Situated in the Witvlei area of the Omaheke region, the game farm offers tourists self-drive viewing on a 3 000 hectare game sanctuary with more than 28 game species.“Business has been quiet under Covid because foreign arrivals have not picked up and the bookings have been low,” said the manager of the farm, Stefan Malan, on Thursday last week.He said the only foreign booking they had that week had been cancelled and “the local market has been supporting us since we started last year in January”. He said local patrons can also enjoy birdwatching, self-service horse riding, swimming in the farm dam, cycling on well-maintained farm roads, as well as jogging.Malan said because they started after the outbreak of Covid-19, they had no figures to compare with pre-Covid business.He said the local tourists can enjoy seeing aardvark, anteater, bat-eared fox, caracal, crocodile, eland, antelope, ground pangolin, impala, kudu, leopard, cheetah and many other animals.“There are also various small animals including squirrels, spring hare, African pole cats and colourful lizards. Also a variety of Namibian birds including marabou, vultures and pelicans await bird lovers,” Malan said.He also expressed hope that once flights into Namibia start filling up and foreign tourists return, the sector will grow.“We are currently operating at 30% of capacity but we are getting there,” he said, adding that they offer a 20% discount rate to locals.Tourists to Kameeldoring can enjoy well-equipped self-catering tents with Wi-Fi facilities, solar-powered air con and other facilities, including braai facilities, all at competitive rates.Malan said they market the venture through referrals, social media sites, particularly to the overseas market, although he appreciated the support from local Namibians.Kameeldoring is an example of how farmers in the area have adapted to new ways of survival after the closure of the abattoir at Witvlei that processed beef for export to the lucrative Norwegian market. – matthew@namibian.com.na
