Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
dition to good navigation skills in order to properly explore the Namib. Truly this is one
place where the journey itself is worth much more than the destination.
Sights
CANYON
Kuiseb Canyon
Offline map
Located on the Gamsberg Pass route west of the Khomas Hochland, Kuiseb Canyon con-
tains the ephemeral Kuiseb River, which is no more than a broad sandy riverbed for most
of the year. Although it may flow for two or three weeks during the rainy season, it only
gets as far as Gobabeb before seeping into the sand. At Rooibank, drinking water for
Walvis Bay is pumped from this subterranean supply.
It was in Kuiseb Canyon that the famous geologists Henno Martin and Hermann Korn
went into hiding for three years during WWII, as recounted in Martin's book
The Shelter-
ing Desert
. Today, the canyon's upper reaches remain uninhabited, though there are
scattered Topnaar Khoikhoi villages where the valley broadens out near the north riverb-
ank.
