Kaokoland occupies the vast wilderness between the Hoanib River to the Kunene River. The area is largely mountainous and includes the Baynes Moutains, Otjihipa Mountains, and Hartmann Mountains. The landscape is mainly rocky and barren. Yet there are swathes of green in the Marienfluss and Hartmann Valleys. As the only permeant water source in the region, the Kunene River and its verdant banks cuts a winding band of green through the lunar-like landscape of the Namib Desert which stretches to the Serra Cafema mountain range in the north. The Ovahimba people, a descendant of the Herero people, still retain much of their nomadic and pastoral life-style and account for a third of the population of Kaokoland.

Because of its arid conditions, there are fewer animals found here. Yet, the region is famous for its desert-adapted elephants. These hearty pachyderms only drink every three or four days and travel around thirty-seven miles per day in search of water and food. They are commonly fund roaming the dry riverbeds where they feed on the nutrient rich mopane bark, tamarisk, reeds, and the pods, bark, and leaves of the ana tree. When water is truly scarce, these resourceful animals will dig holes in the dry riverbeds bringing up water for themselves and other animals.