Damaraland area Camps & Lodges
Damaraland is a mountainous region in northwest Namibia inhabited by the Damara people, who are today of mixed heritage. The name Damara is derived from the Nama word "Dama", meaning "who walked here."
The successful partnership between the Damaraland Community and one of Duffle & Compass' preferred providers, Wilderness Safaris, has resulted in one of the poorest communities in the world becoming a thriving entity. This has been achieved directly through conservation and tourism. Thanks to the implementation of a viable eco-tourism model, around 864,500 acres of land are under protection in the newly proclaimed Torra Conservancy. Wildlife numbers are thriving and the local community have money in the bank and employment.
The Camp and this initiative received the World Travel & Tourism Council's (WTTC) Tourism for Tomorrow Conservation Award 2005 and was the first Southern African rural community to win the prestigious UNDP Equator Prize in 2004.
Damaraland Camp
Torra Wildlife Conservancy
Damaraland Camp has 10 tented rooms (including one family unit), each with an en-suite bathroom including flush toilet and shower with hot and cold running water. Solar panels and generators with battery backup generate all the power in this camp.
Damaraland Camp won an Imvelo Responsible Tourism Award in 2006 for "best single resource management program - energy." Imvelo recognizes tourism operations that make real measurable and sustained contribution to responsible tourism.
The camp is situated on the northern face of the Huab River Valley, looking south toward the imposing Brandberg Mountains, so guests enjoy endless vistas. Early morning mists generated by the clash between the icy Atlantic Ocean and the warm desert air of the Skeleton Coast, drift inland along the river sand canyon, providing sustenance to the flora and fauna of the region. Here you can find the desert elephant roaming alongside oryx, springbok, ostrich and other hardy desert animals. Activities throughout the area are in 4x4 vehicles and on foot. Mountain bikes are also available for guest use.
Damaraland Camp is owned by The Torra Conservancy.
Torra Wildlife Conservancy
The Damaraland community comprises a unique group of people who have recognized the value of the wildlife on their land and formed a Community Wildlife Conservancy to protect it. Until 1981, Damaraland was unprotected and vulnerable to poachers. In 1996, Wilderness Safaris joined the community's conservation efforts and co-established what is now the most successful community based tourism venture in Namibia. In 1998, the success of Damaraland Camp helped the community to have their land proclaimed as the Torra Conservancy. It is now the leader of four Community Wildlife Conservancies in the country. Today, the Torra Conservancy is one of the most successful in all of Africa. It meets all its management costs and makes a profit which is then reinvested into community projects for their benefit. It is the first community conservancy which is able to sustain itself without donor funding.
December, 2009 Update: The Torra Conservancy now holds an equity stake in Damaraland Camp, due to Wilderness Safaris continued commitment to community based, eco-tourism.
Desert Rhino Camp
Palmwag Reserve
Desert Rhino Camp sits in the one million-acre private Palmwag Reserve in northwest Namibia, between Etosha and the Skeleton Coast. Few places on the planet can offer this level of privacy and wilderness experience.
The camp features eight large, East African-styled tents, (two for honeymooners) each with an en-suite bathroom with hand basin, flush toilet and a classic bucket shower that is filled with hot water whenever requested. The tented dining room offers uninterrupted views of the desert and mountains.
The primary activity is rhino tracking which is usually by vehicle until a sighting is made by trackers and then on foot. This desert reserve has a number of fresh water springs that support the largest free roaming population of black rhino in Africa, as well as a healthy number of desert adapted elephants. You can also see large populations of the rare Hartmann's mountain zebra, giraffe, oryx, springbok and kudu. The predator population is the largest outside of the Etosha 
National Park with over 100 lions, cheetah, leopard, brown and spotted hyena. Bird life is prolific and diverse with most of Namibia's endemics present.
Desert Rhino Camp is a joint venture between Wilderness Safaris and the "Save the Rhino Trust," a non-profit conservation organization that has been working in this area for 20 years. The Trust has been responsible for helping to ensure that these rare, desert adapted black rhino survived the slaughter that went on throughout other parts of Africa in the 1980s and 1990s. Today this area boasts the largest concentration of rhino anywhere on the planet outside of a national park. The camp's trackers and guides have experience patrolling and monitoring with the Trust. A portion of every guest's fee goes to the Trust.
Doro Nawas Camp
Torra Wildlife Conserv
ancy
Here in the ruggedly beautiful Damaraland area, Doro Nawas Camp sits on a rocky outcrop within the floodplain of a small tributary of the Huab River. The design and decor blends into the surrounding scenery, with attention to comfort and luxury in the desert. The 16 units (including one family unit) combine natural stone and canvas walls with wood and glass doors, shaded by a thatch roof. The bedroom leads out to a veranda where you can enjoy the dazzling African skies before bedding down for the night inside or outside. En-suite facilities include a shower, 'his and her' basins and a flush toilet and outdoor shower.
Activities include nature drives appreciating the spectacular views and desert scenery. Wildlife viewing concentrates on the game found in the riverbed and along the valleys that sometimes fill with floodwater in the rainy season. A highlight is the fascinating expedition to Twyfelfontein with its renowned San art engravings, and the largest collection of petroglyphs (prehistoric rock art) in Africa.
Doro Nawas Camp provides full-time employment to 36 people and ensures the conservation of more than 1.7 million acres. This camp is a joint venture between Namibian investors, the local Doro Nawas community and Wilderness Safaris.
December, 2009 Update: The Doro Nawas Conservancy now holds an equity stake in Doro Nawas Camp, due to Wilderness Safaris continued commitment to community based, eco-tourism.
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