Discovering
Kaokoland Kaokoland extends from the Kunene River southwards across a sparsely populated and harsh environment down to the Hoanib River. The area holds a special allure for lovers of remote and wild places to negotiate its challenging and rugged terrain in four-wheel-drive vehicles. Attractions include the desert-adapted elephants, scattered Himba settlements, the impressive Epupa Falls, off the beaten track destinations such as the expansive Marienfluss and Hartmann valleys, the wild and beautiful Khowarib Schlucht, and Swartbooisdrift, site of a Dorslandtrekker monument. KAOKOLAND’S FAMOUS ‘DESERT ELEPHANTS’
The African elephant, a strong and majestic giant, is a key feature on the plains, in the forest and across other landscapes in Africa. In remote parts of north-western Namibia these gentle giants have adapted to survive in harsh desert conditions.
Elzanne McCulloch
In Kaokoland the desert-adapted elephant’s home ranges cover as much as 3 000 km2, with the animals trekking up to 200 km in search of water. It was thought initially that these elephants were a different species to the African elephant, Loxodonta africana, because they have longer legs, are taller and have larger feet. However, because they have less to eat than their Etosha counterparts, they don’t carry the same body mass, and therefore appear to be taller and have longer legs. But they do have larger feet, an environmental adaptation caused by walking primarily on soft sand all their lives. Kaokoland’s desert-adapted elephants rotate the home ranges that they occupy as the seasons change to where food and water can be found. Herds are led by a matriarch, who is usually the oldest female and has accumulated as much as 30 years’ experience of the climatic 46
