Wilderness Namibia camp newsletters – July-August 2025

Weather and landscape

It’s the end of winter in Damaraland and we recorded temperatures between 10° Celsius and 27° C. The last few days had very misty mornings, with fog covering the mountain and actually making it difficult to drive out in the early hours. But once the sun rose over the hills, the cold and mist disappeared.

The fog, of course, is especially appreciated by the small bushes and flowers and grasses, which are looking fresh and lovely. 

Our desert landscapes are particularly beautiful now, alive with new creatures that have arrived thanks to the water all around. Our guides were delighted to point this out to guests, from the littlest bugs to the great creatures seen on nature drives.

Wildlife sightings

Every family of elephants was seen with a baby; around every spring with water there were groups of springboks enjoying the long-awaited grazing freedom – and along with the rains and new growth came new baby springboks and new baby ostriches. The guinea fowl around the camp showed up with new chicks after the rains too. Quite amazing.  

Meanwhile, it’s not only the animals that are happy and thriving, the welwitschias are looking fresh and also growing noticeably. 

Damaraland Camp embracing culture

This is Kananga  season, and everybody is focused and busy, as groups come in one after the other. We having been looking forward to this! The team is strong and delivering the best service as promised, even during our quiet days. This enthusiasm boosts our focus and maintains our service to its standards. From management, we are keeping the culture and norms, delegating every day with high morale. We believe August will be our best month if the bookings carry on as they are. Our service scores are excellent.

Guest comments & highlights

• I love this place, your work in this camp is so important and special, I think this is the best place in Africa; this camp, I like it so much.  
• Everything! The landscape and the people’s smiles! Everyone is so friendly and helpful.  
• Bush dinner, atmosphere at the lodge, elephant drive, rock paintings, bush lunch (river lunch)  
• Everything! Thank you, guys, so much for the amazing days❤️ 
• Attentiveness, warm + friendly  
• Everyone was super kind and everyone had a good positive energy! I am going to miss the amazing staff & Lukas was a great guide.  

Staff in camp

• General Manager Collin Ananias Netope
• Assistant General Manager Monika Edward
• Food & Beverage Andreas Hidishange. 
  Mechanic Sem Alweendo,
• Kitchen with Chef Pinehas as a head chef, Sophia, Herold Basson staff Chef, Veterans Josephine & Emelia.  
• Housekeeping; Hansina-Anna (Supervisor), Annalise, Virginia, Martha, Elizabeth and Riana.
• Our Guiding Team: Brian & Lukas, the strongest and most courageous team.
• Front of House Donovan, Emmy, Leonie, Roux-Che, Dios & casual Cassius.
• Men in Overalls; Oupa Wellem, Ricardo Williams – two strong men indeed
• (Team No Sleep) Hygiene Team Aron & Lucrisia
• Applause to George Muvuma for being a solid Relief Manager

We wish everyone the best, and a proactive month, full of kindness, love and prosperity. Team DMC is strong, with every individual’s input counting for our team!

Compiled by Monika N Edward
Pictures by Colin Netope  

Palmwag winter weather

Daytime temperatures at Wilderness Desert Rhino Camp ranged between 21°C and 25°C (70°F to 77°F), while the evenings and early mornings were chilly, with temperatures averaging around 7°C (45°F). The average highs during the day are very characteristic of the dry winter season across Damaraland.

No rain was recorded, and we had an occasional light breeze in the afternoon. 

Landscape

Typical trees seen on the concession are the cobas and quiver trees, wild tamarisk, mopane, and makalani palms, while flowers such as the yellow desert wildflowers, yellow nectarcup, partridge aloe and wild tamarisk are also appreciated.

The rivers on our concession, including tributaries such as the Aub, Barab, and related branch rivers, remained dry through July, offering little to no surface water during this period. The Uniab River itself is dry too, though its springs are active. 

Wildlife seen at Desert Rhino Camp in July

Occurring on the concession are desert-adapted black rhino, African elephant, rare lion and leopard, cheetah, brown and spotted hyena, giraffe, Hartmann’s mountain zebra, oryx (gemsbok), springbok and kudu. 

This month desert-adapted black rhino and giraffe were seen, as were scorpions.

