This extract from the tracks 4 Africa bulletin board (http://www.tracks4africa.co.za/) with kind permission of Wouter Brand

Some Kaokoland info.. Hope this helps.

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Please send my regards to Koos Verwey. Koos is a War veteran (Recce) who forgot to come home when the bush war ended in the late 80's. By default he is angry with the World and a few other planets as well... that goes for tourists to. But Koos is a good man.. he is doing a mammoth conservation task.. He holds the Marien Fluss concession.. If you can get Koos to join a camp fire you will learn a lot (repeat).. because Koos knows.

The many Himba grave sites in Kaokoland (with stacked cattle horns).
The White Himba (Jaco Burger) told me that every one of these represents a 100 cattle the man owned. There is one grave site near Orupembe with 27 stacked horns, which means that, in conservative terms, this guy's assets exceeded R8million (NPV). I wonder if he paid estate tax.

..\photogallery\WouterB & T4A\Otjiwe.gif  (530kb) The White Himba assured me that visits to the Otjiwe Holy Mountain for all NON-HIMBA people are not a problem.. Yet I've left out some detail on T4A Maps.. need to confer with Jan Joubert and it would be great if we can get some more information in this regard. The rule apparently applies only to the Himba people.. and so only mature Himba women are allowed on Mnt Otjiwe.. for the other Himbas it is a definitive NO-GO area...

..\photogallery\WouterB & T4A\TheWhiteHimba.gif  (513kb) You can make it a mission to meet this man... See previous posting..this Forum.

..\photogallery\WouterB & T4A\OviveroDam.gif  (640kb) Only 8 km from Otjitanda and it is a favorite overnight camp spot. I will not camp here. This area has a large cattle population and they drink here. Himba cattle over the years have adopted habits to feed as far as 35km away from water.. they return to drink every 2nd or 3rd day. This return happens at nightfall and often much later... the last 5km and with the smell of water it becomes a stampede.. all over and through un-suspecting overnight camps.. 2 years ago R 30,000 damage to a brand new 4x4

..\photogallery\WouterB & T4A\kaokolandTrails.gif  (60kb) All the trails in Koakoland will display on T4A Map as 'NOT RECOMMENDED'.. for reason discussed many times before on this Forum and www.overland.co.za For two reasons

a) ..\photogallery\WouterB & T4A\hoarusib_vehicles.gif
(60kb) when the Hoarusib river came down April 2004.. It is my understanding the insurance claim here exceeded R1 million.. and

b) Elephants in the riverbeds have killed people before and they will do so again.. and don't be fooled.. EXPERIENCE IS NO GUARANTEE FOR SAFETY.

..\photogallery\WouterB & T4A\VanZylsPass.gif  (506kb) I don't travel van Zyl's.. because you do the pass for more or less two reasons..

a) to break your car and

b) to brag about is afterwards. If you plan do this trail in less than 4 hours you must have a Land Rover or you're about to do something stupid.. If you plan to do this trail with a trailer then please make sure your insurance will cover things (car and people must be included).. To do Kaokoland with trailer is plain stupidity.. end of story... The many trailer wrecks (incl the fancy off-road designs) standing around at Fort Sesfontein are witness to this fact.

..\photogallery\WouterB & T4A\DorslandMemorial.gif  (620kb) The old village (about 0.6 hectare fenced with stones).. the old well is still in operation. There is a nice shade tree and the place makes a fine overnight camp. I've asked permission from the local chief do so, and will recommend you to do the same.

Note there is a set of T4A Paper maps KAOKOLAND (Namibia). They are A3-format with Zulu-7 background.. ..\photogallery\WouterB & T4A\T4A_Kaokoland_NA300.pdf  (390kb) but they don't come cheap and can be ordered only by post. Please contact Bessie at bessie@tracks4africa.com

wouter brand
tracks4africa