“Our experienced teams in camp are excited to be welcoming guests to these exceptional locations, and to offer life-changing experiences – from the minute travellers arrive in Namibia until they return safely home”, notes Wilderness Safaris Namibia MD, Alexandra Margull.
“We believe that the wide open spaces and awe-inspiring landscapes of Namibia make this the perfect destination for those seeking the inspiration and healing power of nature during this time. Our luxury camps are small and exclusive, set within large, pristine wilderness areas, and offer our guests the opportunity to reconnect with the natural world, themselves and their families. We are particularly excited about the rejuvenated Little Kulala, which offers a superlative holistic health and wellness experience”, Alexandra adds.
Wilderness Safaris will ensure that guests are taken care of every step of the way, in line with the company’s stringent health and cleanliness standards. Its camps accommodate small numbers of guests and thus already have an advantage in that there is ample space for comfortable social distancing. The wide variety of activities on offer, from adventurous e-biking and climbing the iconic Sossusvlei dunes, to discovering rare desert-adapted wildlife on nature drives, also allow for physical distance between guests.
In addition, the camps are located in remote areas, which means that camp staff reside there for six weeks at a time and therefore exposure to villages or towns is limited. In accordance with government regulations, staff teams will be monitored daily.
“It is exciting to be resuming operations, not only for our staff to host guests again, but also for our neighbouring communities, who largely rely on the tourism industry. We are so grateful for the assistance from our Chairman’s Foundation who have helped us to distribute food hampers to five conservancies recently (with further handovers planned), which have helped hundreds of vulnerable families meet their basic food and hygiene needs during this time. We couldn’t have done it without their ongoing support”, Alexandra adds.
Being able to host guests once again will help Wilderness Safaris continue its community support, as well as its conservation and human-wildlife conflict mitigation efforts in north-west Namibia, both of which have been a key focus for the company during this time.
“We have taken great care to enhance all of our health and cleanliness standards, in line with the World Health Organisation’s protocols, and hope to welcome travellers back to our beautiful country soon. The current situation has given us a renewed appreciation of the impact ecotourism has on the lives of so many people, and we certainly look forward to creating life-changing journeys that enable us to continue making a positive difference”, concludes Alexandra.