoveld
Safaris & Excursions with
Introduction
Kaokoveld
- Kunene Region, Namibia | The Kunene Region in north-western Namibia was named after the Kunene River that marks the country's northern border with Angola. It is still far better known by two names that were in common use prior to Namibia's Independence and the set-up of administrative regions, describing its two distinct areas: Damaraland, the southern part famous amongst travellers for the Brandberg Mountain, Twyfelfontein, and Palmwag, and Kaokoveld (or Kaokoland), its scenic northern part that stretches from about Latitude 19°, on which e.g. Fort Sesfontein is situated, all the way north to the Kunene River.
The latter is our home area as well as that of Ombahe Tours and the Ovahimba people. For the sake of our website visitors' and safari guests' orientation, we decided to continue using these area names.
Common natural features across the entire Kunene Region are its pristine beaches along the Atlantic Ocean coastline in the west, the Namib Desert with its majestic mountain ranges in the centre, and Karoo in the east. Due to the predominantly desert environment, rainfall is low at 50 - 200 mm annual average. Especially the area north of Twyfelfontein is home to a large variety of desert-dwelling wildlife such as elephant, rhino, Hartmann zebra, oryx antelope and giraffe to mention just a few.
Apart from a handful of small villages and isolated traditional family settlements inhabited by Damara, Herero, Tjimba and Ovahimba, the population density of the region is less than the already very low national average. Small-scale communal farming remained the mainstay
of these communities whose life-style continued to be ruled by the surrounding wilderness and the different cultural practices they pursue up to this day.
Over the last decade, 26 communities formed community conservation areas, so-called conservancies, in support of country-wide nature conservation efforts. With communities benefiting from this amongst others through eco-tourism, good progress has been made. |
