Hoanib River Valley

The Hoanib runs west from the Kaokoveld to the Skeleton Coast and flows above ground only rarely, but water sits below the sand and supports a line of ana trees and camelthorn along the bed. That corridor carries desert-adapted elephant, which move enormous distances between water points, along with giraffe, oryx and the desert lions that have been studied here for years. The lower reaches meet the coastal fog belt, where the riverbed opens onto a floodplain.

The landscape

• The desert elephants - herds using the riverbed corridor between water points.
• The desert lions - a studied population ranging the lower valley and coast.
• The ana trees - the line of large trees along the dry bed, fed from below.
• The fog belt - the lower valley meeting coastal fog near the Skeleton Coast.

When to go

May to October is the dry season and the best for wildlife along the bed. Summer heat is extreme and flash floods occur in the riverbed in the rains. Access depends on operators.

Practical notes

Access is largely through fly-in concession camps at high cost; self-drive is limited and requires a convoy and full self-sufficiency. Wildlife is thinly spread and sightings take time. Flash floods in the dry bed are a real hazard in the wet months.

Nearby

Sesfontein is east, and the Skeleton Coast is west.