Reviews of Doro Nawas
Wildlife sightings and reviews
497 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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"Doro Nawas review"
Made use of the pool and found a few (but not many) other guests now at the lodge." See all these reviews: 28n in Namibia
"Doro Nawas review"
"as we were in transit, harder to judge"
By now we had stayed in five different camps/lodges and were getting familiar with the setup. So although the staff were as pleasant as anywhere we'd stayed and nothing was too much trouble and there were few other guests etc, Doro Nawas seems to lack a particular identity of its own. Maybe a lot of people, like us, use it as a transport interchange, or are just passing through. We went on a trip to Twyfelfontein which turned out to include a visit to the Damaraland living village which was surprisingly good with a very talented young man as the lead guide. Obviously we used a guide from the site at Twyfelfontein - which is fascinating and with a good museum - as outlined in the book. ( We returned to it ourselves when we stayed on the way back from the Skeleton Coast). However on the guided trip we didn't really have enough time and ended up keeping the young site guide until after closing time and not seeing the display/museum. It could have been better managed as an overall outing. The drive back to the lodge is quite rocky and by this time we were pretty tired. The room was large and airy but putting the bed out on the veranda not realistic as much too windy. We had our first experience of getting the menu in both English and the Damara/click language from charming waiter which was nice.
So overall, we felt a bit 'neutral' about the lodge although there was nothing in particular that was negative." See all these reviews: 28n in Namibia
"Great setting"
Went elephant trekking (07.30 to 12.30) - some very rough tracks. Also living museum but too hot to continue to rock engravings.
2nd hottest place we stayed - temp c. 33 -35 degrees - just too hot to bear in mid-afternoon." See all these reviews: 16n in Namibia; 4n in Botswana
"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
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.
Mowani Mountain Camp
Mowani is a beautiful and stylish mountain retreat in southern Damaraland; it makes a great base for visits toTwyfelfontein.
Damaraland Camp
Setting the standard for community partnerships, Damaraland Camp offers a beautiful location, a range of activities – and a genuine welcome.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
