Reviews of Namutoni Camp
(84%) From 57 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Namutoni Restcamp review
Comfortable rooms - food oK
Site is spread out and parking not possible near to your room. Plus side is you have to walk and that was unusual on this holiday
The water hole is the least attractive of the 3 in Etosha
Luxury in an historic setting in Etosha Park.
This is an excellent camp. Very well run and maintained. The rooms were very well appointed, well designed and felt luxurious. Very clean and spacious. The bathrooms were particularly impressive! The camp was quiet once the park gates closed and it felt very exclusive. The fort area (restaurant, shops, etc) was very scenic/photogenic and a great place to take dinner and/or breakfast outside in the open air (even in winter). The central fire in an old converted water tank was great to sit and stare at after dark. The food was very good.
The staff were friendly and helpful. The raised walkways between rooms, pool area, the fort, etc were a nice touch as were the mongooses greeting you for breakfast in the morning and the warthogs and jackals wandering the site at sundown. The night safari was a highlight of the time in Etosha.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. The only disappointment was that we had to split up into two rooms, when the rooms were more than big enough to accommodate us all with extra beds (an extra bed was included in one room as it was). We felt that Namutoni was a better camp than either Okaukuejo or Halali in all respects other than the amount of animals at the camp waterhole. However, animal viewing was not a major part of our time at the camp and with the numbers/species of animals encountered on our drives during the day this was not important at all. We would recommend this camp as a highlight of an Etosha safari and definitely the best place to stay in eastern Etosha.
Namutoni Restcamp review
Beautiful rooms but no outlook. This was made up for by the wonderful game drives with Paulus another superb guide.
The Fort provided a more focussed and more atmospheric location for dining and shopping.
Namutoni Restcamp review
More stylish than Okakuejo, again recently refurbished to good effect. More of a base to tour, the waterhole not as good as many out on the pan.
Our room was 5star European hotel style, with both indoor and outdoor showers! The fort is a dining place with character although very quiet when we stayed. Not sure the night game drive is worthwhile.
Namutoni Restcamp review
If you want a luxury room go to Namutoni, however the room is a waste of money as you won't want to spend anytime in it. We have stayed there 4 times in the past and whilst we fully agree that it needed renovation, this is a total waste of money and for true wildlife enthusiasts will do nothing to enhance your experience. In particular, the rooms being enclosed with no view and even worse, the long walk and golf cart ride to your chalet means you will not want to go back to your room, it's too much hassle with camera equipment etc.
The food was surprisingly okay, but given the lack of guests here it looks like NWR have made a massive mistake in this camp, aiming for well off clients who want luxury rooms rather than those who love wildlife.
The wildlife remains excellent around here although with a new 'exclusive' restcamp to be built at Stinkwater, it is debatable how long this will remain. On this experience we would recommend staying outside and saving your money.
Namutoni Restcamp more fun than Okaukuejo
The room in Namutoni was (like Okaukuejo) newly refurbished and very much design-led. However the design didn't get in the way of comfort. The room was spacious and well-furnished, very stylish too.
The restaurant in Namutoni was more cheerful than Okaukuejo and although service was good, it was bit erratic. The shop was poorly stocked (as in Okaukuejo) so if you want to eat your own food (as we did for dinner), you should bring it in from elsewhere. Breakfast was fine but they may not have always had sufficient of everything for the numbers of visitors.
The site of Namutoni is imaginatively done and fun. The location is great for easy driving to waterholes and around the eastern section of the park.
We went on a night drive which was relatively expensive but had an excellent guide (Danny?).
Namutoni Restcamp review
The rooms were spacious and very nice. Namutoni has the nicest rooms of all three rest camps. However, the waterholes there are not very good - they are small and there are not many animals. We enjoyed siiting by the waterholes in the evening at both Okaukeujo and Halali, however, it was not worthwhile to do so at Halali.
We ate at the African restaurant in the camp - the food was delicious and we were happy to eat authentic African food and chat with the cook.
Namutoni Restcamp review
Good location near lots of busy waterholes.
Lovely renovated rooms. Lloyd particularly enjoyed the big bathtub!
However the room we had (Room 18) was next to where the maids congregrate early every morning on the walkway outside our room, so we were not able to enjoy sitting on our outside deck.
Food was average buffet food. Would have been nice to have been able to buy small meals such as sandwiches etc. Fortunately we had our own cheese and crackers and could buy yogurt. I would not be too keen on paying an all-inclusive room and meal rate as is proposed for next year, based on the food offered.
Namutoni Restcamp review
I think they have made some real erors in the refurbishment there. Superficially it looks good but already the window blinds in the rooms are bent and tangled, the twin washbasins mean there is no room to place washbags, the loo is in sight of all and sundry and our air conditioning didn't work ( we had to move rooms). I think they should have gone for low tech rather than a sophisticated look. They were working under real pressure in the restaurants as the kitchens weren't ready so they were doing really well to provide food. The service under the circumstances was good. The waterhole was pretty poor and odd looking and they now charge day visitors to go up to the viewing platform. If you're staying there its free.
The waterholes around Namutoni were excellent so jsutified staying there.
Lots of animals
We stayed at Halali restcamp as Namutoni was being refurbished. Halali was OK but quite a difference from private lodges.
Our animal named bungalow was fine although the setting was not brilliant. The area hasd not been landscaped so was a bit dusty and barren. Bungalow had a small private garden area with a hot tub. Waterhole was a good walk in the dark - not very well lit or signed.
The food varied from good to not so good although all the cold buffet sections were excellent. Facilities not brilliant, eg swimming pool empty of water!
We have always believed that acting responsibly is the only way to approach tourism and we're one of
the few companies to hold AITO's original coveted 5-star status for responsible tourism. It's a lead
that others are now following.
