Wilderness Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp

Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp sits in the remote northwest of Namibia, overlooking a wide desert valley and a waterhole on the sporadically flowing Hoanib River. Elephant, Angolan giraffe, oryx, and occasionally lion and brown hyena come to drink below the camp. The only way in is by light aircraft — Wilderness Air flies guests over the Namib to a private airstrip.

The camp holds eight tented suites: seven standard twin and double tents with en-suite facilities, free-flow stretch canvas roofing, and a private deck on stilts above the gravel; and one family unit with two bedrooms, each with its own en-suite and separate entrance, sharing a large outdoor deck. The camp runs entirely on solar power and operates as a joint venture with three neighbouring conservancies — Anabeb, Torra, and Sesfontein — whose community members benefit directly from the income.

Nature drives go out morning and afternoon along the Hoanib floodplain, where desert pools hold flamingos in season and the birding covers several species found only in this arid northwest corridor. Guided walks from camp cover the smaller creatures and plants of the concession, and traces of the Strandloper way of life from centuries ago. Guests who stay three nights or longer join a full-day coastal excursion: a 4x4 drive out through the dune field to the Skeleton Coast — seal colonies, shipwreck remnants, and a rocky Atlantic shoreline — returning to camp by light aircraft, weather permitting. The camp's Research Centre hosts wildlife scientists, and guests can attend presentations on the desert-adapted lion study led by Dr Philip Stander.