Kulala Wilderness Camp

Destination

Namibia

Accommodation at Kulala Wilderness Camp consists of 10 comfortable "kulalas" (meaning "to sleep" in Oshiwambo) with en-suite bathrooms and verandas built on elevated platforms for that spectacular view. The main area is raised to take advantage of the endless vista and comprises a lounge and bar under thatch. Meals are taken on the deck and guests can cool off at the sparkling pool. Activities at Kulala Wilderness Camp are focused on exploring the nearby world-famous Sossusvlei - an enormous clay pan, flanked by the famous sand dunes that stand out starkly against the blue sky. These dunes - the most well-known being Big Daddy or Dune 45 - have developed over millions of years, the wind continuously refashioning the contours of this red sand sea. The 'vlei' itself only fills after rare heavy rainfall when, in a complete turn-around, it transforms into a spectacular turquoise lake. On the edge of the Namib, the oldest desert in the world, wildlife around Kulala Wilderness Camp is fascinating in its adaptation to the harsh conditions. Sparse, yet thrilling to see, are springbok, gemsbok, ostrich, bat-eared fox, the rarely seen aardwolf and many small fauna. Excursions to the incredible dunes of Sossusvlei are a must. As are guided walks and scenic nature drives.

Directions To Kulala Wilderness Camp

Kulala Wilderness Camp is located in Sossusvlei, Namibia.

Area Attractions

Sossusvlei translates into 'the gathering place of water' in the local Nama language, and, odd as it may seem, in good years seasonal rains in the foothills of the Naukluft and Tsaris Mountains succeed in reaching the vleis. This creates temporary lakes that mirror the sand dunes surrounding them and Kulala Wilderness Camp offers guests the unique opportunity to experience this miraculous transformation. The vleis have evocative names such as Hidden Vlei and Dead Vlei, while the dunes rise up to 300 metres above the valley floor with razor-sharp edges that stand out against the blue sky. Sossusvlei is situated within the Namib Desert, the oldest desert in the world, which itself is part of the Namib Naukluft National Park that stretches 400km south of Walvis Bay and is sandwiched between the west coast and the escarpment that runs parallel more than 100km inland. Its huge red dunes and flat valley floors make up the archetypical view of the Namib that is world famous. From Kulala Wilderness Camp guests can witness the wonders of the sparsely distributed desert-adapted wildlife such as ostrich, springbok and gemsbok as the eke out an existence. Larger predators include spotted hyaena and the occasional brown hyaena, a mystical shaggy-coated scavenger. Smaller creatures such as bat-eared fox, black-backed jackal, porcupine, Cape fox and aardwolf can be seen at night in the cool desert air. Anchieta's dune lizard with its peculiar thermoregulatory dance and tenebrionid beetles have all adapted to life here. Nocturnal explorations can reveal dancing white lady spiders and perhaps Grant's golden mole, a Namib Desert endemic. One bird, the aptly named Dune Lark, has its entire global distribution limited to the area, so dependent is it on the area's characteristic sands. Despite the lack of vegetation and low rainfall, a surprisingly diverse array of insects, reptiles and rodents make their home around Kulala Wilderness Camp - surviving thanks in part to the coastal fog that creeps up off the sea each dawn and penetrates up to 50km inland. At dusk the call of barking geckoes resonate around you, and walks reveal the smaller creatures - the buck-spoor spider with its multi-entrance burrow or the ambush specialist ant-lion, to name but a few. The dunes are also evocatively known as the Sand Sea. The dunes nearest the coast are most mobile and no vegetation grows on them, as they are constantly evolving. Rainfall at the coast can average dramatically less than 50mm a year, and even further inland it measures a paltry 50-100mm annually.