Camping with the Himba people of Kaokoland

Himba kid

Makalani palm with the sandy white soil of Owamboland

Mopane bush and rolling hills of Kaokoland

Quite frankly, just a year or so ago I had absolutely no idea who the Himba were; then last year I saw one episode of “Wildest Africa”, a documentary series showcasing the continent’s dramatic scenery, wildlife and its culture. The particular episode was on Namibia and they briefly showcased the Himba and their fascinating lifestyle in a hostile area.

The semi-nomadic Himba inhabit the arid north-west region of Namibia close to the border with Angola. There are two ways of seeing them; one was taking the easy way out and visiting a solitary community that have moved south to cater to tourists and the other more difficult but more authentic way was to go to their real homeland …Kaokoland. This region is generally referred to as the real wilderness of Namibia.

Logic dictates that for a place to be called a wilderness it must be difficult to get to and it’s true in Kaokoland’s case although things have probably changed a bit in the past few years. Previously this region was the exclusive domain of 4WD enthusiasts with my guidebook (published in 2007) even suggesting that it would be foolhardy to venture without a convoy of atleast two 4WD’s.

Himba village at dusk

Cooking dinner Himba style

The beauty of internet means that if one is willing to spend time sifting through its multitude of pages, there’s potentially a lot of good free information available. That’s how I found out that it was possible to visit atleast some places in Kaokoland with a modest 2WD. Most of Kaokoland though is still wild and untouched. Armed with this information and a dash of adventure I decided to go all the way to the Epupa Falls where the Kunene River splits the boundary between Namibia and Angola in the real homeland of the Himba people.

A young Himba girl
with single plait in front 

Along the way, I passed through Owamboland, the traditional land of the Owambo people. Its major cities Ondangwa and Oshakati sitting right above the Etosha pan are the epicenter of the region and seemed quite heavily populated compared to the rest of Namibia. During the struggle for Namibia’s liberation from South Africa, the Owambo people formed the crux of SWAPO which was the liberation movement fighting for Namibia’s independence and is now the ruling political party.

The change in landscape that day was quite amazing. The acacia and mopane trees early in morning gave way to Makalani palm and the color of soil changed from brown to white as I moved north. Then as I drove past Owamboland into Kaokoland, the scenery changed again with rolling hills replacing flat plains and the mopane trees making a return to the terrain.

Young Himba boy with plait at back

Warming myself with the Himba kids in the cold morning

Late afternoon I reached the town of Opuwo which is the administrative region of Kaokoland and the last place to get supplies before the long and isolated way up north. Although the town had an air of intrigue, I just had time to stop for refueling.

To make optimum use of my limited time, I had opted not to stay in Opuwo so I would have to camp someplace along the way. Soon the shadows started to lengthen and I spotted a Himba man herding his cattle. Although English had gotten me that far in Namibia, it wouldn’t take me much further in Kaokoland; I signaled to him indicating I was looking for a shelter and he in turn directed me to his village through the Mopane bush atop a distant hill.

Left: Mukaavihu, the matriarch with her teeth knocked off as part of the Himba ritual
Center and Right: Jasionopara, who wanted me to take a picture of her head gear 

Showing off their hair

The round copper necklace was very heavy

Soon I was smack bang in the middle of the Himba village and the younger members of the community came along to see the new curiosity in town. As my luck would have it, my fears of communicating with the Himba were laid to rest by Jakoravi, a Herero woman stationed in the village for adult education. The Herero are related closely to the Himba and probably broke off culturally in the past couple centuries resulting in slightly divergent cultures. Today the attire of the women are miles apart although their languages are still similar.

Once the Himba woman
reaches marriageable age
the plait on front of the head
is loosened and broken into smaller
strings at the back of the head  

Himba scared burial place with sacrificed cattle

Fetching water

I have lived in Africa long enough to know the cultural nous of approaching a traditional community. It’s paramount to pay a visit to the village chief and offer him a small gift. These simple culturally sensitive actions are the best way to gain the trust and respect of the community members. Knowing this fact fully well, I had bought packets of rice and sugar well before I embarked on my journey to Kaokoland. I offer the gifts to the chief and the two matriarchs of that village.

To pitch my tent, I was given a spot close to the village’s entrance and the kids helped me put it up. I hadn’t taken a bath in a few days and wasn’t gonna get one soon but it didn’t matter because after all I was with the Himba whose women have never gotten one. Instead, they use ground red ochre mixed with oil and fragrant herbs that not only protects them from the hot sun but also makes them desirable to the men; it’s also possible that this is necessitated due to the scarcity of water in the arid region they live in. Quite fascinating!

Left: The pumpkin like fruit used as food by the Himba: Center: Himba girl with two plait
Right: Himba man, seldom seen around the village as they could be gone cattle rearing for days or even months

Grinding the red ochre

Inside the Himba hut

Soon the sun made way for the moon as we all gathered around the fire on that cool starry night. As we sat around the fire preparing our dinner we shared fascinating insights into our respective cultures with Jakoravi being the translator. I am not sure how many outsiders they have seen but they seemed quite fascinated about who I was and where I came from.

They loved my pasta so I let them have all of it and in return I eat their staple food of beef, maize porridge and a mashed veggie that looked like a green pumpkin. The matriarch in particular liked the apples I had but not so much the cucumbers and carrots.

The highlight of the evening was undoubtedly listening to them singing their traditional songs. In return they listened to my poor attempt at singing Hindi songs and although I got a healthy applause I still wonder if they were just being kind. The memories of the rest of the night are a little hazy but it was experiencing Africa at its very raw best.


Profile of a Himba woman

Early next morning, I accompanied the kids and their cattle to the nearest waterhole and the latter part of the morning was spent visiting the humble shelters of each family to thank their hospitality and taking pictures as treasured memories. I had to get to Epupa falls before sunset and it was time to move on…again.

With Jakoravi

Mopane tree leaf

The Himba are fascinating people and I can’t quite do justice to their culture by explaining about them in my blog. You can read more about them on Wikipedia. Everything from their hairstyle, clothes, jewelry, and customs is so unique and I was so fortunate to have Jakoravi without whom I would never have been able to communicate with them or gain any insight into their life.

I still had a few places to see and things to do in Namibia but as I waved them goodbye I was not sure if there was anything that was going to top this experience.