Reviews of Mundulea Reserve

"The only negative aspect during our three nights at Mundulea was the puncture by the gate - our second of our holiday and not the fault of Mundelea. After that it was all marvellous.

We were very lucky that Bruno was in residence and he led our walks. Apparently we were the last guests of the year before Bruno closed the camp until January. There was only one other guest so we were a small and quite intimate group. Bruno is fascinating and interesting company and we seemed to spend much time, without noticing the passage of time, discussing his ideas and ideals, world politics and matters of common interest at the communal dining area. Bruno led us on a series of walks from the camp through the bush and was so very informative on flora and fauna as well as landscape and geology. The walking seemed at times to be so tranquil and idyllic, especially in the evenings as the sun was setting.

At Mundulea, one does not see game in such close contact as in game parks where one is driven to waterholes and other such areas where game concentrate. We saw a lot of different antelope and giraffe through the bushes and we were shown signs of pangolin, aardvark, badger, hyena and ostrich as well as fresh tracks of rhino, cheetah, lynx and leopard. The walks were more about discovering the habitat and behaviour of animals and about the natural and not-so-natural vegetation and landscape.

After visits to Desert Rhino Camp and Etosha where one sees the game at close quarters, Mundulea offers a contrasting learning opportunity and we were very pleased that we visited after having been to Etosha. We gained so much of the context of the wildlife. A pair of binoculars is absolutely essential as from the top of some of the hills we climbed, Bruno could pick out animals way below.

All the meals at Mudulea were nutritious and delicious and many thanks to Tommy for producing it all by means of a camp fire and wood oven.

Our visit was another unforgettable highlight of our stay in Namibia." See all these reviews: 17n in Namibia

"A wonderful, remote, no frills bush camp for the benefit of the wild animals almost more than the guests!

Comfortable tents, outside bathroom. Good hides to watch the waterhole. Because you are walking everywhere, there is less chance of seeing many animals as they are very nervous. We came very close to black rhino on several occasions, without actually seeing them. Their snorting and thundering feet were quite close enough.

A certain level of fitness is required for this camp as well as strong nerves. Bruno is enormously knowledgeable and enthusiastic about his reserve pointing out many tracks of animals, proving they were there, just not visible! Lion, leopard, hyena, black rhino all there, just not seen." See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia

"Bruno was an excellent host, extraordinarily well informed about every aspect of the reserve so we really got to understand the ecology and ecosystem.

It was refreshing to get out of Toyota landcruisers and connect to the land through the walking trips. Each walk took us in a different direction, looking at a different aspect of the place. The hide a few paces from our tents provided excellent viewing of all the game and birds coming to the waterhole. This included some animals that we didn't see elsewhere including dik-dik, duiker, honey badger, banded mongoose and scrub hare

The camp was very different from anywhere else we stayed with nearly every item made from the natural resources of the place, or from recycled materials, without compromising comfort. The meals all cooked on the open fire were excellent and we all enjoyed the wide ranging conversation over mealtimes and round the fire with Bruno and the other 2 guests.

These days of our trip were so memorable as they were so different to the rest of the trip - we would not have missed it and would love to return." See all these reviews: 16n in Namibia

"We had a fantastic experience at Mundulea. Bruno is a wonderful guide and knowledgeable about many subjects. No-one should be bored spending time with him! Tommy looked after us in camp and cooked delicious meals. This is a different experience to most other lodges I have stayed at. For us it was a highlight of our trip but it is not for everyone. It helps to be reasonably fit because all activities are based around walking. I understand that Bruno will adjust activities to suit his guests but if you can't walk at least 10km (I suggest) I think you would not get the most from this experience. Also, being on foot brings you into contact with fewer animals but the landscape, tracking and stories more than make up for any deficit on that score. Personally I loved the wildness of it and the sink holes and cave systems. I hope I will return one day." See all these reviews: 9n in Namibia

