Desert Rhino Camp (Palmwag Concession, Namibia)

Safari ventures often market themselves as Eco Tourism ventures, though many of them fail to live up to that claim.   One camp that does justify that status is Desert Rhino Camp in North West Namibia.   The camp is run in conjunction with the Save the Rhino Trust, an NGO that has been operating in the Palmwag concession of Namibia for nearly a quarter of a century; and some of the proceeds from your stay will be channelled into this trust.   The Black Rhino population within the concession are probably the last remaining Black Rhino to be living in a completely free, unfenced area, and without the protection of the trust’s dedicated community game guards would more than likely become extinct within a short period of time.

Desert Rhino Camp is situated deep within the Palmwag concession, a very wild, barren inhospitable land yet stunningly beautiful at the same time. An ancient russet coloured volcanic mountain range dominates the landscape, and at first sight one would be forgiven for thinking that it would be impossible for Rhino or any other animal to exist here at all; but exist here they do, and it is this unique desert adapted population of Rhino that the main activity at the camp is centred around.

After an early breakfast you are taken by one of the guides on a scenic nature drive to search for other desert fauna that scratches a living out of this harsh environment; Oryx, Springbok, Kudu and even Elephant and Lion can be found here.   Whilst on your drive Save the Rhino Trust trackers will be in search of one of the Rhinos they are monitoring; once found the trackers will call guests into the sighting.   The purpose of this is to maintain that the animal suffers minimum disturbance, the guide and trackers will try to ensure that guests enter and leave the sighting without the Rhino ever knowing they were there.

The camp itself has a genuine ‘Out of Africa’ feel to it; purely built of canvas and wood, guests are accommodated in one of 8 walk-in tents with en-suite bathrooms.   Even the main lounge and dining area are made of canvas and this gives the camp a unique and cosy atmosphere.   Adding to this is an open fire, lit every evening allowing guests to warm themselves, sit back in their chair, and marvel at the myriad of stars that light up the desert sky every night.