An Unexpected Journey

After returning home from a couple weeks of vacation I quickly realized that I just hadn’t had enough (go figure). So two other PCV’s and myself decided to make a weekend trip to Ruacana Falls. The falls sit along the Angola- Namibia border and are created by the hippo and crocodile infested Kunene River spilling out of Angola. They are certainly a site to be seen, despite the hydroelectric project that diverts a good portion of the water from the falls. I was amazed at how the Kunene seemed to widen prior to taking the plunge which results in a dispersed and complex cascade.

Much in line with the rest of my travels thus far, hitchhiking was the mode of transport. Hiking West out of Oshakati was no problem up until about 17km of the falls. The paved road ends at the falls and with the last major population center behind us, traffic was very light. After over an hour of waiting and with a storm approaching we were finally picked up by two tourists in a rented 4x4. Jonathan, a US Navy chaplain recently returned from Afghanistan, and Allister, a South African born American citizen, were planning on heading all the way to a waterfall further downstream that afternoon (some 125km of rough 4x4 road). Ruacana was under their radar, so after dropping us off they were impressed and decided to spend the night there. The five of us spent a rainy night in no-man’s land (literally; we left Namibia, but never entered Angola…so a country-less chunk of land) after receiving permission from the Angolan border guard who didn’t speak a lick of English. Not my most comfortable night’s sleep…

The mighty Ruacana, and according to some, not even at its mightiest.

The next morning it was assumed that we would go our separate ways. However, stars aligned and before we knew it we were bumping along in the back seats of Jonathan’s and Allister’s Toyota. We had just snagged a hitchhike through a very remote and spectacular part of Namibia. The 4x4 track leaves most civilization as it follows the Kunene River/Angolan border to another falls, Epupa, where a gravel road from the South comes in. At the last proper village before the road gets really rough, we were advised not to make the journey. We were getting mixed stories. Due to the recent rains we were being told that the river was flowing across the road in places, a huge rock was blocking the path, and the road had washed out. The last people to pass through a few days prior ended up getting stuck for several hours. However, according to the locals, the only thing we really had going for us was that there was 5 of us; that meant 4 people to push while one spun the tires in the mud. After about 30 seconds of discussion and a disregarded coin toss, we were waving good-bye to the village and bumping along into the middle of no-where.

An incredibly rough and steep section of the road. If it weren’t for the aluminum running boards, the pick-up may have survived the drive relatively unscathed.

One of several river crossings (not crossing the Kunene though)

Some serious bush driving. However, no one ever had to get out and push.

The road took us through some amazing country. At times the road would follow the lush palm fringed banks of the river and at other times it would divert up through steep, rocky sections that offered great views of the surrounding area. The road also brought us through Himba country. The Himba are the archetypical African people. They have inhabited Namibia for about 200 years. They were victims of several ethnic battles and towards the end of the 19th century they finally found success in the battlefields and were able to steal a bunch of cattle and goats. This allowed them to move to the northwestern part of Namibia and live in peace and quit. Unlike the rest of Namibia, Christian missionaries were unsuccessful in “civilizing” the Himba, and as a result they still live in their traditional ways and wear their traditional attire. The Himba were people I was expecting to run across at some point during my time here, but I was still surprised and in awe as we passed through their settlements. Observing these people surviving entirely off the grid and leading very simple lives was amazing to say the least. I felt that I was truly in Africa. However, I felt a bit guilty to be passing through. These people are practicing a way of life that few people on this planet still follow and I feel that this is something that should be preserved. There is a lot that we, from the “civilized” world, could learn from people like this and once our ways flood into their culture, those lessons will be lost. With that said, I still took my photos and gawked like a tourist.

Himba homestead

Himba in their traditional and everyday attire.

In the end, the road turned out to be not near as ferocious as we were lead to believe. It was passable despite the handful of river crossings, severely rocky and rutted stretches, and the occasional mud hole. So after a day and a half of driving we finally emerged at the quiet paradise of Epupa. Over the course of the 125km the landscape changed quite drastically. We left the lush forests and dampness of Ruacana and arrived at the red-rock, hot, and arid semi-desert of Epupa. Standing above the falls of Epupa it was hard to believe that this was the same river. And yet the river keeps flowing from here, dividing the two countries all the way to the Atlantic. I can only imagine the other miraculous landscapes that this river carves through. A true testament to the diverse and varying beauty of Namibia.

The main part of the falls; the water cascades into the gorge nearly 360 degrees around.

The Kunene broadens before the falls, resulting in a maze of gorges and falling water.