I camped at Ruacana last year in June on my way to do
some photography in Kunene Region. I met some tourists who had driven all
the way to Ruacana to see the falls, and it being the dry season, above left
is what they saw. They were mightily disappointed, as every publication on
Namibia that they had seen showed a photo depicting the falls in their full
grandeur at full flow. The excellent photo below was taken by my good friend Sakkie Rothmann who publishes some
excellent tourism guides on Namibia.
OK, so now you know that for most of the year, (April thru December)
a dry Ruacana Falls is what you will be seeing. The Kunene River begins its journey high up in Huambo Province, Angola and runs in a southerly direction
through Calueque,
where the river meets its first hydro-electrical-scheme-dam, a
further 20km south it is again dammed at the Ruacana-Falls. The
hydro-scheme here is operated by the Namibia Electricity
authority NAMPOWER, so for the majority of the year the flow of the Kunene at
Ruacana Falls is reduced to a trickle...
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Makalani Palms |
Dry Season |
In flood March 2002 |
The gorge is about 115m deep and 600m wide. if your visit is
during the dry months and you're into hopping about on smooth rocks you will
be treated to some views of polished rock shapes that have been formed by
the waters over the millions of years. Take a drive a couple of kilometers
west and just where the tarred road ends, on your right hand side is a camp
site operated by the local community called the Hippo Pool. The site which
has no power, but does have solar heated shower
facilities and modern dry field-toilets. There is no shop on site, and no
fire wood, so you must take all of your supplies with you. The locals offer
guided hikes to the Ruacana
Falls and to a Himba/ Zemba cattle post. Prepare for plenty of
mosquitoes here.
The gravel road running alongside the river
bank some 145km to the Epupa-Falls is best negotiated by 4 x 4 or a
sturdy pick-up-truck.
The tarred road to the Ruacana Falls will also lead you
to one of Namibia's border posts with Angola. And to finish on a cautionary
note. When driving in the far-north.. beware of livestock wandering on the
roads.
The town
of Ruacana is 17km East of the Falls area. Once a bustling South
African Defense Force base, the abandoned town now has little to offer
in the way of facilities. There is a fuel station in Ruacana and
a couple of guest houses, but further to that you had best stock up
with your supplies before going north of Oshakati.
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