Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp

This camp is fully solar powered, is a joint venture with the neighbouring Conservancies of Anabeb, Torra and Sesfontein, and hosts researchers committed to conserving desert-adapted lion, brown hyaena and more.

In a remote area of the Kaokoveld, with gravel-strewn plains and dry riverbeds that draw fascinating wildlife, lies Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp. Explorations of this isolated yet diverse area take place via game drives along the riverbed’s narrow ribbon of vegetation, where a surprising wealth of desert-adapted animals can be found, while the research centre provides further insights. The desolate Skeleton Coast with its shipwrecks and noisy colonies of Cape fur seals is accessed either by a fascinating drive or flight, depending on the weather

In a remote area of the Kaokoveld, with gravel-strewn plains and dry riverbeds that draw fascinating wildlife, lies Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp. Game drives explore this isolated area, moving along the riverbed’s narrow ribbon of vegetation, where a surprising wealth of desert-adapted animals can be found; in camp the research centre provides even more insights. The unforgiving Skeleton Coast, with its shipwreck remains and noisy colonies of Cape fur seals, is accessed either by a fascinating drive or flight, depending on the weather. Eight large en-suite tents (including one family tent) and the main area and pool look out over a wide, rugged valley that slopes down to the almost-always dry Hoanib River. Fully solar powered, Hoanib Skeleton Coast is a joint venture with the neighbouring conservancies of Anabeb, Torra and Sesfontein, and hosts researchers committed to conserving desert-adapted lion, brown hyaena and more.

Hoanib Skeleton Coast’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 it seems, in this stark environment, enormous elephant thrive along with giraffe, lion and brown hyaena. Gemsbok (oryx), springbok, steenbok, scrub hare, and inquisitive ground squirrel are also seen. 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.

PLEASE NOTE: Typically harsh desert conditions prevail in this area with regards to heat, fog rolling in from the sea, high winds and flooding rivers. On occasion, these conditions may affect the duration and routing of the coastal excursion and in such cases, guests are driven both ways or (similarly when it rains and the floodplains may fill with water) are flown both ways. In this case, departure from camp will be at 10:00 to allow time for the fog to clear and return to camp at the scheduled 14:00. With safety and overall Comfort being the major criteria, decisions on the format of the excursion on any given day may only be finalised in camp.