Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp

the best safari area in Namibia

Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp is located in the Damaraland North area of northwest Namibia.

This is a very comfortable and stylish tented camp, centred on extensive public areas under a geodesic canvas roof. There is also a modest swimming pool and a decent campfire.

Rooms

Guest accommodation at Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp is in eight very large and comfortable tented suites, which are specially designed to maintain comfort levels in an area where there can be a huge range between day and night temperatures.

Activities

Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp provides the following guided activities …

• Day trips to the Skeleton Coast
• Vehicle safari
• Walking safari
• Bush meals
• Desert lion project
• Brown hyena project
• Night vehicle safari

Despite being the best safari area in Namibia by a distance, Damaraland North unfortunately features in a relatively low proportion of trips, largely due to its accessibility and high cost.

The usual stay duration is 3-6 nights.

Seasonality

The climate in Damaraland North follows the usual pattern for this part of the world, with a long dry season Apr-Dec and a short green season Jan-Mar.

However, being closer to the coast, the area experiences even less rainfall than further inland, so the seasonality is a lot less pronounced and safari conditions are pretty favourable year round.

Getting around

There are three main ways to get around Namibia and visit Damaraland North …

Self-drive

The first option is to self-drive, which is reasonably safe and easy to do. The upside is that it is by far the lowest cost way to get around. The downside is that, for safety reasons, you are obliged to stick to a relatively limited network of main roads locations.

The Damaraland North area is relatively rarely visited by self-drivers, although there is a small selection of roadside lodges which caters specifically to those that do get this far north. Surprisingly it is also possible to access even the most remote camps by self-drive, simply by leaving your vehicle at a roadside lodge and being picked up by a guide and vehicle from the camp. This is a great way to add a big dose of authenticity and quality into a self-drive, but can be pricey.

Flying safari

The second option is to travel around by light aircraft. This is both a great deal easier and enables you to access some wonderfully remote locations. The downside is that it’s much more expensive, as much as three times the price of self-drive.

By far the most common way to access the remote camps in this area is to fly in by light aircraft, which is fabulous and easy, but inherently expensive.

Guided overland expedition

The third option is guided overland safari, which enables you to really explore the truly wild and wonderful parts of the country. The downsides are that this can be quite an arduous way to travel and can become quite costly.

Guided overland expeditions tend to often include the Damaraland North area, this is prime territory for this style of exploration.

Combinations

Many of the very best trips to Namibia combine two or three of these ways of travelling around.

Where to stay

It is important to appreciate that the Damaraland North area contains two very different safari areas, with two distinct clusters of accommodation options …

The high plateau of the Etendeka Mountains is centred on the enormous Palmwag Concession, where Desert Rhino Camp is the stand-out option (renowned for rhino tracking on foot). The nearby Etendeka Concession contains the slightly lower cost Etendeka Mountain Camp (largely focused on hiking and walking safari). Additionally there is the much lower cost Grootberg Lodge for self-drivers.

Further north lies the hidden Hoanib Valley, which is the best area for wildlife viewing in these western deserts. Deep within the valley are the two prime options, Hoanib Camp and Hoanib Valley Camp. A much lower cost way for self-drivers to access the area is to stay at either Fort Sesfontein Lodge or Khowarib Lodge and visit the valley on day trips.

an inherently high cost area