Weather and Landscape
April has been an interesting month in the Palmwag Concession and guests have been privileged to see some of the great beasts that call this area home, such as lion, elephant and black rhino. The rainy season is behind us now and we look forward to what the dry, winter season has in store for us.
We only had one small rain shower this month - it felt like the kind of persistent light drizzle (it lasted four hours) that you might find in places like Cape Town or London. We've had some spectacular storm builds up - with lighting and thunder - but no rain.

Wildlife
We are at that stage of the year when we have regular visitors to camp. Apart from Bliksem and Skelm, the two monitor lizards, we are starting to see porcupine - not just one but many. And this just might be the reason our leopard has returned to us. As beautiful as he is, and as much as we love having him around - when he walks past my room and grunts in that definitive leopard way, I get shivers down my spine.Because we've had good rain around us for the past two years, the population of plains game has risen to new heights and now we're at the point where predators are stepping up to take full advantage of the abundance of prey.

Camp News
A lot of people might not think of the desert as being the most romantic place on earth - but have a look at the second picture on the left, and tell me this isn't the perfect honeymoon spot! The area can be intoxicatingly romantic. Our chefs, Mathew and Thomas, went out of their way to put on an Easter dinner worthy of our fabulous guests. They were also handing out a lot of chocolate eggs during the month - some of which were a little bend out of shape by the heat, but no less delicious.

Conservation News
We held a quarterly meeting between Palmwag Camp, Desert Rhino Camp and Save the Rhino Trust on the 21st of April. This meeting covers challenges that the guides or trackers might have with rhino sightings, reports from Save the Rhino Trust on the use of the area and suggestions as to how we can improve the guest experience. We all work really hard to ensure we make the most of the opportunity we have here - bridging the gap between wildlife, research and guests.

Community News
All Palmwag staff and management have been busy preparing Hoanib River Camp for the Children in the Wilderness programme due to take place at the beginning of May. We've been visiting the camp non-stop to make sure everything is up and running. We have also had the privilege of assisting Skeleton Coast Camp on the odd occasion, which gives us the chance to visit the beautiful north-west in all its glory.
With all these trips to the Hoanib at the end of the rainy season, it was only a matter of time before we encountered a flowing river. Both Hermann and I, on two different occasions, had to make alternate plans to get supplies across a suddenly flowing river. I was able to walk mine across before the river came down, but Hermann had to wait at the camp for the river to subside. On both occasions the river started off as a little trickle, followed quickly by roaring thunder and then white waters. Within minutes the water is bank to bank. Just one of the ways our environment reminds us who is really in charge out here!