Wilderness Namibia camp newsletters – August 2025

Damaraland weather in August

Our temperatures ranged from 14° Celsius mornings to 33° during the day, plus we’ve had very misty mornings for the past two months. Fog has covered the mountain, creating unique and lovely light as the sun rises through it. It stays for few minutes after the sun has climbed a little, and then burns off to produce sunny days. It’s the first time we are experiencing this in spring for a decade.

This special spring has created the perfect opportunities for outdoor games and bush breakfasts – and with the beautiful colour all over the mountain, it feels like the landscape is finally waking up after the long, cold winter.

Wildlife

The wildlife has become very active too, their movement marked by migrations, breeding, and the birth and care of young ones. Animals are emerging from hibernation, migratory birds are returning, and the plants have new growth. This period sees increased birdsong, and we have more guineafowls than we can count. 

We’ve seen gentle giraffes following the stream in camp, just a few metres from Rooms 9 and 10, with a beautiful sighting of a giraffe picking fresh leaves in view of camp. 

It’s a vital time for reproduction and foraging, making it a fascinating season for observing nature. With the blooming of flowers, early spring flies, butterflies and bees are more visible. That said, we are very cautious around the animals as too, as they may be nesting or sheltering. We keep a very safe distance from breeding herds of elephants as they are very protective.

Activities in & around Damaraland Camp

Spring is the season for renewed activity, which we embrace with arms outstretched here in Damaraland. As the days get longer and warmer, we are actively preparing for all the joyful festivals and cultural events around the corner. In camp, we are focusing on staff health challenges to boost our physical and mental wellbeing – we are not only focusing on work, but on workouts too. 

Our guides do their utmost every day, and we make sure our guests are immersed in nature through bush breakfasts, river lunches, and sundowners on top of the mountain. We have guided walking trails around camp too, namely the 1.5-hour Shepherd’s and 2-hour Damarana trails. 

We are celebrating birthdays for every September baby visiting our camp, plus we have a lot of September birthdays in-house. We are excited for new beginnings, growth and the general awakening of nature.

Guest comments

• The kindness of staff is extraordinary, everybody is so caring, in a decent way, the energy is beyond.
• 10s across the board! Excellent food, gorgeous and clean rooms, beyond attentive staff, please more fire pits!
• Staff relationship with guest, but improving approaching road conditions!
• The welcome, service, guide experience, food, kindness, simplicity!
• Everything was excellent. Staff were welcoming and knowledgeable, food was delicious, Brian our guide was very knowledgeable!
• Staff, guide & rooms!
• Cool experiences, feels extremely exclusive touch, passion of our guide Brian, personal service and attention to all details! 

Our Damaraland Camp team:

• General Manager Collin Ananias Netope, Assistant Manager Monika Edward, Food & Beverage Manager Andreas Hidishange.
• Sem Alweendo (Mechanic).
• Kitchen with Head Chef Pinehas, Sophia, Herold Basson, Kitchen Assistant, veterans Josephine & Emelia. Congratulations to Martha who has recently moved to Staff Chef.
• Housekeeping: Hansina-Anna Supervisor, Annalise, Virginia, Elizabeth, Riana. Plus we have happily welcomed Dolly Mwamuenetji Kambapa into our Housekeeping team.
• Our extraordinary Guides team: Brian, Silvester & Lukas, the strongest and most courageous team.
• Front of House: Emmerincia Supervisor, Leonie, Roux-Che. Plus we congratulate Cassius & Dios, our hardworking and kind staff for being available to take over when Donovan left for his new journey at Kulala Desert Lodge.
• Men in Overalls: Oupa Wellem and Ricardo Williams, two strong man indeed (Team No Sleep)
• Hygiene team: Aron & Lucrisia.
• Applause to George Muvuma for being a solid relief manager.

We are happy to wave a new-beginning flag for Donovan Erasmus as he leaves to join KDL for growth. We believe his dedication and capabilities will sow the best seeds at Sossusvlei, and we extend our hands to wish him wisdom, encouragements and all the best.

Happy spring! And happy birthday to all our September babies – myself Monika Edward, Lukas Paulus Tjipandhi, Leonie Gases and Annalise Gases – may this month bring the best for everyone.

