It originates in the Etjo Mountains, crosses the town of Omaruru and the village of Okombahe, and reaches the sea a few kilometers north of Henties Bay.

[1] Inflows of the Omaruru are Otjimakuru, Goab, Spitzkop, Leeu and Okandjou.

[2] The Omaruru is an ephemeral river with a mean run-off of roughly 40 million cubic metres per annum.

Its palaeochannels form an underground delta of the Namib Desert.

[1] Its catchment area (including its tributaries) is estimated to be between 11,579[3] and 13,100 square kilometres (5,100 sq mi).