Top 10 Best-value Luxury Damaraland Lodges & Camps

By Anthony Ham

Damaraland ranks among the continent’s most stunning regions and is renowned for its iconic southern African landscapes. Here, the Atlantic Ocean meets a deserted coastline edged with sand dunes, before the rugged mountains of Damaraland take hold. These starkly beautiful mountains, cut through with seasonal river valleys, are home to surprising populations of desert-adapted rhinos, elephants and lions. It’s a fabulous mix of dramatic terrain and fascinating safari experiences.

Damaraland accommodations are spread far and wide across the region. This usually means that anywhere you stay will be wonderfully quiet and far from other lodges and camps. You’ll feel as if you’ve found your very own corner of Namibia. Accommodations often serve multiple budgets, with lovely rooms or safari tents sometimes part of the same complex as a campground for self-drivers. What follows are some of Damaraland’s best lodges and camps.

The accommodations below are not ranked in a specific quality order.

72 Damaraland Safaris

1. Twyfelfontein Country Lodge

Twyfelfontein Country Lodge is a superb base for visiting Unesco-listed rock art and wider Damaraland

The closest lodge to the Unesco World Heritage–listed rock art of Twyfelfontein, the Country Lodge feels very much a part of this special landscape. Set against a stirring backdrop of classic Damaraland rocky hills, the lodge has lovely rooms with cooling tiled floors, soothing earth colors and stunning black-and-white photography. There’s a swimming pool, bar and restaurant, not to mention fabulous views, especially around sunrise and sunset. And the location is convenient not just for the rock art, but for excursions deeper into Damaraland as well.

18 Country Lodge Safaris

2. Brandberg White Lady Lodge

Brandberg White Lady Lodge has a terrific location and an excellent range of accommodations

Amid the dramatic terrain of southern Damaraland, close to world-famous rock art and the seasonal Ugab River, Brandberg White Lady Lodge is a classic Damaraland place to stay. Choose between the campground, simple tents, comfortable safari tents and appealing rock-walled chalets. The tents and campground, in particular, capture a cool evening breeze. You’ll especially enjoy being in a place where you don’t even have to leave the lodge area to enjoy the dramatic landscape: the views from many spots are outstanding. If you’re really lucky, you might see elephants, giraffes and other wildlife not far from camp.

11 White Lady Lodge Safaris

3. Camp Kipwe

Camp Kipwe has luxury accommodations to go with the big Damaraland views and top-notch facilities

Camp Kipwe is a special place that easily makes any list of the finest Damaraland lodges. It offers everything you could want in Damaraland: sweeping views, elegant public areas, and a convenient location for exploring Twyfelfontein and many other highlights. The pool, restaurant and bar are similarly superb, and they’re all designed to make you want to spend as much time in camp as possible.

But even with so much else going for it, Camp Kipwe’s rooms stand out as some of Damaraland’s loveliest. The domed bungalows have thatched roofs and earthen walls, while the amazing suites are huge, stylish and filled with natural light. All rooms have great views from the terraces and each luxury suite has its own little plunge pool.

Camp Kipwe Safaris

4. Palmwag Lodge

Palmwag Lodge takes full advantage of a fine location with great views and excellent facilities

Palmwag Lodge represents all that’s good about Damaraland. The views from the lodge are simply superb, especially at sunset, thanks to its location beside a seasonal river and surrounded by magnificent hills and mountains. The varied landscape attracts elephants, giraffes and more, and you’ll see them close to camp if you’re lucky. A resident elephant often wanders nearby. Activities here include day-long rhino-tracking excursions, or guided game drives (or self-drive trips) into the fabulous scenery of the Palmwag Concession.

The lodge has lovely rooms, some with exceptional views, along with a campground. There’s also an excellent restaurant with fine views, as well as a popular swimming pool and poolside bar-café.

