Reviews of Doro Nawas
Wildlife sightings and reviews
493 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Doro Nawas and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
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"The highlight of our drive around Namibia."
The staff were helpful (if sometimes a little too relaxed...), and the desert elephant safari was wonderful.
A highlight was being able to sit out on the deck with a drink at sundown and feel totally relaxed and stress free.
If you want to visit any of the nearby attractions (Twyfelfontein, Burnt Mountain etc.) then you'll need a car, but we found that we were able to visit everything we wanted to in a day." See all these reviews: 7n in Namibia; 4n in Botswana
"A great spot with a fantastic vantage point"
The staff were friendly and welcoming, particularly the manager Alvin, although I wished he hadn't laboured the dangers of snakes and scorpions as much as he did, as this meant I was particularly on edge throughout the two nights of our stay (unnecessarily it transpired)." See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia
"Sleeping under the stars"
The excursion down the dry riverbed in a four wheel drive landrover was an adventure in itself and finding elephants was the icing on the cake. We would have liked another night here." See all these reviews: 17n in Namibia
"Scenic location, dry, hot and windy"
"Spectacular setting - a great stay"
After a brief orientation by the staff, we were taken to our room which is described as a "natural-walled unit". The walls were canvas and the ceiling vaulted and thatched giving a wonderful open and airy feeling. The veranda from the room opened out onto a beautiful view of the plains. There was an indoor and outdoor shower and the option to sleep out under the stars on the veranda.
The food at Doro !Nawas was some of the best we had on our trip, especially the second night there when they prepared a perfectly marinated and prepared barbecue. Before sitting down to dinner we had what was probably the most relaxing evening of the trip, sitting around the open fire on big bean bags enjoying a glass of wine and watching "Dora" the resident cat make her rounds.
We were up very early on our first morning to set off with a guide to look for desert elephants - certainly the highlight of our stay there. The guide did a wonderful job of informing us about the flora and fauna and well as showing us how he tracks the elephants. He gave us a lot of information about the desert-adapted elephants as well as some of the individual members of the herd, and once we found them we were given as much time as we wanted to observe and photograph them.
The other excursion we made that day was a self-drive to see the San rock art at Twyfelfontein, one of Namibia's World Heritage sites. We also learned that the Twyfelfontein area is said to have the largest variety of scorpions in a single location - 13. Remember to shake out your shoes before you put them on! We actually did see a scorpion back at the lodge, but it was taken care of expeditiously by members of the staff...
We didn't have time that day to visit the Petrified Forest so we set off the next day and made a stop there en route to our next destination. There we also saw the very old Welwitschia plants.
Doro !Nawas was probably one of our favorite accommodations during our trip to Namibia. The total experience of the lodging, guided trip and geographic location made it a very memorable stay.
P.S.: The internet access in the reception area didn't work well. It wasn't actually broken but the wire on the back was loose and nobody made too much of an effort to fix it, which was really okay." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia
"Sleep under the stars (with the bats!)"
Spacious, well arranged, huts with both inside & outside shower. The highlight was wheeling the bed out onto the terrace and sleeping in the open air. To be able to lie back and star gaze was very special. The bats flying close to your face for a while, gave it an added twist! Cold in the morning, so the thick blankets provided were definately needed.
A superb trip out into the valley to track desert adapted elephants with our guide Mwezi. After looking at the tracks in the dust, we rounded the corner and were up close and personal with a large group of elephants. Fascinating to sit and watch the different behaviours of young and old elephants in their natural habitat.
Also enjoyed sitting on the bean-bags around the camp-fire in the central area." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia
"A DREAM!!"
So friendly and helpful and they read the menu out to us in Click language and English and sang on our last night which was fun!
Erwin took us to look for Desert Elephants but due to the time of year they had gone further up the river bed and he just said 'we aren't going back to camp until we have found them' which was great seeing as the excursion should only have been half a day (it turned out we found them in time anyway, but we liked his determination'. There were only 3 of us in the Jeep so it was really personal and he answered all of our questions really well.
The rooms were huge, the patio was fab and the view was out of this world. We were initially going to stay at another lodge close by but we were so glad it was fully booked and we stayed here instead. The food was great as well and the pool was stunning (although it could have been cleaner- possibly my only criticism but I advised Doro Nawas at the time too).
I do have to say getting there was not easy on the route suggested to us in a 2WD. The D2612 was not an easy road and we had to turn round and go back on the C35 up to Khorixas and then on the C39 which was much better. At the rate were driving on the D2612 we could have walked the same pace. But that is not a criticism of Doro Nawas." See all these reviews: 9n in Namibia
"Doro Nawas review"
"The ideal place to relax and explore"
Trip to stone drawings was very pleasant and edifying. Lovely guide.
Trip to the desert elephants was a good excursion and was well done as was the visit to the native village. Sun downer was welcome although blowing a gale, but ponchos helped as supplied.
Friendly, courteous and a delightful place to spend time." See all these reviews: 10n in Namibia
"Doro !Nawas ace place"
Both trips at Doro !Nawas were excellent. Our morning trip to Twyfelfontein and the Damara Living Museum was very interesting. The evening trip in successful pursuit of the desert adapted elephants was one of the big highlights of the holiday. We were so much closer to a herd of 13 elephants than we would have expected - and for so long. Amazing." See all these reviews: 21n in Namibia
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Other lodges in Damaraland
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Mowani Mountain Camp
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Damaraland Camp
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Camp Kipwe
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Desert Rhino Camp
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Etendeka Camp
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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
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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.
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.
Onduli Ridge
Onduli Ridge is a luxurious, low-impact luxury camp offering top-notch guiding in a remote wilderness area of Damaraland.
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
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Sorris Sorris Lodge
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