About Our Camping Tours

We first offered short camping tours for guests who had been out with Turnstone for day trips and wanted to spend a little longer in the bush or the desert. Our commitment to top quality interactive guiding remains at the centre of our work. We take a personal approach to each tour, and continue to place a high premium on good company, good planning and good fun. We feel that your camping tour should be more than a "few nights under the stars", and we hope that you will gain real insight into the wildlife we see, the environments we explore and the ecosystems which support them.

Our camping tours (which last for one, two or three nights) lead you to a huge variety of landscapes, animals, birds, insects, reptiles, plants, rock art, fossils, artifacts and minerals. The focus of each tour is different, but all destinations are spectacularly beautiful and well off the beaten track. Some tours concentrate on wildlife or birding; others on landscapes, art and culture. Some involve walking and climbing; others are more leisurely.

panoramic views - DamaralandWe take a maximum of four people (unless by special arrangement) and we discuss every trip on an individual basis. Each tour is built around your specific interests and is geared to your particular pace. We provide comfortable equipment, reliable vehicles, excellent meals, and above all, a first class guide. Take a few days off from the well-traveled route of hotels and lodges and come camping with Turnstone ...

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Damaraland Elephants and Rhino tracking
(three nights)

First we head north via the 'gem capital' of Uis to the Brandberg - Namibia's highest mountain and home to an impressive collection of rock art including the famous 'White Lady'. The first night's camp is near Brandberg West where we pick up local trackers, usually engaged in rhino conservation work.

elephant in DamaralandThese men have enormous experience of the surrounding area, sharply-honed tracking skills and good knowledge of individual animals. Obviously, we cannot guarantee that you will see elephant or rhino, but we have an excellent success record to date.

The second night's camp is near the enchanting Ugab River, a linear oasis which draws countless animals to its water source. This is ideal country for desert-adapted elephant, a fascinating group of animals which survive against all odds in Damarland's harsh conditions.

 On the third day we head for the Doros Crater - a favourite stamping ground for rhino - via the historic settlement site of Gai-As. For our third night's camp we return to the Ugab River banks. We leave for Swakopmund the next day via the Messum Crater, Welwitschia sites, the Cape Cross Seal Colony, Henties Bay and the coastal lichen fields.

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The Erongo Mountains
(two or three nights)

observing the desert chameleonThis trip take you along the Swakop and Khan River valleys towards the magnificent Spitzkoppe. This scenery forms an unusual backdrop for the area's fauna and flora, with the chance to see Kudu, Oryx, Klipspringer, Baboon, Ostrich and Springbok in a unique desert setting.

For the first night we camp on the 1 728 meter Spitzkoppe inselberg, dubbed Namibia's Mattehorn. The Spitzkoppe holds a wealth of geological, natural and cultural interest, while the surrounding area is famous for gemstones, particularly tourmaline and topaz. Here, and in the breathtaking landscapes of the Erongo mountains, you can see fine examples of rock art, spanning several centuries and posing unsolved riddles of origin, meaning and heritage. Famous pieces, such as Ameib's White Elephant, the Sheen Torch parade and the Snake Charmer are just a few of Erongo's treasures. With each new discovery, you are drawn to the next. Small wonder that this region has become a Mecca for top international art experts.

Our campsites for the second and third nights nestle in the Erongo mountains - a perfect setting for exploratory walks and climbs. Our journey back to Swakopmund is via a small scale rose quartz mine and Rossing Mountain.

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Nights in the Desert
(one or two nights)

This tour takes in the Kuiseb Delta, Sandwich Harbour and the Namib Naukluft park. It includes exciting 4x4 dune driving beside the Atlantic; historic delta trails, ancient Topnaar sites, part-fossilized elephant tracks; constantly changing desertscapes and specially-adapted fauna and flora.

salt pans en route to Sandwich HarbourAt Sandwich Harbour, the strange mix of fresh and saltwater lagoons surrounded by lush greenery draws thousands of migrant and resident birds. The site has been declared a 'Wetland of International Importance' and is a legally protected bird reserve and marine sanctuary. What was once a 19th century whaling station is now a deserted natural paradise, where the northern point of the Sossusvlei dune chain plunges into the ocean. The first night's camp on the edge of the Kuiseb Delta provides spectacular views from some of the world's highest dunes and the second day takes you further into the massive Namib Naukluft Park - quintessential Namibian scenery.

