Exploring Kaokoland on camelback

THE people of Opuwo in the Kunene Region are very excited about the first camels that arrived in their town by truck last Saturday.

The two geldings, Blitz (six years old) and Tango (five), were brought in by Mopane Camp Opuwo and Swiss-based tour operator time.out.door. Two months before, the camels were trained at the camel farm in Grootfontein, says Robert Schraner, the owner of time.out.door.Two camel saddles from the German colonial era, both more than 100 years old, were renovated for the project.Schraner has travelled through 22 countries in the Arab world and Africa using horses, mules and camels (see his website at www.timeoutdoor.ch).He travelled several weeks through Kaokoland last October and discovered the potential of camel safaris off the beaten 4X4 tracks.”Kaokoland Camel Safaris offers a new environmentally friendly adventure trekking in Kaokoland,” Schraner says.Its motto is ‘Why drive when you can camel’.Camels will carry the water, food and tents for the tourists over long distances and can cover terrain that not even 4X4 vehicles can cope with.Camels are uniquely adapted to life in the desert.They store fat in their humps, and are capable of going for two weeks without eating or drinking.When they haven’t eaten for a while, the hump shrinks in size and flops over to one side.A camel has two rows of thick, long eyelashes to keep out blowing sand, with a translucent second eyelid that allows light to go through, but protects the eye in sandstorms.During a sandstorm the camel can shut its nostrils to keep out the sand.Its knees are covered with thick calluses that protect it from the heat when lying down on hot sand.The thick hairs on its body not only protect against sunburn, but also keep the animal warm in the freezing desert winter.A camel’s lips and its 34 sharp teeth – with the help of its long neck – help it to eat leaves and shoots surrounded by thorns.Camels can also use their teeth as a dangerous weapon in a fight.A large animal can drink as much as 100 litres of water in ten minutes.This amount would kill all other mammals, but the camel can store water in its bloodstream.They can carry heavy loads over long distances.A strong camel can carry as much as 400 kg, but a usual and more comfortable load weight is 150 kg.The feet of camels are large, flat, and round, having two toes joined by an elastic leathery pad.This construction enables the animal to grip the earth firmly as it walks on sand, keeping it from sinking.Their walking speed is around 5 km an hour over long distances, giving it a range of about 40 km a day.Camels have an odd gait – they move both left legs together, then both right legs, causing their bodies to rock from side to side.The normal lifespan of a camel is 40 years.Camels are perfectly designed for the dry desert landscape of Kaokoland, says Schraner, and could be a livestock alternative for the overgrazed area.They are not only good beasts of burden: their milk is lower in fat and higher in nutrients than cow’s milk, their meat is similar to beef but slightly tougher, and Arab people use their skins for tents and clothing.Given all this, it is curious that there are only about 170 of these animals in the whole of Namibia, says Schraner.Two months before, the camels were trained at the camel farm in Grootfontein, says Robert Schraner, the owner of time.out.door.Two camel saddles from the German colonial era, both more than 100 years old, were renovated for the project.Schraner has travelled through 22 countries in the Arab world and Africa using horses, mules and camels (see his website at www.timeoutdoor.ch).He travelled several weeks through Kaokoland last October and discovered the potential of camel safaris off the beaten 4X4 tracks.”Kaokoland Camel Safaris offers a new environmentally friendly adventure trekking in Kaokoland,” Schraner says.Its motto is ‘Why drive when you can camel’.Camels will carry the water, food and tents for the tourists over long distances and can cover terrain that not even 4X4 vehicles can cope with.Camels are uniquely adapted to life in the desert.They store fat in their humps, and are capable of going for two weeks without eating or drinking.When they haven’t eaten for a while, the hump shrinks in size and flops over to one side.A camel has two rows of thick, long eyelashes to keep out blowing sand, with a translucent second eyelid that allows light to go through, but protects the eye in sandstorms.During a sandstorm the camel can shut its nostrils to keep out the sand.Its knees are covered with thick calluses that protect it from the heat when lying down on hot sand.The thick hairs on its body not only protect against sunburn, but also keep the animal warm in the freezing desert winter.A camel’s lips and its 34 sharp teeth – with the help of its long neck – help it to eat leaves and shoots surrounded by thorns.Camels can also use their teeth as a dangerous weapon in a fight.A large animal can drink as much as 100 litres of water in ten minutes.This amount would kill all other mammals, but the camel can store water in its bloodstream.They can carry heavy loads over long distances.A strong camel can carry as much as 400 kg, but a usual and more comfortable load weight is 150 kg.The feet of camels are large, flat, and round, having two toes joined by an elastic leathery pad.This construction enables the animal to grip the earth firmly as it walks on sand, keeping it from sinking.Their walking speed is around 5 km an hour over long distances, giving it a range of about 40 km a day.Camels have an odd gait – they move both left legs together, then both right legs, causing their bodies to rock from side to side.The normal lifespan of a camel is 40 years.Camels are perfectly designed for the dry desert landscape of Kaokoland, says Schraner, and could be a livestock alternative for the overgrazed area.They are not only good beasts of burden: their milk is lower in fat and higher in nutrients than cow’s milk, their meat is similar to beef but slightly tougher, and Arab people use their skins for tents and clothing.Given all this, it is curious that there are only about 170 of these animals in the whole of Namibia, says Schraner.