Ongongo is in a small canyon in the far northwest of Namibia. This is a completely barren landscape. But, but... there's water, permanent water. And it's oozing out of the mountain. And it's warm. And that means, yup, that means swimming all year round.
To come here, you've got to long for adventure because even getting here is a ride. You'll need a 4x4. Be prepared. Bring food, bring equipment. The nearest fuel station is in the small town of Sesfontein 27km away. This is a distant, remote part of the world.
Follow a water pipeline for about 6km, heading roughly northwards. The road is rough and very rocky in parts, sandy in others. Drive down a steep descent into the actual river bed, move along, move along, you're there. This is a raw, at one with nature kinda place.
Obviously, the waterfall is the main attraction here. Year round.
You can also hike, swim and bird watch. Look out for zebra, kudu, oryx, springbok. You might even see ostrich, jackal and hyena.
You could go on a walking trail in the caves or visit the Ovahimba communities.
Definitely head to the Hoanib River as this is where you may see the desert adapted elephant.
The Herero were right, this is a magical place. Dry and barren, there's the odd patch of bright green, fed by underground water. And when the rains come, life bounces back. Beautiful.
"We can't wait to return"
I can't thank you enough for helping to put together this trip. It exceeded all our expectations and we fell in love with your country.
"We loved our experience with NTS"
We loved Namibia and its unique landscapes and kind people. It was certainly an adventure and a privilege to get to spend time there.
"We had a wonderful time in Namibia"
All in all we had a wonderful time and appreciate the effort made to ensure all aspects of our tour ran smoothly with prompt email support where needed.
"What a wonderful journey we had in beautiful and friendly Namibia!"
Namibia has stolen our travel-heart and you can consider us as new ambassadors of this spectacular country.