"This was a magnificent and true African experience
Our host Bruno Nebe was terrific, knowledgeable and clearly very experienced. His right hand man Tommy was most attentive too.
This really was a 'middle of nowhere' experience.
Wonderful walking and wildlife experiences - great birdlife.
Successfully tracking Pangolin, nighttime Lions roaring, and witnessing the release of a 12ft long python was a thrill.
The daily bees in the toilet bowl was not so much a thrill as a challenge - fortunately not unsurmountable!
This is not for the faint-hearted, but sitting under the stars around a campfire drinking beer and swapping stories with Burno will be remembered for a lifetime. Brilliant!
There are no facilities - apart for a couple of hides" See all these reviews: 9n in Namibia

"This was one of the highlights of the trip. Bruno's knowlege, and being able to walk, made this a wonderful experience.

We really appreciated the more low key accommodation and approach, after the luxury of the Botswana experience.

I can understand that this might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it was certainly ours." See all these reviews: 26n in Namibia; 7n in Botswana

"I found our three night stay to be the highlight of the holiday in many ways. It was absolutely fascinating to spend time with Bruno. We learned about geology, flora, fauna, the challenges of establishing and running a reserve, Namibian politics, history, bushcraft and so much more. I also loved being out walking in the bush as opposed to sitting in a jeep. Bruno has high ideals and has taken a very purist approach, yet he is also very honest about the downsides of that and a few mistakes he has made. We saw quite a large range of wildlife while we were there, and tracks of more. However, I don't feel that is really why you go there (Etosha is for ticking off the game). I felt it gave our family the most amazing introduction to the country and knowledge that gave us a really deep understanding and context into which to place everything we saw on the rest of our travels around Namibia.

We were the only guests at the time we stayed (2 adults, plus children aged 14, 11 and 7). We shared three tents, which were very comfortable and with nice touches like the hot water bottles Bruno's colleague Tommy put in for us each night. Solar power gave us plenty of hot water and enough light (though was dim at night so definitely paid to get organised with clothing and toiletries in daylight hours). There were some insects in the outside bathroom as you'd expect including bees which were mentioned in one tripadvisor report - I just sprayed round the loo with insect repellant and it really was not an issue as they were extremely benign. My daughter got a bee up her trouser leg. She calmly peeled them down and out it flew - none of us got any bites or stings while we were there.

The food was fantastic (though I would ditch the breakfast fruit yogurts if I were him in favour if a big bowl of plain yogurt to go with his delicious homemade granola). Again, Bruno takes a purist approach that everything is cooked over the campfire. We were particularly impressed by the bread from the metal bread oven he had built (he has built everything on the camp from beds to chairs to bread ovens), the homemade zebra salami, brisket of eland with polenta. My favourite food of the holiday with perfectly judged portions and always second helpings if wanted.

Bruno was patient with the kids and took a lot of time to explain things at an appropriate level, while also being firm when necessary and expecting them to respect their environment (eg delicate skulls and tools on display, sometimes needing to keep the noise down when out in the bush).

I cannot recommend it highly enough and it was definitely my highlight (and I say that even though we stayed at some uber luxurious places like Little Ongava and Damaraland Camp). I feel I learned a lot and, for me, that was a true luxury." See all these reviews: 18n in Namibia

"This is Bruno's home and he is an expert naturalist. His passion for wildlife conservation is inspiring.

Tommy his right hand man is a gem cooking on the open fire. The experience of walking in the bush is very different from being driven around and we have some special memories.

This is a place that grew on us and we were sad to leave." See all these reviews: 17n in Namibia

"Wonderful experience walking with Bruno.

Twice heard a leopard close to our tent." See all these reviews: 23n in Namibia; 6n in Botswana

"Mundulea is pure Africa. It's a bush camp, and you spend all your time walking in the bush, tracking animals, seeing lots of animals, going to their amazing waterhole, sitting round the camp fire, and eating simple delicious food.

This is adventure, not luxury. Having said that, the tents are very well equipped, and the beds comfortable. The tents have outdoor bathrooms, which are open to the bush and all the animals.

The leopard in the camp was an extra attraction !" See all these reviews: 13n in Namibia; 2n in Botswana; 1n in Zimbabwe