Reviews of Desert Rhino Camp
Wildlife sightings and reviews
119 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Desert Rhino Camp and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
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"Desert Rhino Camp review"
On arrival I had to almost immediately go out on an afternoon game drive, with another couple who had already been at the camp for a night. I was keen to go on the drive, so didn't mind heading straight out. But unfortunately I missed the usual "welcome" given by the camp manager, and failed to receive any further information other than the snippets I picked up from the guests and my guide along the way. The activities were quite different to what I expected (may be the activities would have been fully explained if I had had more time on arrival). The morning drive involves closely following the Trackers and the focus is soley on finding the rhino.
More often than not, I was told, they usually find the rhino early in the day, whilst they are still active. However, they take a packed lunch with, in case a rhino is not found, in which case you stay out until you do find a rhino (or have to give up)! If the rhino is found during the morning you will return to camp for lunch, and then the late afternoon will just be spent on a general game drive/ scenic sundowner drive. The Trackers now only track one rhino per day, and rarely track the rhinos during the afternoon, unless they have been unsuccessful in their search during the morning. So for example if they find the rhino at 8:30am, they then call it a day. You can continue on a "general game drive", and may of course be lucky enough to spot another rhino from the road, but you receive no further assistance from the trackers. However there are lots of other mammals and birds present on the concession, so it was great to be able to spend some time observing these as well. The mountain zebra were a particular highlight; I did not see them anywhere else in any great numbers. Another highlight was seeing a large herd of elephants with a young baby." See all these reviews: 18n in Namibia
"Remote or what!"
We were there for as purpose and not disappointed." See all these reviews: 18n in Namibia; 6n in Zimbabwe
"Fantastic atmosphere at Desert Rhino Camp"
Everyone was very welcoming and friendly. It has a great atmosphere and we enjoyed the communal dining with our guides and the camp managers. It has a very relaxed feel and the scenery is fantastic.
We enjoyed the rhino tracking immensely." See all these reviews: 12n in Namibia
"Desert Rhino Camp review"
Seeing black rhino in this environment was the highlight of the trip." See all these reviews: 10n in Namibia
"Desert Rhino Camp review"
3 days would be better as then you could cover the three areas they go out to in rotation." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia; 7n in Mozambique
"Unforgettable rhino tracking"
In terms of hospitality, food, service, accommodation etc. the camp is top quality and we are still fondly remembering some of the dishes - thank you for the fish recipe!... The only strange thing in the camp was hot water bottles in the beds when the temperature was over 30 degrees ;- )
Moreover, the managers helped us a lot with our car booking that got a bit complicated - thank you again for your help. And special thanks to our guide who drove us extra 40 km to our next destination." See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia
"Desert Rhino Camp review"
It is in the most fabulous of locations with great open plains fringed with fabulous mountains - lots of game, birds and flora to explore and that's before you get to the Rhino tracking. Our guide Kopai made it a wonderful and memorable experience.
Great service on the Camp too with interesting suppers as its communal eating in hurricane lamp light." See all these reviews: 16n in Namibia
"Rhino Tracking for the Faint Hearted"
The camp organisation was not quite as slick here with some rather ordinary food. We had Room 1 which like all the others was refurbished in 2008. The bucket showers have gone, in theory, having been replaced by a solar heated water system. However, ours heater was sited out of the sight line of the main lodge meaning that it was in the shade of two trees. When the other rooms had piping hot water after a partly cloudy day ours was tepid at best and a second cloudy day meant that we had to ask for a bucket of hot water on our last morning. This needs fixing as a a matter of urgency.
Our guide Aloysius was outstanding and seemed the only member of staff to appreciate our hot water issue. A specialised camp that delivers exactly what it says on the tin." See all these reviews: 9n in Namibia
"Desert Rhino Camp review"
It was a great bonus to find that there is a new airstrip only 45 minutes from camp.
As a result of the relocation of some of the rhinos, it is necessary to travel a bit further afield to find rhinos at the moment. It is perhaps worth being aware that this may mean 12-13 hours out on a 4/4 over the very rocky desert tracks." See all these reviews: 7n in Botswana; 5n in Namibia; 2n in South Africa
"Desert Rhino Camp review"
Not only the lodge itself is professionally run but also the wildlife viewing: it's clear they did some thinking about the way they organise the rhino walks and very reassuring they think not only of the guests but also of the wildlife. The most special of course is the chance to meest the rhinos in the wild.
A little bit of a pity that the time in the vehicle was very long compared to the time out, but I guess there's not much to do about that.
One negative thing is the red house wine is unfortunately rather bad." See all these reviews: 16n in Namibia; 2n in Botswana; 2n in Zambia
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