Palmwag campsite: an oasis in Kunene, Namibia

By Roxanne Reid
Himba settlements. Desert-adapted black rhino, elephant and lions. Fierce 4x4 routes. Austere desert landscapes. And your gateway to all of this is Palmwag campsite, an oasis in Kunene, Namibia.

​You’ll find Palmwag about 80km west of Kamanjab, over the Grootberg Pass through the Etendeka mountains. The volcanic Grootberg (or big mountain) stands 1540m above sea level and forms a U-shaped plateau. Spread out below you is a winding green ribbon that hints at a river bed. Down the pass to the other side and you’ll arrive at the Palmwag Lodge and Campsite on the Uniab River.

Here in what is part of the Kunene area, Palmwag pops up as a surprise oasis in the dry, rocky landscape. Makalani palm trees wave in the breeze and there’s green grass and reeds along the riverbank. 

Things haven’t changed all that much since we first visited 20 years ago; back then most of the chalets were painted black and white, whereas now they’re a creamy yellow, and the camp has grown a little. There’s also a nice veranda outside the lodge’s main restaurant that I don’t remember, and it’s the best place to get WiFi, which wasn’t even dreamed of back then.

Bar lunch at the campsite’s pool
​After setting up camp on the hot sand, we were sizzling, tired and hungry. So instead of making our own lunch, we treated ourselves to crumbed chicken, chips and salad at the Makalani Pool Bar next to the campsite – a great place to take refuge in the heat of the day. 

​Some youngsters were cooling off in the pool and two older guys were trying to impress four giggly teenage girls at the bar with stories of their travels and macho exploits. Not much changes, no matter how far from ‘civilisation’ you travel. 

Camping
​We’ve camped at two different sites at Palmwag. Campsite 5 overlooked the reeds in the riverbed and although there was a pergola to sit under, the car and trailer sat all day in the sun until late afternoon brought relief in the form of a puddle of shade. 

We preferred campsite 2, where mopane trees provided deeper shade during the middle of the day. One drawback was that it was close to the pool/restaurant/bar area so if there had been a rowdy party (which, luckily, there wasn’t) we might have found it hard to have an early night.

​Each campsite has its own power point, braai, tap and sink with cold water and drying grid/work top. The ablutions are good, with hot water showers and flush toilets. 

​The first time we came to Palmwag we went for a walk among interesting-shaped rocks and stones and even came across a lone desert elephant quietly eating on the edge of the river. This time, we’d been tracking desert rhino and other animals in the Torra Conservancy, so we’d had our nature excitement and were just looking to chill before heading further north into Kunene to meet the Himba.

The day we were due to leave, we had a flat tyre. It couldn’t have happened in a better place. A day later and we’d have been in Middle of Nowhere, Kunene, without access to Palmwag’s helpful mechanics who fixed us up efficiently and with a smile – that’s the Damara way.

What to do
1. Sign up at reception for a nature walk with a guide, to enjoy the beauty of the surrounding landscape and the chance to meet some of its wildlife.
2. If you don’t feel energetic, choose a guided game drive instead, with a chance to see zebra, kudu, gemsbok, springbok, ostrich, jackal, hyena, and maybe even black rhino and elephant.

3. You can also go on a half- or full-day excursion to track desert-adapted rhino on the Palmwag Concession of the Torra Conservancy. A guide from the lodge and a tracker from Save the Rhino Trust Namibia will lead your outing.
4. Take your binos and look for birds such as Herero chat, Rüppell’s korhaan, Rüppell’s parrot, Benguela longbilled lark, white-tailed shrike, Hartlaub’s spurfowl, bare-cheeked babbler, rockrunner and violet woodhoopoe.

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