Namibia

IN THE COUNTRY'S NORTHWESTERN CORNER IS KUNENE, A REGION OF VAST DESERT SCAPES FORMED TENS OF MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO. HERE, ANIMALS AND PEOPLE HAVE ADAPTED TO LIVE IN SOME OF AFRICA'S HARSHEST CONDITIONS, THRIVING IN A LANDSCAPE THAT OFFERS FEW RESOURCES. FOR TRAVELLERS SEEKING SPACE, SILENCE AND STAR-STUDDED SKIES, FEW DESTINATIONS COME CLOSE

- SCOTT RAMSAY

The Kunene region is home to some of the last free-roaming wildlife populations in southern Africa.

Desert-adapted wild animals thrive here, chief among them the Gemsbok antelope.

The hardy beasts have adapted to their environment so well that they never need to drink, sourcing all their water from wild fruit or tubers buried deep in the earth instead.

They share the land with local cattle and goats, owned by the region’s Himba and Damara people. Almost uniquely in southern Africa, where most parks are fenced off and operated by central governments, many of the conservancies and nature reserves in Kunene are managed and operated by the local people themselves.

Sprawling for almost 43,000sq miles and with an average of just two residents per square mile, Kunene is one of the remotest and most sparsely populated regions in southern Africa.

The empty, expansive landscapes make it a spectacular destination for self-drive explorers, although a 4x4 is required for the notoriously rocky roads.

A map and GPS unit are mandatory, too, as getting lost here can have deathly consequences.