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Write a User ReviewDesert Elephants and Rhino
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wilderness and elephant lovers; however, if you’re primarily after the charismatic cats then I would probably give it a miss.
On the Rocks
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chorus of barking geckos, I enjoyed that special brand of wilderness isolation that Namibia has made all its own. What’s more, I did it all in my own humble Toyota Corolla.The Desert Elephants of Damaraland
Just south of Kaokoland, Damaraland is equally barren and a must for those who like to get off the beaten path and experience remote Namibia in all its glory. The undulating, rugged semi-desert landscapes are striking and always make me feel strangely melancholic, and the flora and fauna, though not always abundant, are fascinating.
In particular, Damaraland is known for its black rhinos and desert-dwelling elephants, though both can be hard to find. I’ll never forget the experience of tracking rhino on foot, even though we didn’t actually see any in the end – the sense of total wilderness and the big skies were enough. Seeing elephants in this environment, or any other wildlife for that matter, is equally unforgettable, in part because it seems so unexpected that anything can survive here.
Damaraland also has some of the best eco lodges and camps to be found in Namibia, and fascinating archeological sites like Spitzkoppe, both of which help make the overall safari experience about much more than just wildlife.
Desert Elephants and Black Rhino
Damaraland is a photographer’s dream – with its stunning rocky, desert landscapes, contorted rock formations and huge flat-topped mountains. It is a harsh, unforgiving place, with miles and miles of “nothing” except wilderness and silence. At first glance Damaraland appears devoid of much life, but it is extraordinary the variety of wildlife that manages to survive here. Top of every visitor’s wish list are the desert elephants – it’s truly astonishing to see them plodding across the shimmering landscapes. I also spent a day tracking black rhino. Finally, after 8 hours with my guide, one appeared from behind a euphorbia bush, looking like a dinosaur in the heat haze. You can also hope to see photogenic giraffe, oryx and springbok. Damaraland has a number of endemic bird species too, including the Rüppell’s korhaan, with its frog-like croak.
Some lodges in the north of the region also offer visits to the semi-nomadic indigenous Himba people.
Desert-Adapted Elephants and Rhinos
One of the absolute wildlife highlights of Namibia is the rocky and predictably arid region known as Damaraland, home to one of the world’s few populations of desert-adapted elephant, as well as desert-adapted black rhino. My first sighting of a herd of elephants marching through this unpromising terrain, below dramatic black cliffs, will stay with me forever, as will the rather bizarre sight of their tentative attempt at crossing one of the reserve’s normally dry watercourses after a rare flash flood. Aside from elephant and rhino, there isn’t much variety of wildlife on offer here, but the wilderness atmosphere more than compensates.
A Landscape Dotted With Unusual Rock Formations and Home to Free-Roaming Elephant
I always enjoy Damaraland’s uniquely striking landscape; the gravel plains are dissected by sandy dry riverbeds and give rise to flat-topped hills and unusual eroded stacks of giant boulders known as inselbergs (‘island mountains’). It encompasses some of Namibia’s most dramatic natural features such as the massifs of Spitzkoppe and the Brandberg while the red-hued rocks at Twyfelfontein shelter Namibia’s largest collection of San rock art. Although not a typical wildlife region, the highlight for me is seeing (desert-adapted) elephant; most memorable was watching a huge male gleefully rip massive shards of bark from what seemingly appeared to be the only tree in the valley. I’ve also spotted rare raptors including the Peregrine falcon and booted eagle, and springbok are plentiful (as are goats and their goatherds). On my drives through the region, the gravel roads have been fairly well-maintained and there’s a good choice of lodges and campsites.
The Desert-Adapted Elephants of Damaraland
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seemed to need a lot of convincing from the adults and after a quick drink, they left the river behind. Wildlife densities are low in this area, but aside from the elephants, you might see other ungulates like giraffe, kudu and steenbok. Black rhino is present, but rare to see.Big Skies, Beautiful Landscapes, and Big Game
Water is as rare as one would expect in this desert environment, and elephants here are known to dig wells with their tusks to reach the water table below. They then stretch their trunks down into the holes and slurp up any moisture within reach.
It was a beautiful scene in a region where beautiful scenes are commonly seen.
Damaraland is home to all sorts of desert-adapted wildlife. There are black rhinos who get all the liquid sustenance they need from eating poisonous succulent plants. There are oryx who, I am told, can go their entire lives without ever having experienced a gulp of water. Some plants survive years without rain, and perhaps even more surprisingly, some people live here too.
The
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Himba people, with their beautiful ochre-painted skins and intricate clay-infused hairstyles, somehow manage to eke out a traditional lifestyle in a barren but serene environment that would kill less-hardy folk.Whilst Damaraland isn’t as resplendent in wild game sightings as, say, Etosha National Park, the endless landscapes of fantastic geological formations, rocky plains, and golden grasslands, make for a captivating experience.
Spitzkop and Brandberg look as if they have been transported straight out of America’s Monument Valley.
There are plenty of rustic wilderness campsites for the self-drive crowd and a good selection of top-end lodges for those who prefer their wilderness served with a slice of comfort, coddling, and air conditioning.
The nighttime skies are phenomenal, as are the sunsets, which turn the mountains and plains into glowing hues of ochre and amber.
Amazing Rock Formations & Desert-Adapted Elephants
Among the first things that come to mind when I think of Damaraland are its rock formations – deep-red and ochre massifs, streaked with black, rising steeply up from the parched ground and rimmed by the twisted leaves of ancient welwitschia plants. Desert-adapted elephants roam this starkly beautiful and seemingly barren terrain, as do black rhino and desert-adapted lion – both only spotted with great luck – as well as an abundance of lizards, snakes, scorpions and other small desert creatures. In addition to its striking landscapes and unusual wildlife, Damaraland is also known for its rock art. Twyfelfontein has one of the largest collections of rock engravings anywhere in Africa, and nearby Brandberg (Burnt Mountain) also contains an impressive collection. Allow enough time to explore the rock engravings. They are often relegated to a relatively short detour, but proper exploration can easily take the better part of a day. Damaraland’s convenient location between Etosha National Park and the Skeleton Coast makes the area well suited for longer combination itineraries.
Damaraland: Wild Beauty
I’d also rank Damaraland as one of Namibia’s most beautiful corners, an astonishingly beautiful land of red sand, great, bouldered mountains that take on weird and wonderful
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forms, and picturesque dry watercourses that run from the mountains down to the coast. Put them all together and Damaraland surely offers one of the most dramatic backdrops for any safari anywhere on the continent. And don’t let the absence of a national park deter you – this is one of the most exciting safari destinations in the region.Where Black Rhinos Roam
Damaraland also has beautiful semi-desert landscapes: richly coloured slopes and plains dotted with weathered rocks and drought-resistant plants. One of the most unusual is the scraggly-looking welwitschia. A surprising variety of wildlife species survive these harsh conditions, too. Desert-adapted elephants patrol the dry river