Out on a drive, guests saw seven hyenas on a zebra kill. 

Community, Culture and Conservation

In early May 2025, Namibia’s government announced plans to recruit 50 new anti-poaching officers, alongside the deployment of SMART tools, canine detection units, and stronger enforcement via a new specialised wildlife crime court in Otjiwarongo.

In camp, guests enjoyed our Rhino Camp song as sung by our team.

 
Photos by Joseph and Loukie 

What to expect from the weather in July-August

As winter rapidly winds down, our maximum temperature was recorded at 30° C, with our minimum already up to 13°C. A light south-westerly came up every afternoon, but there was no rainfall. 

Landscape on the Doro !Nawas Concession 

There is green vegetation along the riverbed, but the plains are golden brown now, as everything has dried out. 

Trees like the mopane, ana, Salvadora and Boscia foetida are holding their own thanks to the good, late summer rains, and reliable water sources include Peterspoel, the Huab spring, Slangpos, Rendewout Dam and the Twyfelfontein pond.

Wildlife and birds

Giraffe, elephant, dassie rats, barking gecko, sand snake, scorpion and wall gecko were recorded, while an unusual sighting of two elephants tussling was also noted. 

Delightful headstander beetles (AKA fog-basking or toktokkie beetles) and grasshoppers were spotted.

On the birding front, ostriches, southern yellow hornbills, glossy starlings, and very pretty mousebirds were recorded. 

Community news

In the nearby community of De Riet, the women run a Wonderbag sewing project to supplement their income. In 2023 Miss Namibia visited the village and even tried her hand at sewing !

Guest news

We created a special rooftop dinner for a party of guests, which was hugely enjoyed. 

Guest comments

• We loved the kid colouring station, the rooms are incredible, + everyone is so welcoming + warm.
• Albert our guide was amazing. The food and service outstanding. Local food options were great.
• Attention to details (hot water bottle in bed, beverages on arrival) & food was amazing. You did everything well. Thanks!

Staff news 

A new guide has joined our team – welcome Stephanus!

Newsletter by Fritz 
Photos by Fanuel 

Skeleton Coast weather in July

Guests experienced cold mornings and cold evenings, with chilly morning fog. They welcomed finding hot water bottles in their beds at night, as well as on their activity drives. Most days a moderate south-westerly cleared the fog.

The sunlight breaking through the fog ensured some spectacular photo opportunities for guest photographers, who raved about the landscape and the backdrop to the fauna and flora.  

Wildlife and birds in the Hoanib Valley

Guests enjoyed many sightings of elephants, and giraffes, as well as the male lion Opie. Oryx and springbok sightings were a bit scarce in and around camp as well as in the riverbeds, due to the continued abundance of graze further afield. Sometimes elephants would move far into the floodplain, making it tricky for the guides to reach them. 

We have information that the lioness Alpha gave birth to cubs at the coast but we are not sure how many at this stage.

Guest comments

• Beautiful location, stunning lodge & staff are wonderful. Friendly, funny and professional, absolutely loved our stay, Food beautiful 😊 
  The guide, the staff are excellent, the food is great. It would be great to be able to buy a book with your recipes.
• The adventure & team spirit. Getting stuck in the sand dunes was an unexpected situation that let us all have an unexpected bonding experience. Marianne is a great chef so much fun to spend time with. Vincent 5 stars. 
• Team was very friendly & knowledgeable. Rooms & facilities were beautiful & very clean. Service was exceptional. Felt like home away from home. 

 
Newsletter by Bradwin Wilhelm 
Photos courtesy of guest Mr Abhiroop Gupta

Winter weather & landscapes on the Kulala Wilderness Reserve

We are in the middle of winter now, and had a few very cold days in July. Early mornings and evenings are chilly, though during the day the temperatures reach a very comfortable 22-26 degrees C, with some mornings having started between 3 and 6 degrees C. 

We put ‘bush babies’ (hot water bottles) into our guests’ beds at turndown to ensure they arrive to a nice, warm bed after dinner. 

At the end of July, we had a few very windy days too, but we are still standing!  

