ANOINTED WITH SACRED DUST

In the north-western corner of Namibia lies the Kaokoveld, one of southern Africa’s finest self-drive destinations for 4x4 and wild camping enthusiasts. Once you’ve been coated by its dust, this wilderness is hard to shake off. Immerse yourself: Take a deep breath, and dive in…

- TOAST COETZER

The only way out is down. Once you’ve started inching down the (in)famous Van Zyl’s Pass, there’s no turning around.

When you reach the bottom, the road eases and you’re suddenly on the flat, grassy Marienfluss. The stress of negotiating the pass gives way to bliss. This feels more like a holiday. You follow in the tracks of your tour leader, and stop where he stops. You take a photo at Rooidrom, the red diesel drum that has marked a major crossroads in this wilderness for decades.

This is the Kaokoveld, and coming here is a commitment. You have left the easy world behind – no petrol stations, no fast-food joints, no cellphone signal. The only easy road here is the C43, which, if you’re coming from the south, takes you from Palmwag to Sesfontein to Opuwo before it terminates at Epupa Falls.

West of that are all 4x4 tracks, some gnarlier than others. You need a GPS, a serious bakkie and enough fuel and water for at least a week. But that’s okay because you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t want to be, and you’re ready.

Now to slowly succumb to the rhythms of the land. The going is slow. The convoy of bakkies turns south, aiming for Orupembe. An Ovahimba standing on a koppie to the side of the road will hear the low purr of diesel engines and the clinking of rocks as all-terrain tyres finally meet the terrain they were made for.

You look out, searching. You spot a small herd of springbok. Above, an augur buzzard, not a bird you’ll see in South Africa, but the Kaokoveld is one of its strongholds. You see the Ovahimba and lift a hand to wave. People live here, you think, and it comes as a shock when you consider the realities of carving out an existence here as a nomadic herder.