Reviews of Damaraland Camp
Wildlife sightings and reviews
125 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Damaraland Camp and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
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"Damaraland Camp review"
The sight of a small family of desert-adapted elephants moving slowly across this vast, dry environment feels very lonely. Black rhino call this part of Namibia home as well. They are studied and kept safe through the efforts of Save the Rhino Trust whose trackers are in the field every day. These animals are magnificent, even when viewed from a great distance. Giraffe wander the vastness and watch safari vehicles bouncing along the rocky roads with curiosity. Springbok head for the hills when they hear us coming. Guinea fowl, aka ‘government chickens’ because no one owns them, wander in small flocks. We were fortunate to spot a family of double-banded sandgrouse with newly hatched chicks. It is amazing how many animals can exist is this difficult environment.
Damaraland camp is less fancy than any of the other camps we stayed in during this trip to Africa, but that doesn’t matter at all. The individual rooms are more than comfortable, and on a chilly evening we were thrilled to find hot water bottles in our bed when we returned from dinner. Camp manager Helen (of Troy), who called us Nancy (Drew) and Peter (Pan), has created a fun and musical camp atmosphere. The camp staff are the best and the food was outstanding.
Damaraland Camp put an exclamation point at the end of our best visit to Africa yet. You won’t want to miss it when you visit Namibia.
Note: The roads are very rough in this area if you have a sensitive back but that did not bother us." See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana; 7n in Namibia; 3n in Zimbabwe
Black Rhino
3 sightings
Elephant
5 sightings
Giraffe
5 sightings
Oryx
3 sightings
Zebra
3 sightings
"Damaraland Camp review"
I was scheduled to be picked up by the camp at the road end, but arrived early and decided to drive. Road was fine. It was very cold when I was in camp, but I was well taken care of (arrived back from dinner to find 2 hot water bottles in bed).
I was originally booked to go to the Desert Rhino Camp and was a bit skeptical about the substitution. The guide, Bons, was exceptional. We found two rhinos on both days and each sighting was better than the last. Amazing to be standing there with a rhino walking towards you completely unaware of your presence and then have to retreat because she was getting too close." See all these reviews: 17n in Namibia
Black Rhino
4 sightings
Elephant
1 sighting
Giraffe
Multiple sightings
Oryx
Multiple sightings
"Damaraland Camp review"
The location is stunning. Rooms very basic.
Food was a lowlight.
Boma setting was exceptional but food quality for really all of the meals fell short. Guiding very good.
Staff very friendly and personable." See all these reviews: 13n in Namibia
"Damaraland Camp review"
We arrived late from Swakopmund the first night and were welcome with refreshments and a small singing performance by all the staff. We were shown to our rooms and dinner was ready in short order. The overall quality of the food/drinks was excellent, dinner, breakfast and during tea time. Also, no attention was spared to make us feel welcome.
As for the premises, everything was excellent, our lodges, facilities (swimming pool), the view and the setting, the terrace.
On our last night, we were trated to grill dinner at the small Boma with candlelight and a small bonfire. This was the cherry on top of the cake.
Again, the best part of the experience, was meeting the local people and having the opportunity to learn more about and from them and have some nice conversations." See all these reviews: 12n in Namibia
Giraffe
Multiple sightings
"Great facility in rugged terrain"
The property has well laid out chalets and very comfortable common areas. It was the only camp that offered WiFi in each individual chalet, but strangely it was not available at the main lodge! However given a choice it is better to have it in the chalets only if we had to choose!
Damaraland Camp had the strongest association with the local community and culture of all the camps in Namibia or Botswana. The traditional BBQ in the wooden stockade and the mountain top breakfast was special. We also loved that the staff sang in the local language and announced the dinner menu in both English and the "click" language.
Our Guide, Limbo, took us to see the desert adapted animals, including Elephant, Giraffe, Oryx and Springbok. The highlight was being able to track and view a Black Rhino at close range, an unexpected bonus!
The scenery here is true Desert and in a lot of ways is similar to the American southwest of Utah, Arizona and New Mexico but with terrible unimproved roads. The main difference is culture of the people and the presence of wildlife. Expect to spend two to three times as long if driving between destinations." See all these reviews: 7n in Namibia; 7n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe
Black Rhino
1 sighting
Elephant
4 sightings
Giraffe
4 sightings
Oryx
2 sightings
Zebra
2 sightings
"Wonderfull"
Luckily we were there for the night of the Boamer, a great experience with everyone sitting round one table, more`s the pity more places don`t have one big table for all the guests.
Staff absolutely great." See all these reviews: 22n in Namibia; 2n in Zimbabwe
"V good guides and camp but wildlife v sparse"
Good guide with good knowledge. Food OK but not great." See all these reviews: 10n in Namibia
"Beautiful csmp"
The search for desert rhino went on way too long - we were all exhausted by the day but Richards kept going then got us back late after a harrowing ride back to camp" See all these reviews: 18n in Namibia; 16n in Tanzania; 10n in Botswana; 1n in Kenya
"Great camp but poor food"
It is set in a beautiful location and the accommodation is very good with a feel of Africa about it. Very good game drive when we saw a large group of elephants which we were able to photograph against a backdrop of beautiful mountains.
