The Kaokoveld Desert occupies a coastal strip covering 45,700 square kilometers (17,600 sq mi), from 13° to 21°S and is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Namibian savanna woodlands to the east, and the Namib Desert to the south.

The Kunene River is the only permanent watercourse but many dry riverbeds (including the Hoanib, Hoarusib and Khumib Rivers) carry moisture through the desert and are home to animals including elephants, black rhinos, and giraffe.

The Kaokoveld is home to a number of endemic reptiles while large mammals including desert elephants (Loxodonta africana), black rhinos (Diceros bicornis) and giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) visit the riverbeds.

There is a great deal of birdlife including the endemic Cinderella waxbill (Glaucestrilda thomensis) on the Kunene River.

Much of the area was formerly protected under Game Reserve 2, which was reduced in size to become Etosha National Park in 1967, with a subsequent increase in poaching and more recently uncontrolled off-road driving.