Weather and Landscape
We thought we needed to gear up for winter here at Doro Nawas, so guests and staff have been overloaded with warm clothing, but the weather had other plans. We've had warm easterly winds, both in the mornings and afternoons, which have resulted in warm, humid days and nights. Temperatures ranged between 14-18°C and 36-40°C (57-64°F and 97-104°F).

Wildlife
Tucked away between granite and sandstone in the heart of Damaraland, there is a place famous for its desert-dwelling elephant - Doro Nawas. Two weeks ago we had a very unusual surprise when the desert dwellers returned unannounced. Ignatius, one of our guides, decided, one day, to drive along the beautiful Huab River and there, to his surprise, were about 23 great grey beasts. After two months of unpredictable tracking the elephant are back, and looking for water. We had great sightings, and all guests returned to camp with big grins on their faces. We had one of the most beautiful days ever on the 4th May - when both the Rosie herd (13 elephant) and the Oscar herd (10 elephant), walked through camp looking for water at dusk. Luckily they did no damage, they just wandered past letting us know they are back.

There's a thought that an African elephant's ear is in the shape of Africa and an Indian elephant's ear is in the shape of India. Elephant move slowly to protect their vast brains, with which they can hear subsonic sounds. The word elephant has its roots in Latin, and is composed of two words: ele, meaning 'arch' and phant, meaning 'huge'. Loxodonta, the genus name for African elephant, means 'lozenge-shaped teeth', which refers to their chewing surface.

We truly hope that these majestic elephant will stick around for a long time so that all our guests get the opportunity to experience these fascinating desert adventurers.

Even though the rainy season has passed, tucked away in the Huab River lies a place one can only imagine - luscious and green, with a vast array of birdlife and wildlife, an oasis in the desert. Recently elephant tracking has become a whole new extreme 4x4 adventure - because we have to travel on muddy, rocky, sandy terrain.

Sebastiaan, who is an assistant manager at Doro Nawas, was very excited when he had to guide a three day safari, because guiding is his passion. It was like Christmas came early for him when he was allowed to step out of the office and back into the bush.

Guest Highlights
"The location of the lodge is fantastic and the employees are friendly and generous." - Silvana and Stefano, Italy
"Sebastiaan was wonderful - enthusiastic and knowledgeable, eager to please and did his best to meet our wildlife wishes!" - Blumberg, UK
"Sleeping under the stars, elephant tour and staff singing were our highlights. Thank you also for making our Honeymoon extra special. Particular thanks to Michael for his great driving and knowledge on the elephant safari and to Sebastiaan for his friendly welcome and hospitality." - Alex and Clare, UK
"Loved seeing the elephants with Arthur. The rock engravings were fantastic. Singing of the staff was very enjoyable." - Joan and John, USA
"We had two wonderful days in your camp. Food was delicious and the staff very friendly! Stay on as you are!" - Peter, Germany

Camp Staff
Camp Managers: Coenie and Danize van Niekerk
Assistant Managers: Agnes Bezuidenhout, Morien Aebes and Sebastiaan Meyer
Guides: Arthur Bezuidenhout and Ignatius Khamuseb
Trainee Guides: Michael Kauari and Richardt Orr

Photo by Sebastiaan Meyer.