Skilpad Rest Camp

Skilpad is the rest camp of Namaqua National Park, set in the rugged hills of the Northern Cape's Namaqualand, a semi-arid landscape that is best known for one of the world's great natural spectacles. After the winter rains, usually in late August and September, the surrounding veld erupts into vast carpets of wildflowers, and the camp makes an excellent base from which to witness it.

The accommodation consists of a small cluster of comfortable chalets looking out over the hills, peaceful and remote, with the wider park's gravel routes leading down toward the wild Atlantic coastline. Outside the flower season the country has a stark, sculptural beauty all its own.

This is a place for slow exploration: walking trails, scenic drives and quiet birding, with klipspringer, steenbok and a wealth of hardy succulents and dwarf shrubs adapted to the dry Namaqualand soils. It rewards travellers happy to settle into the silence and the big skies.