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Namibia 2003

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Namibia 2003 Main

Part 1 Etosha

Part 1a Animals

Part 2 Otjitotongwe

Part 3 Highlands

Part 4 Van Zyl's P.

Part 5 Marienfluss

Part 6 Kaokoveld

Part 7 Damaraland

Part 8 Twyfelfontein

Part 9 Namib

Part 10 Wolwedans

Part 11 Gamsberg

Panorama pics

Namibia '03 Gallery

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last updated: 30-Jul-2005

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Part 3 - Opuwo, Upper Hoarusib and Himba's land

Travel Details

From Otjitotongwe we drove the road towards Opuwo on C35 via Kamanjab, Hobatere. 143 km from Otjitotongwe we turned left on DR3706 and reached Opuwo via Otjondeka, Otjirunda after 90 km. From Opuwo we set out towards Van Zyl's Pass, on the DR3703 to Otjitanda (139 km), which can be considered the start of Van Zyl's Pass.

On our trip in 2005, we took the route from the Western corner of Etosha through Khowarib Gorge to Sesfontein, from where you can follow the alternative road to Opuwo.

Go directly to Opuwo and OpuwoCamp or OpuwoCamp to Van Zyl's Pass.

The road to Opuwo

The road to Otjondeka is tarmac, afterwards it gets shakier; however, you can also stay on the C35 for longer, instead of taking the 3706 shortcut road. Halfway, near Hobatere, you pass the veterinary gate - the hornless cattle before the fence belong to white farms and is supposed to be healthy, the mightily horned beasts after the barrier belong to black people and are more exposed to disease. We picked up two young men in Kamanjab who wanted to go North - on their leave from military service. They spoke only a few words English, but had a beautifully singing dialect.

Opuwo and Opuwo Camp

Opuwo was to be the last possibility to refuel and shop for ca. 1000 km (Sesfontein). So we did. There are several smaller shops (a bakery was closed) and one supermarket in Opuwo. Each magazine about the region boasts a picture of the latter, with Himba women in traditional attire shopping there. Being a melting pot of the various people, Opuwo felt a bit depressing to me: elderly drunken people, workless men, Himba women trying to sell everything from family heirlooms to tourist curios - but there was also a highly interesting football match going on. Football and music unite the cultures.

So we put our kilometer counter to zero while filling both fuel tanks to the rim, left Opuwo behind us soon, and drove westwards along the Steilrand mountains. The first obstacle - or better: adventure - came after ca. 35 km in the form of the upper Hoarusib river which had swollen and was flowing over our path. We did cross it at a ford a little bit to the North, but only after wading it and carefully preparing the cars for their first adventure. The little pass that followed at km 40 was no longer special. However, with dawn coming closer, we started looking for a camp site, and found an appropriate spot not far from the road. Time to build camp for the first time in the wilderness - "Opuwo Camp"! We went to bed early after our braai, having no lights other than gas lamps and stars.


Crossing upper Hoarusib river	Opuwo Camp

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Opuwo Camp to Van Zyl's Pass

We started early the next day. After a few kilometers we crossed the other arm of Hoarusib briefly, and there met a man dressed for work, carrying his briefcase - very obviously on his way to an office. But he was on foot, and far away from anything resembling a village or settlement... Unfortunately he didn't speak much English, and he went in the opposite direction. Only a bit later after Otwazumba (settlement near first radio station) we met a group of Himba women and kids, clad in their traditional way. We had a funny chat with them, with many laughs when they started to "dress up" with our glasses and especially when they noticed Susanita's braces... Only half an hour later, after the mandatory exchange of maize flour and water and common posing for photos, we drove on.

After a road block approx. 15 km after Otwazumba, the road got a bit worse - it turned more to what would be an forestry path in Switzerland. But still very okay to drive on. We passed a football field, perflectly flat with two splendid goal posts - but populated by goats instead of players. Then the village of Etanga (km 103 from Opuwo), later the Y-Junction (km 116) to Otjihaa and Otjitanda (right), respectively. At km 127 is a Himba Chief cemetary, consisting of 4 graves adorned with gravestones but also magnificent bull skulls - surely a holy place, so I used the biggest zoom...

At km 139 we reached Otjitanda primary school - leading me to part 4, Van Zyl's Pass.

Football field with goats -->


Himba Chief Cemetary near Etanga	Landscape near Otjitanda

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