Tall trees for desert giraffe: The Hoanib River Valley is home to a healthy population of these tall wonders.
the boundary to Skeleton Coast National Park. The views astound and once again we are in awe of the arresting way the light catches each texture and contour of the landscape before us. This time the afternoon light is the artist putting on a spectacular show as it ignites the rugged terrain and makes what was once rough and hard and harsh seem as though it was a delicately painted watercolour awash with the golden glow and softness of perfect light. The shadows dance as they move across the landscape to the rhythm of the sun’s retreat. During our farewell drive upriver towards Sesfontein, a lioness crosses the riverbed in front of us, slinking along the early morning shadows. And as the sun once again rises and captures the mountain visages to the north and south of our river route, we bid farewell to the magnificent wilderness and the golden light that envelopes this special valley in Namibia. TNN
WHO WHAT WHERE HOW Natural Selection is a recently established safari company, whose owners have been in the tourism game for many years. Hoanib Valley Camp is the first newly-built establishment within their Namibian portfolio. Others include: Safarihoek and Etosha Mountain Lodge in the Etosha Heights Private Reserve, which they manage, and Shipwreck Lodge in the Skeleton Coast National Park, which they co-own with Trip Travel and Journeys Namibia. Nkasa Linyanti Camp inside Nkasa Rupara National Park in Namibia’s Zambezi Region is also scheduled to open soon. To book your stay at Hoanib Valley Camp or for more information on Natural Selection’s portfolio of safari experiences, visit: www.naturalselection.travel.
ABOVE: A Dollar Bush in the golden glow of the setting sun Rièth van Schalkwyk and our guide Nico
TRAVEL NEWS NAMIBIA SPRING 2018
49