Desert Rhino Camp

Remote, exclusive and specialized, Desert Rhino Camp is located in the vast Palmwag Concession, a semi-desert reserve of about 5,000km2 between Etosha National Park and the Skeleton Coast that is one of the best places to see desert-dwelling black rhino and elephants. The camp has been operating for over 20 years and its activities – run by a reliably superb and committed team – centre on tracking black rhino.

A joint venture between Namibia’s Save the Rhino Trust and Wilderness Safaris, few camps are so remote, and have such a large area that they can call their own. The Palmwag Concession (or Palmwag Reserve) has a number of tree-lined, fresh water springs that support good populations of the rare Hartmann’s mountain zebra, giraffe, oryx, springbok and kudu. It is also one of the best places to see desert-dwelling black rhino and elephants, as well as predators including lions, cheetah, leopard, and brown and spotted hyena.

Desert Rhino Camp has 8 tents accommodating a maximum of 16 guests. These large walk-in Meru-style tents are raised up on wooden decks, each with a veranda at the front where you can relax in one of the directors’ chairs. Tent flaps open to reveal mesh on the windows, which lets the breeze through – but not the insects. Conversely, extra duvets and blankets are available, too; it can get very cold here at night.

Raised up on a low wooden deck, the main area is an open-plan, tented structure that is completely open at the front offering views of the nearby waterhole – which is floodlit at night – and the mountains beyond.

For more than 30 years, the Save The Rhino Trust has been solely responsible for helping to protect the rare, desert-adapted black rhino. There are now reported to be about 120 individuals in Namibia, up from about 40 in the early 1980s, and the Palmwag Concession boasts the largest concentration of black rhino anywhere outside of a national park. A portion of the revenue from every guest at Desert Rhino Camp goes to the Trust, which has trained local people to patrol and monitor the rhino. It is with these trackers, some of whom are seconded to the camp, that you go out tracking.

Activities at Desert Rhino Camp concentrate mainly on rhino tracking. Each evening, guests taking part in the morning’s rhino activity meet at camp for a chat with the trackers. They will explain their work and what you can expect during your activity. The following morning, you start out early in a 4WD vehicle, driving around the reserve and enjoying any wildlife you see. Meanwhile, the trackers are out and about, looking for the rhino. When they find one, they radio your guide and arrange to meet somewhere. Although the walking isn’t very strenuous, the terrain is very uneven as the landscape is strewn with small rocks and boulders. Sure-footedness and sturdy walking shoes are therefore recommended.