10. Opuwo to Epupa Falls and Kunene River, Namibia - 19 August to 29 August 2009

On the way to Epupa Falls, we spent three nights at a fantastic campsite attached to Opuwo Country Hotel. It's on top of a hill with views in every direction. The campsite looks west towards more hills, so the sunsets are beautiful. The bar and restaurant look north over a drop-edge swimming pool with even more spectacular views of the surrounding hills and landscape, and still beautiful sunsets. One evening we had a sundowner at the pool and met a Canadian couple who were doing 12 months voluntary work with an advocacy group in Windhoek. They were on their way back after a short holiday to Epupa Falls. We also camped next to a lovely family from Paris.

Opuwo is a vibrant town, larger than we had anticipated, and whether it was because we were there over a weekend, it seemed to rock 24/7 with vibrant music that we could hear from our campsite. Not too noisy but actually quite pleasant. The town is energy packed with people everywhere - Himba, Herero, other traditional dress styles and also western dress.

After two relaxing days, on Monday 24 August we drove north to Epupa Falls on the Kunene River which is the border between Namibia and Angola in the north-west corner of Namibia. It's a wide flowing river, though the flow is controlled by the water release in the dam upstream in Angola. Despite a lower level in the river when we arrived, the falls were still magnificent. On either side of the river is 30 metres or so of palms and tropical vegetation, while the surrounding landscape is dry and semi-arid undulating hills. At Epupa the river widens around little tropical islands before it plunges over the rocks of a geological fault, not just in one place but in many, depending how much water is flowing. On our last morning the water level had risen substantially, so there were more waterfalls than when we first arrived. That morning we also drove to the top of a nearby hill which almost gave an aerial view - it's a very beautiful spot.

Our campsite at Omarunga Camp was right on the bank of the river which is apparently too steep for the crocodiles we saw basking in the sun on the other side - which we were pleased about. We camped next to a couple from East London in South Africa, who were touring Namibia on two bikes with their little daughter. Wow!!

On our second day we decided to go on a tour of a Himba village. It was so very interesting, except we felt it was a little intrusive, and did feel somewhat uncomfortable. But our Himba guide, Jason, encouraged us to take many photos and was keen to give us an insight into the traditional Himba way of life, which is still being lived by this village, and many others in the area. They seem very proud, as was Jason, and choose to live in this traditional way even in the 21st century. The tour included the cost of some food supplies for the people, as a thank you for our visit, and we bought a souvenir - a Himba "pillow", only for men mind you, as the women sleep on folded skins, or on the arm of their man!

We discovered that we could do a round trip by travelling east along the Kunene River, to Kunene River Lodge near Ruacana, and then across the northern side and down the eastern side of Etosha to Grootfontein. There is a track from Epupa Falls towards Ruacana along the river, but it takes 7-8 hours, (our neighbours on their bikes were going that way over two days!) but we opted for a more inland route, going south then turning north again, which only took two and a half hours. Kunene River Lodge was another great campsite on the river with beautiful native shade trees, full of monkeys, birds and lizards. We went for another sundowner at the bar on a deck overlooking the river and started chatting to a Dutch fellow who has travelled south from the Netherlands! The very trip we are doing, but travelling south. So we had a fantastic chat to him, and he gave us lots of great tips!!

From Kunene River Lodge we travelled along the river to Ruacana, and then east to Oshakati and Ondangwa to Sachsenheim Guest Farm, just near the Namutoni entrance to Etosha. Tonight Friday 28 August we have travelled to Roy's Camp north of Grootfontein, where we have met up with our lovely family from Paris again, and chatted over a wine before dinner. So very enjoyable. We have also been chatting to two other couples from France tonight. One couple have spent 12 months in Australia and travelled extensively, through the Simpson Desert, Flinders Ranges, Gammon Ranges, and Fraser and Moreton Island. Amazing! They will soon be living in West Africa for a period of time.