Desert Rhino Camp

Go to an earthy bush camp called Desert Rhino Camp, in the heart of remote Damaraland, one of those remote safari lodges in northern Namibia where endangered black rhinos roam in a private wildlife concession. Track these rhinos in untouched preserved habitats where vast open plains meet deserts and where the wild Skeleton Coast meets the Kaokoveld.  Book your Namibia holidays and tours with the experts in travel to find the largest free-roaming rhino population in Africa. 

Make Desert Rhino Camp your safari base from which to explore the entire region. Damaraland is known for its rocky and rugged landscapes of rough, fascinating beauty, its rock art at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Twyfelfontein. It’s a treasure trove of some 5 000 carvings and paintings created about 6 000 to 10 000 years ago by Stone Age people. Later the Khoi-Khoi hunter-gatherers who lived in the area depicted animals such as giraffes and lions, seals and flamingos. 

Bizarre sightings of Hartmann’s zebra, rare giraffe, the welwitschia plant and other desert-adapted fauna and flora fill your game viewing days here where expert game rangers share their intricate knowledge of all the region has to offer. 

Rest up in 8 luxury Meru-styled canvas tents with ensuite showers and decks and meet fellow guests in the shady main camp beside the welcoming plunge pool. You are here to track the black rhinos on foot, meeting members of the Save the Rhino Trust, a conservation NGO. 

You are here to explore the extraordinary Palmwag Concession on full-day game drives that introduce you to myriad creatures great and small. Your chef packs you a delicious picnic lunch with hot and cold drinks and you don’t even notice the day slipping by until the sundowners come out at sunset! Then return to camp for a mammoth dinner around the campfire and many stories to share.

You gain enormous insight into the ecology of the region, the species and the reasons for its vital conservation, and your contribution goes straight back into the Save the Rhino Trust coffers.  Ecotourism at its best.  

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Overview

For a wonderful bush experience and a sighting of the rare free-roaming black desert rhino, head for Desert Rhino Camp in Namibia’s Damaraland region. The 450 000 hectare Palmwag Concession is the setting for this very remote camp where the largest population of rhinos can be found outside of a national park. 

Book Desert Rhino Camp specifically to get out on foot in Damaraland and track these black rhinos in a fascinating rocky desert landscape. Meet dedicated staff from the camp and Namibia’s Save the Rhino Trust NGO which has trained local people to patrol and monitor the rhino in this semi-desert ecosystem. Stunning encounters too with the rare Hartmann’s mountain zebra, giraffe, oryx, springbok and kudu – all congregating to drink and feed at several oases. Desert-dwelling elephants, lions, cheetahs, leopards, and brown and spotted hyenas also roam Damaraland.

Luxury tented accommodation features en-suite bedrooms and quality linen. Raised on wooden decks with large verandas and comfy chairs, these Meru-style tents let the breezes in and offer guests a bucket shower and complimentary toiletries. Grab an extra duvet for the chilly desert nights.

A raised open plan main tented area offers amazing views across the desert landscape where welwitschia plants lie – sit on a soft leather sofa and read a book about Namibia or wait for a communal meal at the large wooden table. Most guests gather around the fire pit to relax before eating wholesome food while guides share their stories.

The main activity at Desert Rhino Camp is rhino tracking – when trackers find a rhino they radio the 4×4 vehicle and guests go in on foot – very exciting! Find freshwater springs, and look out for lions and leopards while birdlife is hugely diverse, with terrific sightings of Namibian key species such as Ruppell’s korhaan, Benguela long-billed lark, Herero chat and Verreaux’s eagle.

Desert Rhino has been a joint venture between Namibia’s Save the Rhino Trust and Wilderness for more than 20 years. A portion of every guest’s revenue goes to the Trust. Chat to Voyage2Africa to secure your own safari into Namibia’s private game concessions.