Experience

Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp’s location – close to the Skeleton Coast and within the true Namib Desert – is home to a rich diversity of wildlife, boasting the Kaokoveld’s best viewing of desert-adapted wildlife and access to vast, remote and isolated wilderness. Almost miraculously enormous elephant thrive along with giraffe, lion and brown hyaena alongside gemsbok, springbok, steenbok, scrub hare, and ground squirrels. Entirely different to the rugged mountains and valleys inland, the Skeleton Coast hosts Cape fur seals in their thousands along with black-backed jackals and brown hyaena. Birds are equally diverse, with regular endemics like Rüppell's korhaan, Benguela long-billed lark and lark-like bunting. Towards the coast, the bird community changes and tractrac chat can be seen, as well as jaegers and skuas found around the seal colonies.

Game drives showcase the magnitude of the landscape and offer the best possibilities of seeing desert-adapted wildlife. Morning or afternoon drives are available as well as full-day excursions. Nature walks from camp are an exciting way to get up close and personal with desert-wildlife. As well as the possibility of spotting big game, it is also a good opportunity to study the smaller creatures and the fascinating plant life of the concession. Weather-permitting, and on a stay of three nights (or more), flights to the Skeleton Coast are offered. This full-day excursion showcases the rocky coastline with its seal colony and shipwrecks. To reach the coast you will fly over massive dunefields, the Auses Spring and the Hoanib floodplains. Day trips to Klein Oase and Auses Spring can be organised. These oases are a fascinating respite from the dry surrounds of the desert and offer the chance of seeing wildlife coming to drink as well as plenty of birdlife. These full-day trips are done in semi-closed game drive vehicles, with a stop for a picnic at a scenic spot along the way. Presentations and interaction with wildlife researchers are planned when researchers are in camp, or nearby. These include all current research, in particular the good work being done by Dr Flip Stander and his team on the unique desert-adapted lion.

Accommodation

The camp is only accessible by light aircraft and the camp itself consists of only seven tents and one family unit, each comprising stylish en-suite bedrooms with shaded outdoors decks. Flanked to the east and west by rugged hills, the camp looks out over stunning, starkly beautiful scenery and offers guests all the luxuries and amenities for an unforgettable stay. The main area has a pool, a waterhole in front of camp, both indoor and outdoor lounge areas, a curio corner, a dining and bar area and a fire pit.