Desert Rhino Camp, formerly Palmwag (pronounced Pallumvakh!) Rhino Camp, is situated in the one million acre private Palmwag Reserve in Damaraland in the north west of Namibia. Few places on the planet can offer this level of privacy and wilderness safari experience.
Damaraland is flanked by the Skeleton Coast in the west and Bushman land in the east, it is rocky and hot, but has spectacular and incredible rugged desert scenery unlike anything you will have seen before! This was formerly home to the Bushman and is rich in their tragic history but you can also search for the desert rhino and the unique desert elephant.
Desert Rhino Camp accommodates 16 guests in eight large East African-styled 'Meru' tents each with an en-suite bathroom comprising hand basin, flush toilet and a classic bucket shower that is filled with hot water whenever needed. The tented dining room offers uninterrupted views of the desert and mountains. There is no laundry service at this camp due to the severe water shortages in this region.
This desert reserve has a number of fresh water springs that support healthy populations of animals including desert-adapted black rhino and elephant as well as large populations of the rare Hartmann's mountain zebra, giraffe, oryx, springbok and kudu. The predator population is the largest outside the Etosha National Park with over 100 lion, cheetah, leopard, brown and spotted hyena. Birdlife is prolific and diverse with most of Namibia's endemics present.
Desert Rhino Camp is run in conjunction with "Save the Rhino Trust" - a non-profit conservation organisation that has been working in this area of Namibia for 20 years. The Trust has been singly responsible for helping to ensure that these rare, desert-adapted black rhino survived the slaughter that went on throughout other parts of Africa in the 80's and 90's. Today this population of black rhino is growing in numbers and the area boasts the largest concentration of rhino anywhere on the planet outside a national park. Community game scouts who were employed by the Trust to help with the patrolling and monitoring all these years are now seconded to the camp and are the trackers and guides. A portion of every guest's revenue goes to the Trust.
The primary activity at the camp is rhino tracking which is usually by vehicle until a sighting is made by trackers and then on foot. Guests can also enjoy full day outings, with a picnic lunch on the reserve.