Hoanib Valley Camp is open year-round, but the two seasons (the green season and the dry season) offer two remarkably different experiences.

The summer months of December to March are the green season. When the rain comes, the rocky landscapes are transformed into a rich, emerald carpet, and, depending on the level of rainfall, the dry riverbeds flow (albeit briefly) with life-giving water. Dramatic sunsets are littered with heavy clouds, and short bursts of rain clear the dust from the air. It’s fresh, vivid, and although temperatures can be high, it’s a lovely time of year to visit.

Then the rain stops, and the land dries slowly into its iconic, desert state. Midwinter (May to July), brings chilly temperatures in the mornings and evenings (that’s where the warm jacket comes in) but as the season progresses the temperatures rise steadily. By October, the land is at its driest and the temperature at its warmest, and as the desert-elephant begin to congregate around the last drops of water in the river valleys, you’ll be rewarded with some truly incredible sights.

Seasonality

• Green Season: 10 January – 31 March
• Shoulder Season: 01 April – 30 June & 01 November – 09 January
• High Season: 01 July – 30 September & 20 December – 19 December
• Peak Season: 01 August – 31 August & 01 October – 31 October

• Game drives to track desert adapted lion, elephant and giraffe.
• Nature walks.
• Rhino tracking.
• Cultural experiences with local Himba and Herero people.
• Enjoy an informative discussion with your guide about giraffe research in the area (please contact us for more information on project funding).

Landscape

Deep in the north-western corner of Namibia, Kaokoland is one of the most remote, wild and marvellously unique areas of the country. It’s a land characterised by rolling dunes, rocky mountains and desert plains all criss-crossed by ancient, dry riverbeds, the roads of the area. Temporary Himba settlements dot the landscape, and scattered herds of desert-adapted elephant and giraffe are a common sight.

Hoanib Valley Camp itself is located in the Sesfontein Community Conservancy, our joint partners in the area. The camp itself is set back in a hidden valley and surrounded by a range of jagged mountains, just outside the private 500 square kilometre Palmwag Concession. Views are of the ephemeral Hoanib River that teems with resident elephant, giraffe, oryx and springbok. Although parts of the land have been designated ‘concession areas’ tourism is still limited, making a visit to this unspoiled corner even more memorable.

Wildlife

The wildlife of the Hoanib Valley is perfectly at home in the arid environment, and learning about their survival techniques is fascinating. Game drives will reveal desert-adapted elephant, as well as stately desert-adapted giraffe, and, if you’re very lucky, desert lion. Zebra, klipspringer and kudu move freely through the mountains, and you’ll find hardy herds of springbok and oryx, as well as steenbok picking their way across the dust-blown landscapes. The region is home to the largest population of free-ranging black rhino, and a day (or even a morning or an afternoon) tracking the magnificent beasts is an absolute must. Bird watchers, keep your eyes peeled for Monteiro’s hornbills or Ruppell’s korhaans in the valleys, and the imperious Verreaux’s eagle in the mountains.

You’ll find Hoanib Valley Camp in the Kaokoveld region of north-west Namibia – an area that has long held an allure for our partner, Dr Julian Fennessy, Africa’s foremost giraffe expert and the go-to guy for information on the hardy population of desert-adapted giraffe who live here.

Our other partner in this venture is the Sesfontein Community who live some way inland of camp. When we first started to build Hoanib Valley Camp, we employed 20 labourers from Sesfontein to help us and now, 80% of our staff hail from there. We also pay 8% of our turnover as rental to the community, which they in turn use to finance salaries for rhino rangers and game guards.