Staff very friendly and helpful and noted we had a slow puncture just as we were about to depart and without asking repaired the puncture for us without charge - and washed our car!" See all these reviews: 9n in Namibia
Elephant
10 sightings
Giraffe
Multiple sightings
Oryx
2 sightings
Zebra
10 sightings
"We felt part of a family"
We were shown to our tented cabin (Number 1), which was the furthest from the main building up the hill. This camp has a lovely feel to it and you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere, well you are! The cabin was very spacious with a super king bed facing out towards the hill. The bathroom is very spacious with his and hers sinks and a large shower area. There is also an outside balcony. There is a turn down service and they put the mosquito nets down and close the window flaps. The pool at the main building is unheated but wasn’t too cold and there are plenty of loungers and towels for you to sit and relax or get a drink from the bar.
The first night we stayed there were a variety of nationalities staying and we all sat on a long table. It was very sociable. The second night there was us and a group of Spanish tourists so we had a seperate table as most of them didn't seem to speak english and Gwen thought that would be better for us, they were very thoughtful like that. The food was very good on both nights, with the second being a bbq along a short path away from the main building. Wine was also served with the meal and for pre dinner drinks, which was unexpected. We also had lunch on our second day which again was very tasty and well cooked, although we were given massive portions.
Elias was allocated as our guide and he was very knowledgeable and easy to get along with. We did the morning game drive and as all the other people were checking out that day, this was a private drive. We tracked some desert adapted elephants who were from the north and a bit grumpy, they even tried to charge us! Also saw various other animals including desert adapted mountain zebras. There is a lovely surprise to this game drive, which I will not tell you about so you get the surprise too! We also did a guided walk with Elias to the top of the hill beyond the camp. You get some great views up there and it wasn’t too difficult to do.
Overall this camp was definitely the most friendliest and Gwen and the staff do a great job. If I went back to Namibia this camp would definitely be on my list." See all these reviews: 18n in Namibia; 5n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe
Elephant
3 sightings
Zebra
1 sighting
Holiday styles & special interests in Namibia
From birdwatching breaks to walking holidays, find great ideas for your trip in Namibia.
Other lodges in Damaraland
Alternative places to stay in this same area.
Doro Nawas
Comfortable rooms and a convenient location make the community run Doro Nawas a great base for exploring Damaraland.
Mowani Mountain Camp
Mowani is a beautiful and stylish mountain retreat in southern Damaraland; it makes a great base for visits toTwyfelfontein.
Camp Kipwe
With unusual, igloo-like rooms, open-air bathrooms and beautiful scenery, Camp Kipwe is well placed for nature and cultural excursions.
Desert Rhino Camp
Desert Rhino Camp offers a rare opportunity to track black rhino on foot in one of the last true wilderness areas – an amazing experience.
Etendeka Camp
Etendeka is an owner-run camp in the remote and less visited north of Damaraland. The camp is renowned for it's spectacular guided walking trails.
Grootberg Lodge
On the edge of an ancient plateau Grootberg Lodge has a stunning location and arguably the best views of any lodge in Namibia.
Twyfelfontein C'try Lod.
A large lodge set among the rocks, Twyfelfontein Country Lodge is a convenient base for visiting the rock engravings, which are only 4km away.
Spitzkoppen Lodge
Spitzkoppen Lodge provides stylish accommodation in an area of scenic grandeur with guided access to sites of ancient Bushman rock art.
Palmwag Lodge
Palmwag Lodge has a great location by a spring in the Uniab River and offers access to an area where you can see a variety of desert-dwelling animals.
Huab Lodge
Huab is a classic little Namibian Lodge which is slightly off the beaten track in a lesser visited part of Damaraland.
Brandberg White Lady
Brandberg White Lady Lodge, nestled at the foot of its namesake, makes a good base from which to visit bushman rock paintings including the 'White Lady'.
Vingerklip Lodge
Vingerklip Lodge occupies a lovely location, but is a little too far east for guests to visit Damaraland's main attractions.
Khowarib Lodge
Khowarib Lodge has a great location overlooking the Hoanib River. This is one of the few places to offer authentic Himba village visits.
Etendeka Walking Trail
The Etendeka Walking Trail promises to offer a back-to-basics walking and camping experience in one of Namibia's most remote and untouched wilderness areas.
Onduli Ridge
Onduli Ridge is a luxurious, low-impact luxury camp offering top-notch guiding in a remote wilderness area of Damaraland.
Malansrus Camp
Within easy reach of Twyfelfontein, Malansrus offers a simple but comfortable base for visits to the rock engravings or seek out desert-adapted elephants.
Ugab Terrace Lodge
Ugab Terrace Lodge is a comfortable stopover between Damaraland and Etosha National Park or Namibia’s Central Highlands.
Ozondjou Trails
The simple Ozondjou Trails gives a unique perspective on living with Damaraland’s desert-adapted elephants and how tourism is key to protecting them and the livelihood of the people.
Palmwag Sleep-out
Palmwag Sleep-out is a simple camping experience and a great way to enjoy the remote beauty of the vast Palmwag Concession
Damara Mopane Lodge
Damara Mopane Lodge is a large 60 room lodge surrounded by beautiful gardens. It can be used as a comfortable stopover between Etosha and the Skeleton Coast
Camp Doros
Small, intimate and with excellent eco-credentials, Camp Doros is set above an ephemeral river within a remote community concession of Damaraland.
Sorris Sorris Lodge
Overlooking the Brandberg Massif, Sorris Sorris is probably the most luxurious lodge in southern Damaraland.