Compiled by Monika N Edward, Assistant Manager. Pictures by Brian Kahengombe.

Max & min temps for August

Average daytime high: 21-25°C | Average night-time low: 7-11°C  

Palmwag landscape in late winter-early spring

The veld is quite bare in many areas, and the grasses are now predominantly brown and dry. 

Trees found in the area: Commiphora species, tamboti, leadwood, African star chestnut (Sterculia Africana), ana. 

Flowers found in the area: Kalahari milk bush, sickle bush flowers, camelthorn flowers, African star flower. 

The Uniab and Huab watercourses are dry.

The area is dotted with the fascinating welwitschia, Namibia's national plant, and features unique vegetation like the highly toxic milk-bush (Euphorbia damarana), which, however, provides sustenance for certain wildlife with the kidney capacity to process the toxins (e.g., rhino and kudu, which browse the growing tips). 

Wildlife and birds seen during the month

Desert-adapted lion and black rhino, elephants, giraffe, zebra, and brown and spotted hyenas.

On a drive we observed a lion roaring and elephants chasing each other.

Impact at Desert Rhino Camp

Wilderness Desert Rhino Camp is set within the Palmwag Concession and is a partner with three local conservancies where the camp plays a role, not just in conservation, but in employment and benefits. For example, guest contributions help support community programs via conservancy benefit-sharing.

Camp activities

Our bush dinner set-ups consistently amaze our lovely guests, as do our popular sober stops, and beer stops.

Guest comments

Excellent hospitality of all your staff + our excellent guide Geraldo.

Staff news

We celebrated our heritage with our guests.
Maintenance was conducted on management tents, and Johnny held wine and housekeeping trainings.

Our GM always motivates and inspires us.

Written by Joseph Mwengo. Photos by Loukie and the SRT team.
 

Max & min temps for August

Average daytime high: 31°C | Average night-time low: 9.44°C  
Wind: south-westerly, every afternoon

Doro !Nawas Conservancy landscape

Condition of the veld: very dry with golden grasses

Trees: Herero sesame

Flowers: south-west edelweiss succulent

Water sources: the reservoir water level is low and the natural springs are also quiet, with less water now. 

Wildlife and birds 

Mammals: desert-adapted elephants, giraffe, chacma baboon, striped squirrel.

Birds: black-headed heron, southern yellow-billed hornbill, crowned lapwing.

Reptiles: horned adder seen on a drive, numerous lizards around the camp.

Unusual sightings: It was sad to note a cow from Rossy’s Herd gave birth to still born calf in early September. We also saw a black-headed heron striking and feeding on a Cape sparrow.

Camp special activities

Riverside lunch set-up. 

Guest comments 

Friendliness of the staff really stood out. Exceptional client service.

Food was 10/10, full compliments to the kitchen team.

The staff showed great enthusiasm. Also amazing sustainability all across the lodge, very impressive. Stefanus was awesome.

The setting plus the view is incredible! The vegetarian food was excellent – this has been tricky elsewhere. Fanuel was a great guide.

Love the dancing after dinners. Room is beautiful with lots of thoughtful details.

Hospitality formidable, happy dancing staff were unique. Knowledgeable professional guides.

Staff news

Change in camp staff: Ms Irene promoted from receptionist to Relief Manager for 3 camps and Ms Sanny promoted from Front of House Supervisor to Receptionist.

Training: Chef Trainer Diana came through from Windhoek to introduce the new Chef Trainer, Celesty, and assisted with a guest group.

August on the Skeleton Coast  

This past month brought crisp, chilly evenings to Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp. Guests enjoyed star gazing under clear skies, though extra layers were needed once the sun set.

The surrounding landscape’s sweeping dunes and rugged riverbed are as dramatic as ever, and despite the dry conditions, the concession continually reveals hidden treasures – from striking desert flora to the ever-changing light that makes every sunset more spectacular than the last.

Wildlife sightings

Some of our sightings were particularly exciting this month:

• Rare lion sightings kept guests on the edge of their seats.
• Giraffes made the occasional appearance – always a highlight in this stark desert setting.
• Guests were treated to great sightings of a caracal – a truly special moment, given how elusive these beautiful cats are.
• A puff adder was also spotted, reminding us of the rich biodiversity that thrives in the desert.

