Opuwo is the main town of the Kaokoland area, and the capital of the wider Kunene region, in north-western Namibia. It has a population of 20,000 (2020).

Get in

Due to the scarcity of other options, most travellers will arrive by car. Opuwo is about 720 km north-northwest from Windhoek. This road is tarred all the way, and from here there are gravel roads.

Get around

Hire a car in Windhoek (preferably a 4x4 to visit remote villages). A normal sedan will reach Opuwo easily.

See

Himba People, Epupa Waterfalls, Marienfluss, Desert Elephants, Van Zyl's pass (4x4), Traditional villages of the Himba, Herero and Dhimba people.

Do

Epupa waterfalls

• Walk around one of the most interesting towns in Africa and experience its diverse people. Buy some cultural ornaments from the street markets and support the local economy.
• Drive to the Epupa waterfalls (180 km north) or a nearby traditional village.
• The Opuwo Town Council hosts the annual Opuwo Trade Fair, which combines a modern business exhibition with cultural performances, live shows and entertainment in May.

Buy

Well-stocked grocery shops, Internet cafe, banks, petrol & diesel. Keep in mind that there is no further petrol station north and west of Opuwo.

Local craftspeople selling hand-made jewellery and other crafts - to be found on street, in particular outside OK Supermarket.

Eat

If you are adventurous you can try the street food that is sold downtown. For instance there are large grilled bones selling for a song (N$10 per piece), and junkies (fried dough dumplings N$1 per piece). Very tasty, very cheap, very Namibian.

• 1 Kaokoland Restaurant (just outside OK Grocer, the main supermarket). breakfast, lunch and dinner. The only "standard" restaurant in town. The outside area is a nice spot to watch people selling their wares. Pizza from N$55, other meals N$35-130. (updated May 2016)

Drink

• 2 Facebook Bar (on the main road). All day except early morning hours. The place to be on Friday nights. Loud music and all the locals. Drinks are seldom cold and occasionally sold out. Buy at other shebeens nearby and bring in, nobody will care. a quart (750 ml) of good beer below N$20. (updated May 2016)

Sleep

• ABBA guesthouse (Accessible, Beautiful, Budget Accommodation), ☏ +264 65 273155, abbaguest@gmail.com. Clean, en suite bathrooms, hot water, free internet, TV in reception room, in the center of Opuwo. Profits from ABBA go towards running a feeding scheme in Opuwo for between 50 and 150 orphans and vulnerable children daily. Profits are used to send teaching teams to Himba villages and will soon start drilling water wells in some remote villages. From N$80 per person per night. 
• Kunene Village Rest Camp. Solar hot water, friendly staff. Guides can be arranged for visits to local Himba villages or to Epupa Falls. Campsite run as a non-profit enterprise by Namibian NGO supporting local communities by providing training and advice on rural development and nature conservation. Profits from camping go towards providing workshops and other training for conservancy members around NW Kunene camping accommodation for N$60 pppn ($30 for children).. 
• 1 Ohakane Lodge (downtown off the main road). Ugly from the outside, very nice inside. Pool, lapa, good breakfast and friendly staff. Aircon and TV in every room. Single: N$500, double: N$420 pp. (updated May 2016)
• 2 Kaoko Mopane Safari Lodge, C41 (7.5km southeast of Opuwo, 2 km off the C41), ☏ +264 81 213 5949, reservations@kaoko-namibia.com. Kaoko Mopane Lodge is in an earthly space, drawn on natural hues of ochre, sand and stone, using scrap metal from the area and recycled pine from old buildings. Chalets and camping spots in a Mopane forest, most of it newly built 2022. Restaurant, bar, sizeable swimming pool. Staff very friendly and accommodating. Chalets and restaurant overlook a small canyon. Camping spots have natural and artificial shade, hot water, AC power, no grass. Once the place fills up, undoubtedly going to happen considering campers' limited options around Opuwo, the spots are too close to each other. Food in the restaurant is only average. Chalets N$1350 pppn, camping N$180 pppn, children half price. Dinner at restaurant N$150. (updated Dec 2022)

Connect

There is cell phone coverage everywhere in town. If you're heading towards Kaokoland proper, here is the last opportunity to have Internet access.

Stay healthy

Malaria area. Regional Hospital and private pharmacy can treat most health related problems.