Camp Sossus

Located on the private 24,000 ha Namib Tsaris Conservancy, Camp Sossus is a mere thirty minutes’ drive from the Sossusvlei gate, the gateway to the Great Namib Sand 'sea', a declared UNESCO World Heritage Site. Camp Sossus is built in a naturally formed amphitheatre of a south-facing granite outcrop within striking distance of Sossusvlei and is ideally positioned to avoid the harsh desert sun. The severe desert climate was a primary consideration in the camp’s design, and tents are protected from the stormy east winds by natural stone walls and shaded by roofs built from almost 500 recycled oil drums. It is also equipped with furniture built in part from recycled metals, Oregon pine floorboards and wooden pallets.

As a result of this design, the camp is virtually invisible from any distance and carries one of the lowest environmental footprints of any camp in Namibia. The large west-facing windows and south-facing doors allow natural cooling by the predominant afternoon south westerly wind and the tents are stylishly furnished, offering important comforts such as en suite flush toilets and bucket showers. They also have comfortable twin beds, solar power (with charging station), a shaded day-bed and a star bed, but the essence of the camp still remains ‘under canvas’ and experiential.

Activities at Camp Sossus

Activities include visits to Sossusvlei with your private guide and general exploration of the private Namib Tsaris Conservancy, including nature walks and drives, guided Mountain Plus Biking, magic moments in desert pools (yes, isn’t that intriguing), our famous Trail Treats, star gazing and sleeping out under the stars from your private star bed. In addition to this, Camp Sossus provides a convenient base from which to go on hot air balloon flights as well as scenic helicopter and fixed wing aircraft flights over the local area. It is also a great venue for photographers, offering fantastic landscapes, iconic quiver trees, and the opportunity for nighttime photography which is often very difficult to arrange elsewhere.

Namib Tsaris Conservancy

The Namib Tsaris Conservancy is nestled between the Nubib and Zaris Mountains, close to the Great Namib Sand Sea and the famous Sossusvlei Dunes. The Conservancy was founded by Landscape Conservationist Swen Bachran in 2010, and it serves as a natural buffer from the harshest desert conditions and a refuge that is vital to wildlife through the dry season. Eight years of intensive work to reverse sixty years of inappropriate farming practices, including the removal of 89 km of internal fencing, the installation of wildlife watering points, the improvement of road networks, the rehabilitation of land and the reintroduction of wildlife that historically occurred here, has resulted in one of the most picturesque and ecologically sound tracts of land in the area. The Conservancy has gravel plains, mountainous areas with dry river valleys as well as a large, raised plateau which towers above the desert below, and it is now home to some of largest concentrations of wildlife in the area, including Oryx, Springbok, Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra, Burchell’s Zebra, Kudu, Hartebeest, Giraffe, Steenbok, Klipspringer, Bat-eared Fox, and Aardwolf, as well as predators such as Leopard, Cheetah and Spotted Hyena. Plans for the acquisition of adjoining land to extension of the Conservancy are ongoing, as well as dropping fences to neighboring like-minded conservation areas.