Bushmanland

To the east of Grootfontein lies the area known as Bushmanland. (This is an old name, but I’ll use it here for clarity; it is what most people call the area.) This almost rectangular region borders on Botswana and stretches 90km from north to south and about 200km from east to west.

Situated next to Botswana, Khaudum is a wild, seldom-visited area of dry woodland savannah growing on old stabilised Kalahari sand-dunes. These are interspersed with flat, clay pans and the whole area is laced with a life-giving network of omurambas. The vegetation here can be thick in comparison with Namibia’s drier parks to the west.

The wildlife is a major attraction. During the late dry season, around September and October, game gathers in small herds around the pans. During and after the rains, from January to March, the place comes alive with greenery and water. Birds and noisy bullfrogs abound, and travel becomes even more difficult than usual, as whole areas turn into impassable floodplains. From April the land begins to dry, and during July and August the daytime temperatures are at their most moderate and the night’s cold. But whenever you come, don’t expect to see vast herds like those in Etosha or you will be disappointed.