We finally have an opening date for the new Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp in Namibia… August 2014!

Wilderness Safaris’ new Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp will be located in a broad valley at the confluence of two tributaries of the Hoanib River in the northern part of the private Palmwag Concession. Flanked to the east and west by rugged hills, the camp looks out over stunning, starkly beautiful scenery. Its location straddles the 450,000 hectare Palmwag area and the iconic Skeleton Coast National Park, in one of the most remote areas of the Kaokoveld.

Part of the Namib Desert, it is home to rich diversity thanks to the early morning fog and the transient Hoanib River that provides water in this incredibly harsh environment. Freshwater springs support healthy populations of Hartmann’s mountain zebra, giraffe, gemsbok, springbok, kudu, meerkats, ground squirrels, black-backed jackal and small spotted genet.

Desert adapted elephant may be seen with guests having roughly a 75% chance of spotting a bull elephant, small herd or both. This is a very good area for lion but their range is great so you might have a 20% chance of seeing them. Leopard and cheetah can occur however fewer than 5% of guests would likely make a sighting. Palmwag has the largest free-roaming population of desert-adapted black rhino in Africa but the odds of seeing them in this area are less than 5%.

Overall we are very excited – but not thrilled – about the new camp’s location and activities. The old Skeleton Coast Camp was located within the Skeleton Coast Park where you could drive along the shore, climb out onto the wave battered rocks, fish, inspect shipwrecks and whale carcasses, and see the seals up close. It was awesome…

Guests at the new Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp will have exclusive access to more than 3 million hectares (8 million acres) of remote Africa where they can partake in morning and afternoon wildlife viewing drives as well as full-day excursions and nature walks in the area around camp. However guests wishing to visit the coast will need to stay 3 or more nights. They will be flown over the park to see the rugged coastline with its seal colony and shipwrecks – pretty cool stuff flying along the shore. The flight will land at the Mowe Bay Airstrip, a remote conservation outpost inside the Skeleton Coast National Park, where there is not much except a good number of whale bones and a quirky museum. Guests will then travel by road to the Hoanib River Mouth, Klein Oasis and some dune fields. It will be a full day excursion.

The 8 room Classic camp will have 7 twin-bedded tents and 1 family unit with en-suite bathrooms and shaded outdoors decks.

The camp will only be accessible by light aircraft.

Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp’s website: http://www.wilderness-safaris.com/camps/hoanib-skeleton-coast

Stay well,

Ian Proctor
Ultimate Africa founder and president