The two night version of this trip allows a more leisurely exploration of Sandwich, the Kuiseb and the Naukluft, as you head towards the Tinkas Plains. These grassy plains are set against red granite mountains - the site of our second night's camp. We return to Swakopmund  via in the famous Welwitschia plains, the Goanikontes Oasis and the surreal Moon Landscape of the Swakop River Valley.

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secret valley - Mundulea Nature ReserveWalking trails on Mundulea Nature Reserve
(three nights)

Mundulea Nature Reserve in the Otavi Mountains is roughly 120 square kilometers of prime Montane Bushveldt set in the unspoilt Karstveldt region south east of Otavi. The Nature Reserve was established at the turn of this century to protect and conserve the biodiversity of this very special area.

Mundulea SericeaIt is named after a beautiful purple flowering bush (Mundulea sericea), favourite food of the Eland, and said to have medicinal and magical properties.

Mundulea is situated two hours south of the Namutoni Gate of Etosha National Park and  provides a refreshing change from long hours of driving punctuated by lodges and hotels. 

We suggest that you plan your visit towards the end of your holiday (perhaps your last stop before heading back to Windhoek), when you will relish the chance to get out of your vehicle and into the bush. Mundulea offers you relaxed, expertly guided walking trails and environmental exploration. It is a unique opportunity to see and learn first-hand how the eco-systems which support Namibia's vast biodiversity of animals, birds, plants, trees, reptiles and insects really work.

stalactite and stalacmite - cave on MunduleaMundulea's dolomite and limestone mountains are millions of years old. They contain fathomless caves and potholes, deep gorges and underground lakes.  Ancient Leadwood trees,  Marulas, Wild Figs and White Syringa, which provide vast shade canopies, are just part of the wide variety of plants, trees and bushes found on the reserve. Game sightings include Eland, Kudu, Oryx, Hartebeest, Dik Dik, Steinbok, Duiker, Klipspringer and warthog.

Among the predators, Leopard, Cheetah, Brown Hyena, Spotted Hyena, Jackal, Serval and Lynx are all present and have been sighted on several occasions during walks The peace and pace of the trail also affords superb opportunities for birding - some 260 species are found on the reserve.

kitchen at tented camp - MunduleaPoints of interest are built into all walks, which are geared to the individual requirements and abilities of our guests. In practice though, the highlights are always the unexpected finds, the things that happen along the way and the sheer unpredictability of the Namibian bush. We spend each night at fully equipped tented camps, with nothing but campfire chat and a delicious meal to distract you from the glories of the bushveld night skies.

We can meet you at the farm (by prior arrangement only) or can take you there from Swakopmund . In order to cater properly to your interests and needs, we would like to discuss the tour with you in detail, so please contact us directly via email to find out more and make plans.

London Independent newspaper about Mundulea Nature Reserve:
http://travel.independent.co.uk/africa/article2172985.ece

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Sossusvlei Camping
(Three nights)

We head out of Swakopmund for the Kuiseb Delta via Walvis Bay and its famous Lagoon. There is good birding all along this stretch of the journey as well as marvelous sandy desert scenery, uniquely-adapted flora and fauna and the fascinating !Nara fields of the dwindling Topnaar community. We travel along the Kuiseb River valley past the desert research station of Gobabeb and fossilized elephant tracks at Rooibank towards our first night's camp at Homeb in the Namib Naukluft Park. This is the point at which Kuiseb river divides a landscape of massive sand dunes and flat gravel plains. For sundowners we climb to one of the most impressive viewpoints in the area, before setting up camp under huge acacia trees.

SossusvleiOn the second day we travel through an ever-changing rock desert landscape: The Kuiseb Canyon; the Gaub Canyon; Solitaire and finally to Sesriem. Here we pitch camp in the afternoon in time to take an early evening drive out to Elim Dune, a nearby beauty spot with sweeping views over the Sossusvlei area. Early to bed and VERY early to rise to see the spectacular sunrise at Sossusvlei. We take brunch along to make the most of our time in this unforgettable dune chain. After lunch we drive down to Sesreim Canyon, a picturesque formation of eroded conglomerate rock and the only waterhole for miles and miles. A leisurely evening braai rounds of the third day back at the campsite.

After an early morning dune walk on the fourth day, we break camp and head homeward through the Welwitschia Plains of the Namib Naukluft Park, the desert oasis of Goanikontes, and the Moon Landscape of the Swakop River Valley.

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