Safari Overview
This once in a lifetime Rhino Walking Safari gives you the chance to track one of the most endangered African Mammal species, get involved with the conservation efforts and witness the country’s innovative conservation measures first-hand.
In Namibia’s far northwest Kunene region (also known as Kaokoland) black rhinos were almost extinct thirty years ago. Today, Kunene has the largest number of free-roaming Black Rhino in the world – the only rhino worldwide living on communally and traditionally-owned land without formal conservation status. Namibia created a culture of good human-wildlife interactions by involving communities, employing locals in anti-poaching patrols and generating income from rhino-related tourism.
Safari starts in Nairobi and ends in Arusha
*This private guided safari can be booked on request for a date that suits your travel plans**
Highlights
• The rugged, beautiful Damaraland, home to desert-adapted wildlife
• Sightings of at least three, possibly four of Africa’s famed Big Five
• Experience the desert-adapted fauna and flora of Namibia
• Making a real contribution towards ensuring the survival of Namibia’s Black Rhino population
Day 1 Windhoek to Palmwag Concession
Day 2-8 Palmwag Concession
Day 8 Palmwag Concession to Windhoek
Day to Day Itinerary
DAY 1:
Start of safari in Windhoek, Namibia – Our exciting Save the Rhino safari will start in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. We will make an early departure from Windhoek after breakfast to our lodge for tonight. It is a drive of about 6 to 7 hours, but it will be spectacular!
Our lodge is situated on the Palmwag concession in dramatic Damaraland. The concession covers around 5,000 km2 (500,000 hectares) of pristine semi-desert wilderness. It is home to a number of rare, desert-adapted species, such as Lion, African Elephant, Giraffe and of course the target of our trip, the Black Rhinoceros.
DAY 5-8:
Palmwag Concession –The campsite in the concession will be our base from where we will start out every day. Each day we will follow a different route, depending on what sightings we are looking for and where the animals are. These decisions will be made with the help of the local trackers and rangers in order to maximise our time in Palmwag.
We will be walking in an area where other tourists don’t get to go and the only people operating here are the Save the Rhino Team scouts patrolling. The itinerary and the exact route will be flexible as we will be tracking the desert-adapted wildlife that roams in this area and the distance covered each day will depend on the fitness of the group. The group size will be limited to 6 to ensure an exclusive experience and a better chance of getting close to the wildlife.
We have a full backup team that will take care of all our camping needs (setting up and breaking down of camp, cooking, cleaning, etc) so you just have to bring yourself, some comfortable clothes and shoes, and your camera and binoculars to Namibia!
The star of the safari is, of course, the desert-adapted Black Rhinoceros. Your safari in Palmwag will help the plight of these incredible animals immensely. Supporting anti-poaching work through consistent patrolling and monitoring of Black Rhino in the desert of northwestern Namibia, particularly within the tourism concessions like Palmwag, funds from tourists are instrumental in keeping staff active on the ground.
Other wildlife that we hope to see are Giraffe, Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra, Springbok, Greater Kudu, Gemsbok and hopefully some of the predators that roam this spectacular area like Cheetah, the famous desert adapted Lions, Leopard, Side-striped Jackal, and Spotted and Brown Hyaena. This concession is also rich in reptiles, including Kaokoland Sand Lizard, Namaqua Chameleon, and Anchieta’s and Namib Rock Agama. There are also some strange-looking but fantastic flora, including Welwitschia, Toothbrushtrees, Bottle Trees, euphorbias, Leadwood Trees, Shepherd’s Trees and more.
Birding in the area is surprisingly productive, with some special species and near-endemics occurring here. The list includes Rüppell’s Korhaan, Benguela Long-billed Lark, Herero Chat, Verreaux’s and Booted Eagle, Lanner Falcon, Greater Kestrel, Monteiro’s Hornbill, Namaqua Sandgrouse and Burchell’s Courser.
On the final full day of the walking safari, we will return to the lodge where we stayed the first evening for a farewell dinner.
DAY 8:
Palmwag Concession to Windhoek – Unfortunately this is where our safari ends but you can consider extensions to include some of the fantastic parks in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana or South Africa, or we can extend your stay in wonderful Namibia in Etosha National Park, Sossusvlei, Fish River Canyon or Swakopmund/Walvis Bay.
For more information on this active safari or for any other related queries, please email us at info@naturetravelactive.com
