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Kunene in the Northwest lies Ovamboland, home to almost 2/3 of Namibia's population.
Geographically and geologically this region is part of the immense Kalahari system that
extends from Northern South Africa to the Congo basin. |
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Between the Okavango in the Northeast and the
Kunene in the Northwest lies Ovamboland, home to almost 2/3 of Namibia's population.
Geographically and geologically this region is part of the immense Kalahari system that
extends from Northern South Africa to the Congo basin.
Situated in the central north, is one of the largest parks in Africa, Etosha National Park covering some 22 270km².
It owes its unique landscape to the Etosha Pan, a vast shallow depression of approximately
5 000km². A series of waterholes along the southern edge of the pan guarantee rewarding
and often spectacular game viewing. In exceptionally good rain years the floodwaters reach
the plains and watercourses in central Ovamboland and even reach the Etosha pan. |
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Etosha National Park |
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 » Etosha National Park: Etosha is one of the
largest and most impressive game reserves in the whole of Africa. The Ovambo name Etosha,
means “place of dry water” - and the reserve was named this because of the vast,
shallow salt pan which shimmers a silvery bright-white, from salt across its ... Etosha
Park » |
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Damaraland and Kaokoland |
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Dominated by rugged mountain ranges and steep
escarpments, ancient highlands and barren valleys, scorched by a relentless desert sun and
inhabited almost exclusively by the unique semi-nomadic Himba tribe, Kaokoland is probably
Namibia's least visited and accessible, but certainly most fascinating region. Reaching
from the Brandberg in the central Namib Desert up to the Kunene River and bordering
Angola, Kaokoland covers an area of approximately 50 000km². Even though the areas south
and Southwest of Sesfontein down to the Brandberg and Uis are regarded as Damaraland, this
delimitation is of political origin while geographically it is part of Kaokoland. The
cattle breeding Himba still freely roam over the wide pastures of the highlands.
Wildlife is abundant and varied, offering encounters with the famous desert elephant that
roam the riverbeds and adjacent Mopane woodlands in continuous search for food, or
numerous herds of mountain zebra and springbok.
Forests of Makalani palms skirt the course of the Kunene River and give shadow at the
multitudinous fountains amongst the soft rolling hills of the central plateau. After some
good rains, the Marienfluß valley becomes a refuge for immense herds of Oryx, Hartman
Zebra and elusive desert elephants. The Kunene River, cut its course through to the
Atlantic Ocean leaving behind spectacular water falls such as Ruacana and Epupa. |
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Caprivi Strip |
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| The 450 km long Caprivi Strip, in
northeastern Namibia, is a typical example of colonial Realpolitik. Named after Chancellor
Prince Bismarck's successor Count Von Caprivi, the English Crown in 1890 ceded this narrow
corridor to the German Empire, in exchange for Zanzibar and Uganda, which had been
occupied by Germany. Caprivi is Namibia's most tropical region and four of the countries
six permanent rivers flow along and through this corridor: The Okavango, the Kwando the
Chobe and the Zambezi. |
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Kavango |
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| The Okavango River is most certainly one of
Africa's last remaining natural paradises. Before disappearing under the sand masses of
the Kalahari the river branches out into an immense delta covering ca. 15.000km². The
Okavango and the delta are home to some rare species such as the Sitatunga antelope or the
Cape Hunting Dogs. The slow flowing and permanent waters promote the formation of
intricate Papyrus labyrinths, the growth of extensive covers of water Hyacinths, and the
countless Palm groves indicate the ancient roads of elephants. |
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Bushmanland |
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| In the Northeast lies one of the country's
least known regions: Bushmanland, with Tsumkwe as its capital. Presently home to more than
15 000 Bushmen; the San people once roamed much vaster African spaces. Many traditional
skills are still alive in the hunter-gatherer culture in this area, and a visit to the
nearby Khaudum Game Reserve gives additional insight into the life of the hunter-gatherer.
This is a densely wooded wilderness that can mainly be explored in 4x4 vehicles |
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« Namibia Game Reserves and
Parks | South Africa Game
Reserves » |
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