Epupa Falls safaris, lodges and wildlife tours

The Falls, located about 145km west of the Ruacana Falls, are a series of cascades in the course of which the Kunene drops a total of 60m over a distance of about 1.5km, forming many channels and rock pools. The warmly coloured rock walls and distinctive tree species such as baobab, wild fig and Makalani palms growing on the edge of the ravine, make Epupa a spectacular sight and worthy culmination of a 4x4 trek through the wilds of Kaokoland.
Scattered settlements of Himba are an added attraction of the area, as well as excellent bird-watching opportunities for species such as the rare Rufous-tailed palm thrush, bee-eaters, African Fish eagle, kingfishers ranging from giant to the tiny Malachite kingfisher, Rosy-faced lovebirds, Paradise flycatchers, louries, bulbuls, hornbills and rollers.
Interest in the Epupa Falls increased considerably as a result of the threat to its survival posed by the envisaged Epupa Dam Project and hydroelectric plant. Plans to dam the Kunene have been in the Nambian government's pipeline since the early 1990's. The planning has been wrought with controversy - scientists claim the damming is not viable and the local Himba tribe is opposed to it - yet the debate continues.
The Kunene is one of five perennial rivers in Namibia, supporting some 12 000 semi-nomadic pastoralist Himba of the north. The 200 megawatt hydroelectric dam would flood ancestral gravesites and it would also devastate the fragile riverine ecosystem. In addition, the process appears to be contentious as:

· there is an existing dam on the Kunene,
· Scientists question the viability of the dam
· alternative energy options (solar, wind) have not been sufficiently explored by government
· Financial risk (dam cost estimated at N$ 3.0 billion) may not be worth the projected returns
· Hyrdrological risk - recent evidence suggest that flow in river basin is decreasing
· the Himba claim to have been marginalised for much of the debate

For in-depth information, please have a look at the website of the International Rivers Network

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