Namibia's Kaokaveld is without doubt among Africa's most incredible safari destinations. This is where the desert meets the Atlantic Ocean on some of the most desolate shores in the world and also serves up an unexpected piece of magic in the midst of an otherwise harsh and arid environment - the Kunene River...

One of only five perennial rivers in the country, the Kunene provides a narrow strip of lush green in the otherwise stark moonlike landscapes of the Kaokaveld, plunging over the beautiful Epupa Falls in the process. The best months to view the falls are April and May when what little rainfall this area receives ensure a good flow of water. This region is home to the Himba people - a semi nomadic tribe who breed cattle and goats.

The Himba are one of Namibia's oldest cultures. Their women are famous for rubbing their bodies and coating their hair with "outsize" - a mixture of animal fat and ochre that protects their skin agains the harsh climate and symbolises the rich red earth as being the "blood" of the planet.

The Skeleton Coast National Park is part of the Kaokaveld and is a 40km wide, 500km long coastal strip that's one of the most hostile environments on the planet. This is where the cold and unpredictable Benguela Current of the Atlantic Ocean clashes with the dune and desert landscape of the Kaokaveld, producing dense fog that rolls over the dunes inland, bringing life in the form of moisture to the region.

Numerous ships have stranded at the Skeleton Coast thanks to this thick fog and the notoriously rough sea, unpredictable currents and stormy winds. The sailors who were able to make it to the land did not stand a chance of survival at this inhospitable coast and died of thirst.

Despite the hostile character of the Skeleton Coast, there are quite a number of wild animals that make it their home, from desert-adapted elephants, rhinos, desert lions and brown hyenas to jackals, giraffes, seals, oryx, kudus and zebras. There are also huge colonies of Cape fur seals along the length of the coast.