Road tripping in Namibia just wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Damaraland, a rugged, scenic and untamed area that has much to offer the international traveller.

Often excluded on self-drive itineraries due to its remote location, Damaraland really is in the middle of nowhere, but it is precisely that which makes it truly unique. A huge expanse of land, stretching inland from the Skeleton Coast National Park, Damaraland homes some of Namibia’s greatest attractions including its highest mountain, the Brandberg Massif at 2573m, the famous Twyfelfontein rock engravings, Burnt Mountain, the Organ Pipes, a Petrified Forest, and small populations of desert-adapted wildlife such as elephants and rhinos.

In fact, in the Palmwag Concession in northern Damaraland, you will find the largest population of black rhino in Africa at the Save the Rhino Trust, a respected NGO committed to the preservation of desert-adapted black rhino in the region. Travellers staying at Desert Rhino Camp, a Wilderness Safaris property in the Palmwag Concession, have the unique opportunity to track rhino on foot, and learn all about challenges faced in protecting one of Africa’s most endangered species.

During your stay, you are also likely to see oryx, springbok, giraffe, zebra, black back jackal, and if you are very lucky, the elusive leopard and rare desert-adapted lions, on a safari experience quite unlike any other.

While Damaraland is remote, it is relatively easy to access, particularly if you have rented a 4×4.  The roads are not tarmacked, but the well-maintained gravel roads make for a real Namibian Adventure, and with little traffic to content with, apart from the odd giraffe, you can cruise at leisure and enjoy the magnificent scenery along the way!

Here’s what our time in Damaraland looked like…