Hoanib Elephant Camp opened in May 2026 on the northern bank of the Hoanib riverbed, a dry sand corridor running west through the Sesfontein Community Conservancy towards the Skeleton Coast. The camp takes its name from the desert-adapted elephants that walk this river, feeding on ana tree pods and digging through the sand for the water beneath.
The guides know the elephant family groups by sight
In winter, Atlantic fog pushes inland along the valley from the coast. The guides know the elephant family groups by sight. Fewer than 50 elephants use this river system at any time, so a morning drive becomes a matter of reading tracks, dung and broken branches, not of covering ground. Giraffe work the ana trees, and oryx and springbok cross the gravel flats. Desert lions pass through, rarely.
Ten tents stand on low timber decks facing the riverbed, eight of them twins and two family units. Rammed-earth walls carry insulated canvas roofs, which hold the interiors cool through afternoons that touch 40°C and warm through cold desert nights. Every deck has its own plunge pool, and the camp runs entirely on solar power, air conditioning included.
Rammed-earth walls carry insulated canvas roofs
Because the camp works under conservancy agreements, not national park rules, guides can walk and drive off the tracks. Guides track black rhino with conservancy rangers and trackers, and dinner can be set out on the sand wherever the day ends. The main area holds an open lounge and dining room, a pool and a small spa, and after dark everyone gathers at the firepit.
The Hoanib runs only after rain, but water sits below the sand year-round, deep enough for ana tree roots to reach it and for elephants to dig. That underground supply makes the riverbed a green line through gravel plains and jagged mountains, and it explains why the wildlife moves along the river instead of across it. Wildlife here is thinly spread. A morning can deliver three hours of open country and a single distant oryx, then a family group working the pods beneath one ana tree.
Elephants can cover long distances overnight in search of ana tree pods, and guides read the previous night’s tracks before deciding which way to turn. Photographs taken on the drives help log individual animals. Angolan giraffe browse the high canopy along the river, while Hartmann’s mountain zebra, kudu, klipspringer and steenbok are also present.
In winter, Atlantic fog settles on the canvas by dawn, a reminder of how close the coast lies.
The camp was built with the Sesfontein Community Conservancy, on communal land, under agreements that put lease income, jobs and training into the settlements along the river. A share of every stay, along with a reserve fee, funds wildlife protection and learning spaces for young children. It also pays for the desert lion early-warning system, which alerts herders when lions approach their livestock. Visits to semi-nomadic Himba households are arranged on the families’ own terms and not to a schedule.
Two of the ten tents are laid out for families, and children of all ages are welcome, though the walking activities carry an age limit. In winter, Atlantic fog settles on the canvas by dawn, a reminder of how close the coast lies. The hottest hours belong to the plunge pools. Dinner is often set out under the stars, on nights when the Milky Way is the brightest thing in the sky. For anyone wanting more of Kaokoland, Hoanib Valley Camp, the sister camp 25km upriver, pairs naturally with a stay here.
accommodation
Ten tents, eight twins and two family units, each raised on a low timber deck with a private plunge pool and a view down the riverbed. Rammed-earth walls and insulated canvas hold the temperature steady, and the en-suite bathrooms have double vanities with indoor and outdoor showers. Air conditioning, Wi-Fi and complimentary laundry.
activities
Morning and afternoon drives track desert-adapted elephant, giraffe, oryx, springbok and kudu along the riverbed and gravel plains, with desert lions a rare sighting. Rhino tracking runs with conservancy trackers. Guided walks, Himba visits, sundowners on the gravel flats and stargazing.
conservation
Save the Rhino Trust works with conservancy trackers on black rhino monitoring in the Kunene region, and the desert lion early-warning system reduces losses at livestock kraals. Conservancy agreements with the Sesfontein community fund employment and early childhood learning projects.
Get in touch and let’s start the conversation. An initial consultation helps us understand what you’re looking for, whether that’s specific experiences, luxury touches, or marking a special occasion, and from there we’ll guide you through what’s possible so you can decide if we’re the right fit.
By light aircraft. The camp sits in the Sesfontein conservancy in Kaokoland, a long way from tarmac, and guests fly in by charter, from Windhoek or from the previous camp on a Namibia circuit, with the camp meeting the aircraft and driving you in.
That airstrip transfer is included in the rate, the flights themselves are not, and we build the charters in, typically a Cessna Caravan or a Pilatus PC-12. A new airstrip is planned a few minutes from camp, so we confirm the exact routing and timings for your dates when we book.
Soft bags only on the light aircraft, and the camp's laundry is included, so pack light. Its sister camp, Hoanib Valley Camp, lies 25 kilometres up the river, and the two can share one flight plan.
A seasonal one. The camp lies in Namibia's Kunene region, and TravelHealthPro, which carries the UK's official travel health advice, classes Kunene as high risk from December to April, when it recommends antimalarial tablets, and low risk from May to November, when it advises awareness and bite avoidance only.
The CDC lists Kunene among the regions of Namibia for which it recommends antimalarial medicine, without the seasonal split. Low risk is not the same as no risk.
We do not make medical recommendations, and we would not want to. We arrange travel; we are not doctors. Which tablets suit you, how they sit with anything else you take, and what is right for a child are questions for your own doctor or a travel clinic.
On the practical part, dusk is the hour that matters, so long sleeves, long trousers and repellent are worth the packing space.
Desert extremes. Afternoons in the dry season touch 40°C on the gravel flats, nights turn properly cold, and on winter mornings the coastal fog reaches the camp, so a single day can run from damp and grey to fierce heat. The green season, December to March, brings the only real chance of rain, and even then the river rarely runs.
Pack light, breathable clothes and a wide hat for the heat, then a fleece, a windproof layer and long trousers for dawn drives and the foggy mornings, with a buff or scarf for dust in the open vehicle and strong sun protection. Swimwear for the plunge pool on your deck, closed shoes for the rhino tracking, and soft bags for the flight.
October, if elephants are the point. It is the driest month, the last water in the riverbed pulls the elephant families together and the guides can read where they have been overnight, and July and August are the camp's peak season for the same reason with cooler days attached.
June to October as a whole is the reliable window, with the fog mornings and the clearest skies for the firepit and the stars.
December to March is the green season, hotter, with the chance of a shower that sends a brief pulse of green down the valley and scatters the animals, and the quietest time in camp. Sightings here are thin in any month, which is the nature of the place rather than a fault of the season, so we will set expectations honestly whichever you choose.
Almost everything once you land: all meals and drinks bar the premium brands, the daily activities and guiding, the transfer between the airstrip and camp, wifi, laundry and the park and conservancy entry fees. Outside the rate are the flights in and out, gratuities, travel insurance and helicopter excursions, and a private vehicle can be booked if you would rather not share.
A community, conservation and reserve fee is charged on top per person per night, which funds wildlife protection and the community projects along the river, and we build it into your quote from the start so nothing arrives as a surprise.
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our approach
Every journey starts with a conversation. We take the time to understand your vision before we start planning.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape something that is considered, personal, and expertly delivered.