We also had some fogy days and even some rain in July. In fact, on one particular day, we actually had to cancel all flights to and from the reserve due to bad weather.  

We still have some grass on the reserve, which has now turned white, making for beautiful pictures, especially in the afternoons before sunset. 

Wildlife

Guests out on drives saw springbok, oryx, black-backed jackal and Cape foxes. We even had a little Cape fox visit us here at camp , which spent about 10 minutes ‘posing’ for our guests before trotting off.    

The zebras have moved away, into the mountains, and the guides didn’t see them every day as they were a few months ago.  

Camp news

It is now winter, and the night sky is so beautiful with the planets and constellations clearly visible, especially Scorpio now.  We do switch off the main area lights in the evenings so guests can lie on their Star Beds on the platforms above their rooms, to see the stars. They mostly only stay out for a little as it’s really cold at night in July.

Guest comments

We were delighted by the compliments from our guests over the friendliness off our staff. The guests who had birthdays during their stays were celebrated with singing and birthday cakes!

Staff news

Our new Training team visited us in July.  We put our heads together to see where we can improve and what we need to add to ensure our guests have the best stay when they visit us.  

Newsletter and photos by Christelle Jansen 

Weather and landscapes in August

It feels as though winter is refusing to leave, and it was still very cold in the mornings and evenings, with strong easterly winds blowing regularly.

The Kulala Wilderness Reserve is looking absolutely beautiful, with the grasses that sprang up after all the rain now tall and dry.

Guests saw impressive numbers of oryx and springbok all around the reserve.

Camp news

Our guests visibly enjoyed our staff singing and dancing, and of course, braai night is always the best!

Guest comments

The service is impeccable! The smiles of the people… 
Every detail was very important to make our stay so wonderful. The warmth of the team. The full day with our guide! The sunset all done was so exceptional.  

Truly everything was exceptional, our guide was so knowledgeable we loved him. The staff were friendly and helpful. Little Kulala was beyond my expectations.

Beautiful experience, the lodge is very nice. Feels very calming. 

 
Staff in camp

Management Team – James Muzamai – Lodge manager, Wilson Paulus – Food & beverage Manager, Peneyambeko Paulus (Penny) – Assistant manager and Treandy Muyunda – Assistant Manager. 

Written by James Muzamai, Camp Manager 

Winter along the Kunene River

There’s been no rainfall as you’d expect in winter, with minimum and maximum temperatures ranging between 17°C and 30°C and a pleasantly cool westerly wind most days. 

Despite it being very dry with no graze for the animals (besides a little in the Hartmann’s Valley), the trees and shrubs are always willing, and we have ana and palm trees, Salvadora, potato plants, wild tamarisk and Commiphora (AKA the mbiri tree, which Himba women use for its resin, mixing it with red ochre and butterfat as a hygiene and sun protection balm).  

Smaller flowering bushes found in the area include the devil thorns, ostrich salad, and bitter bush.

The mighty Kunene River has flowed strongly throughout the year and it is currently full (however, boating activities are still not available).

Wildlife on the Kunene River and surrounds

Guides and guests saw Namaqua chameleons, Nile crocodiles, water monitors, web-footed geckos, legless skinks, tree skinks, hairy footed gerbil, oryx, ostrich, brown hyena and porcupine. 

We had quite a few excellent snake sightings, including horned adder, the sidewinder Peringuey's adder, puffadder, and African python. 

Guest news 

We hosted some truly remarkable guests, including honeymooners, and a few who celebrated birthdays and wedding anniversaries.

Always a highlight is the guest visit to meet Himba villagers who are in the area at the time with their livestock.

Other particular highlights were the sunrise breakfast at Kambimbi with its wonderful river view, as was the bush lunch at Bogenfels.

Guest comments on the highlights of their stay included ‘Welcoming and friendly staff, the beauty of the camp, the knowledgeable guide, felt at home’. 

Staff News 

We have had a few changes in our senior camp staff – Desiree Uises has joined the team as F&B Manager, and Hendrina Nyanyukweni and Dickson Dausab joined the Kitchen team as Chefs. 

Diana came in and held a menu- and food-presentation refresher over six days. 

Newsletter by Mathew 
Photos by Mathew, Richel & Moses