Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Elephant Song Camp $
( 064-403829; campsite per person N$80)
Community-run Elephant Song is located in
the Palmwag Concession, a very rough 25km down the Hoanib River from Sesfontein.
This camp caters to outdoorsy types, with great views, hiking, birdwatching and the
chance to see rare desert elephants.
CAMPGROUND
Getting There & Away
From Okongwati, the westward route through Etengwa leads to either Van Zyl's Pass or
Otjihaa Pass. From Okauwa (with a landmark broken windmill) to the road fork at Otjit-
anda (which is a Himba chief's
kraal
), the journey is extremely rough and slow going -
along the way, stop for a swim at beautiful Ovivero Dam. From Otjitanda, you must de-
cide whether you're heading west over Van Zyl's Pass (which may only be traversed from
east to west!) into Otjinjange (Marienflüss) and Hartmann's Valleys, or south over the
equally beautiful but much easier Otjihaa Pass towards Orupembe.
You can also access Otjinjange (Marienflüss) and Hartmann's Valleys without crossing
Van Zyl's Pass by turning north at the three-way junction in the middle of the Onjuva
Plains, 12km north of Orupembe. At the T-junction in Rooidrum (Red Drum), you can de-
cide which valley you want. Turn right for Otjinjange (Marienflüss) and left for Hart-
mann's. West of this junction, 17km from Rooidrum, you can also turn south along the
fairly good route to Orupembe, Purros (provided that the Hoarusib River isn't flowing)
and on to Sesfontein.
Alternatively, you can head west from Opuwo on the D3703, which leads 105km to
Etanga; 19km beyond Etanga, you'll reach a road junction marked by a stone sign painted
with white birds. At this point, you can turn north toward Otjitanda (27km away) or south
towards Otjihaa Pass and Orupembe.
The Skeleton Coast
This treacherous coast - a foggy region with rocky and sandy coastal shallows - has long
been a graveyard for unwary ships and their crews, hence its forbidding name. Early Por-
tuguese sailors called it
As Areias do Inferno
(The Sands of Hell), as once a ship washed
ashore, the fate of the crew was sealed. This protected area stretches from Sandwich Har-
bour, south of Swakopmund, to the Kunene River, taking in around 2 million hectares of
dunes and gravel plains to form one of the world's most inhospitable waterless areas.
