Northern Namibia, Kaokoland

Kaokoland, a tough region located in north western Namibia – that reach Angolan border – despite a difficult access, is one of the most impressive desert area on the African Continent. Here, there are no human beings, the conditions are so harsh for him to settle in a permanent way. in this area, roam in total freedom, Deserts elephants and a rich wildlife adapted to the hostile environment.
The Objective of the expedition I’m leading is to explore from the air, with our strange machines this so particular zone and its surrealist landscapes and colours.

In the bush for two weeks, I head up north. Behind me the 2 others 4WD of the expedition follows. The Progress is quite slow as the vehicles are heavily loaded, each with all that guarantee full autonomy for peoples and machines: 200 litres diesel, 100 petrol for the PPG ,100l water, food, tools and spares.

For a week wildlife abounds, even if we do not cross any protected areas. Oryx, giraffes, springbok, zebras run away when we approach
The Night is favourable for close-contacts and it is not unusual, as everybody is under his tent, to have the visit a “big cat” or a hyena seeking for some food. We left the elephants area for couples of days; these big guys are not visiting us for breakfast any more.
We follow for a while the dry riverbed that reach the ocean and its ice-cold waters cooled down by the Benguela stream.
The riverbed cross the basalt mountain, and go down gorges deeper and deeper, surrounded by high cliffs of over 600 feet now. Again deep sand driving, temperature drop from over 40C down to 20C because of the Ocean relative proximity.
One problem is that the place is really narrow, but after a while, I spot a long straight stretch, well oriented, where, if we are lucky, we could have perfect small front breeze tomorrow morning.
Sunrise, no wind, soft sand.
We take off. After few minutes I’m above the canyon admiring the immensity. Endless black mountains around the canyon, and after 10 miles heading to the ocean, we fly over a fantastic blend of yellow dunes and rocks chaos that shows, with harsh shapes that water flows sometime.
And incredible 2 hours flight.
Landing before winds blows up, nearby the only palm tree where we settle-up the camp.

Other place, other moment, hundreds of miles away. A desolated rocky plateau, with its breathtaking contrasts. Today winds are quite calm, and this is the right moment to take my Swedish Friend Birger for a Tandem Ride. So far conditions were not fine for it.
What an experience to do first PPG flight here!

Next Morning flight, alone, winds 0, 3000feet altitude, rocky ground with light slope up, i take off, my light and powerful Reliable Backbone PPG kicking me up in the air in seconds.
It’s so easy to go much faster than the 4WD that slowly goes over the sharp rocks. After a while I’m away flying 15 miles from the camp, the others staying asleep (what a mistake..)this morning.
What scenery with grey and blacks rocks and shaded sands. 2 hours of pure happiness.
During this season, flying is only possible early morning during 2 hours , before strong winds takes off , and just 1 hour before sunset if we are lucky.
We cross, afterwards, a desolated plain, where only some Oryx roams. Progression is tough. sands all over everything and oblige us driving with low pressure in tyres moving less than 10 miles/h again, fuel consumption raising up to 30L/100km.
Another dramatic scenery change. Going along, now a giant sand see, impassable wall, that started over 600 miles south, and that we just grazed so far.
Sand is everywhere. The lasts miles up to the Cunene River (that with is one of the only two permanent watercourse in Namibia), are difficult as the sand is deeper and deeper and we get stuck several times. We have to stop 2 miles from the river, on the edge of the sand see. Our campsite is absolutely surrealist, dunes go down to the river 1500 feet lowers in steeply slopes. It s not difficult to go downhill, the final dune is 1200 feet high an is almost vertical!, problem is more to go back!
Happiness of a bath in the clears water of the Cunene, in a croc-free dead end – as the Cunene is well knowned for its waters infested by aggressive crocodiles. a good bath afters quite a long time in the bush is not bad.
Other briefing around the fire about the “flight plan” and the precautions for the next flight. Here, improvisation must be controlled and pilots must have clear that all minor incident could have dramatic consequences, due to extreme remoteness.
The Morning after, conditions are perfect for take off. Apart of a weak wind that turned 180 degrees and obliged us for taking off way up in sand! Fortunately we are only 1500 feet altitude.
Endless at the horizon, the gold sand dunes reaches the sky playing with a thin fog coming from the ocean. wow!
I meet several Oryx in the middle of the dunes, and I descent down the river with the others pilots.
Amazing vision, contrast between the golden sand sea and the black basalt mountains of Angola. We fly down the river for 10 miles, overlooking wide rapids and huges waterfalls.
Ground access with a vehicle is impossible, we try not to think about what could happen if we have to walk back to the camp with the PPG and the wing on the back. Even if I always have the emergency equipment (VHF, GPS, flares, survival blanket, water, knife, lamp..) this could be dire situation to manage.

After couples of days spent here, petrol and water supply start to be low level, it is time to go back.

We have to cross a mountain chain, driving low range, with multiples punctures on sharp rocks, during two days before reaching the inhabited HIMBA zone above the escarpment.

There is almost a frontier formed by this huge escarpment of 120 miles long north to south. Natural filter, this only leave an access to west at few peoples that are well prepared.
By the east, other side, some traditional Himba settlements, and so, almost no wildlife as the combination of human being and wildlife never worked well
Commercial Adventure Tourism visiting wild Namibia in general, stays around in eastern part, never going further.
The pot-holed piste that cross Himba country reach a gravel road and at the end Opuwo. Himba country Capital.
Here man can refuel.
Today, it is not anymore the Opuwo I knew early 90`s . just after the end of the war between South African Army and Cuban troops based in Angola.
When the unique manual petrol pump was almost always empty, and when the town was only couples of huts and the general store where beautiful traditional dressed Himba women came to buy basics supplies.
Today the mobile phone network reaches opuwo, Fortunately outside the town it does not work

voyage of exception, with fantastic flight sites and an exceptional and exclusive wilderness. I travelled several time in the region and this is, one of the last place in Africa, and probably in the world, where the word Wild, still have a sense,
The Wild Africa, how it could be from beginning