The Himba People
More than anything, Kaokoland and Epupa is the land of the fascinating Himba people, one of world's last nomadic tribes.
The Himba are a traditional, pastoral people, relying upon herds of drought-resistant cattle, hunting, and gathering for their survival. They look and live like no other people in Africa.
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One of the most striking things about the Himba is the colour of their skin and hair and their unique way of dressing. They smear their skin with a mixture of cattle fat, ash, and ochre to protect themselves from the harsh desert climate and the merciless sun above.
As an additional bonus, the paste gives the Himba a deep red colour that is a highly desirable look in the Himba culture and is very striking to look at. The women wear small skirts made of goat skins adorned with shells and jewellery made of iron and copper. The men and boys wear goatskin loin cloths.
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Their houses are simplistic cone-shaped structures made with saplings covered in mud and dung.
Until the late 1980's, people living in the area relied entirely on a hunter-gatherer existence, using only stone implements. For the most part, the Himba people are still unaffected by modern civilization and are a rare and unique people to experience.
Epupa Falls Lodge offers daily, guided tours to some of the different seasonal Himba settlements in the region. To avoid disturbing or ruining the Himba's way of life and their fragile culture, we visit different settlements on a rotation basis and only with a knowledgeable Himba guide - all depending on the whereabouts and seasonal migration of the Himba.
Epupa Falls
Just a few minute's walk downstream from Epupa Falls Lodge—but out of earshot—you will find the Epupa Falls, a series of cascades that drop a total of 60 m over a distance of about 1.5 km, reaching a maximum width of 500 m. Originating from the Herero word for the spume created by falling water, Epupa is a fitting name for this fascinating sight.
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To quote the Bradt Travel Guide, "Epupa Falls don't compare to Victoria Falls in scale, they are all the more beautiful for occurring in such an arid region." Nowhere else in the world do you find a waterfall contrasted with such wild, arid desert landscape.
Watching the Epupa Falls and its white mists of water against the red colours of the surrounding desert and mountains during sunset, with a sundowner drink in one hand and your camera or binoculars in the other, is likely to make up one the most beautiful and memorable experiences during your trip to Namibia.
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However, Epupa Falls is not just a great place to see and photograph. It is also a great place to go for a dip in one of the hundreds of natural pools gradually carved out of the rocks over millennia by the torrents of the falling water.
And even if you don't feel like a dip yourself, sitting back and watching the Himba people bathing, washing, and playing in the water is an experience in itself.
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Plants and Animals
Despite its seemingly harsh desert climate, Kaokoland has an intriguing array of flora and fauna.
Animals
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While many of the big game were sadly killed during the independence war, particularly elephants, rhinos, and hippos, these charismatic creatures, including the fascinating desert elephants, are slowly returning to the region. Other animals includes kudu, zebra, baboons, black-faced impala, crocodiles, and porcupines.
The Kunene river also enjoys a rich bird life. More than 240 different bird species have been counted so far, of which about 10 are endemic to the region. At our lodge, 2-meter-long water monitors can almost always be seen on our beach.
The charming cape otter resides close to the dining area, on the other side of the river, and crocodiles are often seen basking in the sun (but prevented by the steep river banks from entering the lodge area).
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Plants
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Flora typical for the region include the nakalani palm trees as well as ficus and anna trees, mopanis, boababs, and maroelas. Endemic plants include the kaoko kobas, the Kunene black thorn, slender corkwood and brown-stem corkwood which has traditionally been used for magic medicine by the locals.
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The trumpet thorn and the purple-pot terminalia are also found in the region, as is the famous hoodia plant, which has become a popular slimming remedy in recent years and has been used for centuries by the bushmen to suppress hunger.
In addition, you will find plenty of Euphorbia plants. From February through April, the plant blossoms with beautiful pink flowers. |
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Kunene Rivers
Snaking its way through the arid desert landscape of northern Namibia, forming a natural border to Angola, the Kunene River is perhaps one of the loneliest rivers in Africa. And one of the most enticing.
Flowing steadily from the Angola highlands south to the border with Namibia and then west along the border until it reaches the Atlantic Ocean, it is one of the few perennial rivers in Namibia.
With its constant flow of water it creates a lush, slim oasis along its banks that acts a natural magnet to people and animals alike from all over the region. Whether meandering along the river on foot or gliding down the river in one of our rafts you will likely see Himba men, women, and children coming down to the river to collect water, bathe, play, or wash their clothes.
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Set right on the riverside, Epupa Falls Lodge offers you a rare opportunity to kick back, relax with a good book, a pair of binoculars, or perhaps a cool drink from the lounge and enjoy the dozens of rare birds building their nests in the treetops, the gurgling sounds of the passing water, and the feeling that time has ceased to exist.
Along its course, only a few minute's walk from Epupa Falls Lodge, the Kunene tumbles through the Epupa Falls - another highlight of your visit to Epupa. |
Kaokoland
Kaokoland is one of the last remaining wilderness areas in Southern Africa with some of Namibia's highest mountain ranges. It is a world of incredible serenity and hauntingly beautiful mountain scenery that stuns the eye and touches the soul. It's vast. Silent. Magical.
Bordered on the south by the Hoanib river and by the Kunene river in the north, this is where the real Africa begins. Journeying here is like journeying back in time, before the time of cell phones, automobiles, electricity, and television, where life goes on undisturbed and unimpressed by modern civilization. It is one of the last refugees for the black rhino, and home to the famous desert elephants that roam freely in this region.
The area surrounding Epupa Falls Lodge consists of richly coloured rock walls, and the lush Kunene river that snakes through the landscape creating a thin green oasis that gives life to a variety of exotic trees including the wild fig, baobabs, and waving makalani palms. Spectacular sunsets and the river's perennially flowing waters mean that the area offers much to see and experience.
Completely untouched, this landscape has remained the same for thousands of years and yet always seems to change. From the soft pastels and deep shadows of the early morning and late afternoon to the harsh and rugged landscape of the midday sun, you will find that what at first seems devoid of life, slowly begins to come to life, as if the mountains themselves are breathing and have a soul of their own.
Kaokoland is simply magical. There is no better way to describe it, and no other way but to experience it.
Recommended reading about the area includes:
- 'Kaokoland: The Last Wilderness' by Anthony Hall-Martin, Clive Walker, J. du P. Bothma
- 'Himba Nomads & Namibia' by Margaret Jacobsohn
- 'Skeleton Coast' by Amy Schoeman
- 'The Place of Stunted Ironwood Trees: A Year in the Lives of the Cattle-Herding Himba of Namibia' by David P. Crandall
- Heat, Dust and Dreams: An Exploration of People and Environment in Namibia's Kaokoland and Damaraland' by Mary Rice and Craig Gibson
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