The Road Through Damaraland

While there is quite a bit of desert in Namibia, to say the least, the different regions of the country do look quite a bit different. The region is beautifully covered with vast plains intermixed with sheer rocky mountains, and home to desert-adapted wildlife such as the desert elephant.

Historically, Damaraland has been inhabited by the Damaras. Under South African apartheid, it was a separate homeland - which basically means it was an autonomous self-governing state composed of one main ethnic group - the Darmara people. In May 1989, Damaraland was abolished along with other homelands at the start of the transition to independence. The area is part of modern day Namibia, which gained its independence from South Africa on March 21st, 1990.

While driving to Damaraland from Swakopmund, I did make a couple stops along the way to see some shipwrecks on the skeletal coast and a massive cape fur seal colony. While at one of the shipwrecks, I did see some people saying they're Damaras and trying to sell some pretty rocks. Nowadays, the Damaras have definitely spread out to other parts of Namibia.