Palmwag Lodge Safaris

5. Mowani Mountain Camp

Mowani Mountain Camp is a luxury Damaraland camp with gorgeous rooms and a first-class location

Mowani Mountain Camp is one of the finest Damaraland accommodations you’ll find anywhere. The camp is expertly designed and positioned to give a sense of those big Damaraland landscapes, while the surrounding mountains ensure a sense of quiet beauty and intimacy. Everything here whispers luxury, and the rooms combine fine views (even from some of the bathtubs) with designer decor in earth tones and stunning colors. The soaring thatched ceilings give a genuine feeling of light and space.

The location is good for both Twyfelfontein rock art and wider Damaraland, and you might even see elephants not far from camp. The pool and the restaurant are lovely, with both offering exceptional views.

Mowani Safaris

6. Twyfelfontein Adventure Camp

Twyfelfontein Adventure Camp has lovely safari tents, big views and fantastic amenities

When you arrive at Twyfelfontein Adventure Camp, you’ll find it hard to tear yourself away from the breathtaking views that are Damaraland at its best. From the pool, the restaurant and most of the public areas, you’ll see sandy valleys, rugged mountains and big Damaraland skies stretching to the far horizon. And the views aren’t limited to the public spaces. Each tent, whether standard or premium, faces out onto the same stunning scenery, so you can lie in bed and take it all in. The premium tents, in particular, are supremely comfortable and stylish.

Best of all, you’ll feel as though you have Damaraland all to yourself, even though you’re conveniently located near Twyfelfontein and so much more.

Adventure Camp Safaris

7. Doro Nawas Camp

Doro Nawas Camp Doro Nawas is one of the longest-standing Damaraland camps, and it shows in the best possible ways

Down in Damaraland’s south, Doro Nawas Camp is simply wonderful. It’s run by Wilderness Safaris who bring all of their local experience and knowledge to the camp and its activities. The accommodations here blend wood, thatch and canvas to create large, lovely and spacious rooms. Each room faces out onto the sweeping sands, and you can even sleep under the endless array of stars if that’s your thing. As you might expect from Wilderness, everything at the camp involves impeccable attention to detail, from the food and service to the swimming pool and tastefully designed public areas.

Doro Nawas Camp Safaris

8. Damara Mopane Lodge

Damara Mopane Lodge is blissfully remote and surrounded by attractive scenery, with top facilities

Damara Mopane Lodge claims a corner of Damaraland all to itself and takes full advantage of the surrounding beauty. Offering more shade than many Damaraland accommodations, the lodge looks out on a picturesque canvas of Damaraland hills. It also has the largest and best swimming pool anywhere in the area! Other facilities include a good restaurant, gift shop and bar, and it even has its very own lookout. Accommodations are in tidy chalets, with clean lines and hints of contemporary style in the color schemes and artworks. Friendly service is another highlight.

Damara Mopane Lodge

9. Desert Rhino Camp

Desert Rhino Camp is a marvelous place to stay and the best spot for seeing Damaraland’s rhinos

You can see desert rhinos in Damaraland if you’re not staying at Desert Rhino Camp. But staying here puts you right in the heart of rhino territory in a way that nowhere else in the region can. As you might expect from a Wilderness Safari property, the tents here are tasteful, elegant and spacious, combining the safari freedom of canvas with the permanence of local stone. The public spaces are just as lovely, including the bar, restaurant and lounge areas. And the pool is the ideal spot to cool off during the heat of a Damaraland day.

But most people come to see the rhinos. The guides here are experts in finding these soulful (but otherwise hard-to-find) creatures that roam the nearby plains and valleys.

Desert Rhino Camp Safaris

10. Grootberg Lodge

Grootberg Lodge has a fabulous location and views, great activities and ties to community conservation

Lined up along a ridge facing down a gorgeous valley in the ≠Khoadi //Hoas Conservancy, Grootberg Lodge has one of the best locations of all the Damaraland lodges. Everything has an incredible view here, including the swimming pool, bar, restaurant and all the rooms. The semi-luxurious rooms are spacious, with white walls and thatched roofs, and couldn’t be better placed.

Another big highlight is the lodge’s close ties to local communities. Proceeds from a stay here feed back into the local conservancy, which provides an important source of income for conservation. If you’re not self-driving, activities include guided game drives and even rhino tracking.

Grootberg Lodge Safaris