Safari & Company - Safari Adventures Custom Designed

Skeleton Coast Camp, November 2008

During November we have had wonderful sightings and guests have been overwhelmed by seeing everything from a springbok to amazing desert-adapted lions.

One of the most unusual things that happened during November was when one of the younger elephant bulls, mostly frequenting the Hoarusib River, walked across open plains and stopped at about 5km with the Khumib River clearly in sight merely to turn around and head back to the Hoarusib River. Unfortunately nobody saw the elephant, but his footprints tell the whole story.

Gert saw several Lappet-faced Vultures close to the seal colony, which is a very rare sighting on the coast. At the moment it is breeding season at the Cape fur seal colony and the number of the seals has increased twofold. Scavengers like the vultures, jackals and brown hyaena are seen more often now as all the pups are easy prey for most of these animals. Flamingos have also started to migrate from Etosha Pan to Walvis Bay and the guides have seen them close to the seal colony a few times.

Gert and Chris Bakkes recorded a melanistic honey badger close to the canyon area. Although sightings of honey badgers are happening more often, the sighting of an all-black individual is very rare.

We also had incredible sightings of the lions in the Hoarusib River. They are doing a lot of hunting outside the River as most of the game is on the plains now. Our guests never expect to see the lions and are always very surprised to see them on a Skeleton Coast safari! We are still seeing elephants in the Horausib River and our guests always delight in watching these graceful pachyderms, especially in arid areas like this.

Despite the obvious big game like lions and elephant, our guides always like to share their knowledge of the small creatures that live in the desert. On the last morning following a long safari we always try to take guests out on a desert walk and show them insects, geckos, beautiful dancing white lady spiders and the succulent plants that sustain the wildlife here.

It is so hard to describe the landscapes of the Skeleton Coast - one should really be here to experience the vastness, the loneliness and the remoteness - and even then it is still difficult to describe it.

Wilderness Safaris went to the opening of the Purros Community Lodge on the 7th of November. One could see how proud the community was to start something of their own. We are planning to take the children of Purros School to the beach by the end of the year - it will no doubt cause loads of excitement.