This is quite an exceptional sight in Namibia: saturated green and purple, hundreds of Jacaranda trees in bloom – thanks to large amounts of rain during the spring, the small town of Tsumeb is surrounded by fertile fields, carrying fruits and grain.
Despite the agricultural success of the area, the main industry is still mining, which has a tradition that reaches back a long time to when the natives found copper in the ground. To this day there are mines operating in Tsumeb, and the local museum informs the visitor about the 217 minerals and crystals found in the ground.
Grootfontein, a town south-eastern of Tsumeb, is equally blessed with spring vegetations, and the Hoba-Farm close to it is home to the biggest meteorite ever found on earth. It is 3.3 by 10 ft. big and weighed 50,000 tons when it hit earth over 80,000 years ago.
From Grootfontein take the highway 8 in north-eastern direction, taking you to Namibia’s greenest: the Caprivi Strip. Rundu, a town on the Okawango, is most likely your last chance to fill your tank and buy some groceries before entering the Strip. Three big and numerous smaller rivers, all of which have their source in Angola, carry water most of the year and bless the Caprivi Strip with rich vegetation and an enormous diversity of species. Nature reserves protect elephants, giraffes, antelopes, and zebras. The scenery attracts visitors as much as the wildlife; most tourists head for the Popa Falls, about 120 miles east of Rundu, where the Kavango River bubbles down several steps.
North-east of the Etosha National Park you will find Kaokoland, the least accessible region in Namibia. You should only enter with an experienced guide and a cross-country vehicle, as the dirt roads are narrow and made up at times of sharp rubble and at times of soft sand. Once you’ve made it to the center of Kaokoland you will find yourselves in the company of the Himbas, a semi-nomadic people that has preserved its original lifestyle. They have erected a camp on the banks of the Kunene River, separating Namibia and Angola, surrounded by green savannah and mountains that glow purple. If this gorgeous scenery inspires you to take a dip in the river, be warned of the crocodiles.
South of Tsumeb the Waterberg, a mesa measuring 12 by 30 miles, rises 656 ft. into the sky. The area around the mountain, home to elands, a kind of antelope, has been preserved in a national park. A successful resettlement program has ensured that wildlife now includes more than 90 mammals and 200 species of birds as well as snakes.
30 miles west of the Waterberg a crocodile farm on the eastern outskirts of Otjiwarongo offers insight to the breeding and upbringing of the living fossils.
