Hoanib Valley Camp

The best way to travel into Namibia is with Voyage2Africa so let us show you the remote and beautiful Hoanib Valley Camp that lies silently in a glorious little authentic space in the Kaokoland, an innovative joint eco venture with the local Himba tribe.

This is the northwest region of Namibia and Hoanib Valley Camp works closely with the top giraffe expert in Africa, Dr Julian Fennessy, in a bid to protect and conserve these iconic, tall desert-adapted creatures, ever threatened by human impacts. 

Guests can become part of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) just for their time in the camp, helping to monitor the population and also helping to fund the conservation efforts out here. The Sesfontein community also benefits from the tourism in this camp, an ecotourism initiative where staff are employed from local villages as game rangers, game guards and lodge staff.

Hoanib Valley Camp is an eco-friendly Kaokoland destination made for guests who love the rugged landscape up near the Skeleton Coast National Park towards Angola. Not many travellers head this far north so you can explore the scenery without the crowds. 

This tented camp blends into the landscape and offers something different – only 5 twin rooms for 10 people feature refreshing showers, decks with comfortable seating, quality beds and linen, fans, desks and the views that take up the entire front lens of your holiday here. The family unit features a king size bed and two single beds for children plus extra space and plenty of deck viewing space too. 

This is a green camp, solar powered and created largely from recycled materials, the decks included, allowing the vegetation to remain untouched. All colours, textures, fittings and amenities are natural materials and locally sourced from Himba carvers and Rundu carpenters and Omba weavers. Each tent is uniquely decorated in these natural shades and materials, reminding guests of the importance of people and planet.

The best way to get there is by small airplane or adventure there on a road trip to see the surrounding landscape and its continual evolution as you drive to the camp.  Hoanib Valley Camp is beautifully located in the rocks above the Hoanib river with easy access for game runs up the east valley (leading to Etosha) or west valley (leading to the skeleton coast). 

The lodge has been built in conjunction with and on lease from the local concession so all parties have a signification stake in it, a win win for all. The activities are varied and absorbing, with game drives in the river bed plus the opportunity to visit a Himba village. Look out for fascinating sightings of desert rhino, lion, giraffe and elephant plus plenty of springbok, steinbok and oryx and even cheetah in the fading sunset or morning sunrise. A visit to the Himba village, a current settlement of 7 huts, is well worth doing as it provides global visitors a glimpse into the Himbas’ nomadic existence. 

The ancient beauty of raw Kaokoland is reflected in the ingenious design of Hoanib Valley Camp – international visitors get a chance to escape their modern, concrete, cultivated and manicured environments to see the authentic pulse of Africa – the raw geology and geography of Namibia is breath-taking and hard to forget. This place is like no other place on the planet. 

For a luxury tented camp with green and a community conscience, head north, up the Namibian coast until you pass Etosha National Park and you enter the magic of the harsh yet magnificent Kaokoland region where the Hoanib Valley Camp hides. It’s an exclusive camp nestling in the dunes of the Hoanib river valley and it’s remote and secluded, wild and unique. 

We love the Hoanib Valley Camp for several reasons, the main one being its commitment to a green ethic with its solar energy, its semi-permanent structure on stilts so that it can be taken down easily and leaves no impact on the natural environment. 

The lodge management is committed to giraffe and elephant conservation projects as part of the combined conservancies in this region and they work with the local people to create jobs and protect their rightful land and heritage together.

The Giraffe Conservation Project is an ongoing research and protection endeavour to save these endangered creatures, and much research is going into the desert adapted black rhinos, elephants, lions and oryx. 

Take a game drive into this fascinating region to see the giraffes, chat to the researchers and game guides and learn how the community is involved. Do some rhino tracking and meet the local HImba and Herero people, many of whom are trained to become game guards and camp staff. 

Guests get the royal treatment when relaxing in camp – just 6 beautiful naturally designed tents for couples with materials sources locally to create a haven of tranquillity in the veld. Sophisticated designs and fabrics, stylish furnishings and African artworks reminding us about the wildlife that requires care and conservation. Indoor and outdoor showers, beanbags on the decks welcoming tired bodies to just sit and relax. 

Did you know that the Kaokoveld is part of the Kunene Region in the far north-west of Namibia? On the borders of this region are Atlantic Ocean, the Kunene River and the Central North Region – Etosha and the Damaraland.

It is home to the Ovahimba, the last true nomads of Namibia, who still trek through the area in search for water and good pastures. Beautiful baobab trees, desert adapted plants and animals make your days come alive. Speak to Voyage2Africa about your next Namibian safari up north past Skeleton Coast National Park to the Kaokoveld in all its drama and intrigue.