Camp news

A highlight of the month was when guests gathered to experience the lunar eclipse under the vast desert sky – a magical evening that connected us all to the rhythms of nature.  

Staff news

Our ongoing commitment to wellness and conservation continues to shape life at camp. Staff and guests alike took part in Wellness Month activities, encouraging movement and strength — with plenty of laughs during our plank challenge (the best effort so far: 3 minutes!).

We are also thrilled to welcome new team members. Please join us in extending a warm welcome to:  

Evaltine (Kuejovape) Tjipombo, our new Housekeeper 

Daement, our new Food & Beverage Manager, stepping in to replace Bradwin Wilhelm

We are also excited to share that Bradwin has taken on a new role as Relief Food & Beverage Manager.  

We wish Kuejovape, Daement, and Bradwin every success and happiness as they begin their new chapters.

News and photos by Lizelle Opperman. 

Namib weather in August

The weather this past month was very confusing, with three days of cloud cover and even rain!  Daytime temperatures reached just 17° C – but then a week later it touched 47° C. 

However, most mornings and evening were generally cool, warming up to 28 to 30° C.  August is known for the wind, but we experienced only a few windy days this month. 

Landscapes of Sossusvlei

Although the grass is dried out; there is still a lot of food for the animals, and springbok and oryx are still seen grazing in the plains. However, we haven’t seen the mountain zebras, as they have moved off into the mountain area.  

Wildlife on the Kulala Wilderness Reserve

You know you are in the Namib Desert as soon as the sun goes down and you hear a very specific clicking noise: this is the sound of the barking gecko. They are notoriously difficult to see, as they mostly remain inside their burrows, especially if they sense you are moving closer.

There is a brown hyena which regularly visits Kulala Desert Lodge at night when we all are sleeping, making a few early-morning turns around camp. It’s pictured here after drinking from the camp waterhole, before casually loping past the rooms back to the reserve. 

Normally animals don't visit our waterhole during the day, but on one afternoon we were visited by eight oryx.  The guests really enjoyed it, as they were sipping cocktails when suddenly they had an unexpected viewing of these beautiful desert-adapted antelopes.   

Guests always wants to see snakes, and most of the times the guides can find horned adders in Sesriem Canyon – and if they are lucky, a sidewinder adder in the dunes.    

Guest news 

Last year we hosted an Australian couple who got engaged while staying with us at Kulala Desert Lodge.  At the time, the team created a romantic setup, and David proposed while standing in a fairy circle. They held onto that special moment and wanted to share it with their kids. One year later, after getting married they returned to Namibia with their kids, and went to the same location for a special bush dinner created by Thereza and team for them, including beautiful "Namib Flowers” for the table setting. Jennifer even flew her wedding dress all the way to Namibia. We also made a braai for them, as Victor is originally from South Africa.  

Staff news 

As we all know, August is always very busy, and the team worked especially well together to ensure our guests received the best service.   

News by Christelle Jansen. Photos by Alfred Haneb, Julia Leonard & Thereza Kahorongo. 

Early spring weather at Sossusvlei

August brought cold mornings and evenings. However, daytimes were a lot warmer, and temperatures ranged from 7 to 31° C. As is typical for this time of year, the easterly winds came up on occasion. 

Other than that, the reserve is looking quite brown due to the now dry grass.

Wildlife and birds 

More than 30 ostrich chicks were seen around the Kulala Wilderness Reserve, while impressive herds of more than 30 oryx were also seen around the reserve waterhole. 

Little Kulala culture

Guests consistently praise the singing and dancing of the staff after dinner.

Guest news 

We helped George Adams celebrate his 75th birthday with a cake, and staff singing and dancing. We also created a memorable turndown in his room.

Guest comments

• Great infrastructure, good food, the staff is friendly.
• You’ve had the best staff and service of our whole vacation. Seriously the best out of all the Wilderness lodges we have been.  
• Every detail is very important to make our journey so wonderful. The warmth of the team, the full day with our guide. The sunset all done was so exceptional.
• Perfect hospitality. Professionalism is the highest level; our guide Simon is our new friend.

News by James. Photos by James, Carina and Lazarus