Palmwag

Palmwag covers a large concession of red basalt hills, gravel plains and spring-fed valleys in Kunene, and it holds what is generally counted the largest free-ranging population of black rhino left outside a national park. Save the Rhino Trust has worked here since 1982 and tracking outings go out with their trackers on foot, following animals that live entirely wild in this terrain. Desert-adapted elephant, giraffe and lion also use the concession, and euphorbia covers the slopes.

What you actually see

• The black rhino - generally counted the largest free-ranging population outside a national park.
• The tracking on foot - outings with Save the Rhino Trust trackers.
• The red basalt - dark rock hills and plains across the concession.
• The desert-adapted elephant - herds moving through the dry riverbeds.

When to go

May to October is the dry season and the best for tracking and for animals at springs. Summer heat from December to March is severe on foot. Tracking outings must be booked ahead.

Honest expectations

Rhino tracking is on foot in rough terrain, takes hours and does not always succeed. Locations are never published for security reasons and photography rules are strict. Concession permits are required even to drive the tracks.

Nearby

The Hoanib valley is north, and Twyfelfontein is south.