To The Desert Rhino Camp

Thursday 18 april

We left the Hoanib Skeleton Coast camp as we had arrived, driving along the dry riverbed and over very rough rocky roads. We saw more springbok, another ostrich, and what I think is a yellow-billed hornbill, also known as a banana bird:

At some point we came closer to civilization, including a paved road. A gracious Herero woman (wearing typical dress, even in the heat) allowed us to take her picture. She probably sees enough tourists in Land Cruisers that she didn’t find it necessary to photograph us with her phone.

We also encountered a Himba family along the road. The ladies (also in traditional dress and hairstyle) talked with us for a while, describing their family and their amazing jewelry:

We had lunch at a lodge in the Palmwag Reserve, a busy place with helpful signage:

Finally, a bumpy dirt road brought us to the Desert Rhino Camp. It’s less luxurious than the Kulala or Hoanib camps, but still very comfortable. Dinner was a gala affair outside, with wonderful singing by the staff.