Reviews of Nhoma Camp

"We wanted to see the people and the land made famous by the books by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas and James Suzman and the movie “The Gods Must be Crazy.” A visit to Nhoma and the area around Tsumkwe offered direct experience to learn about Bushmen and hunter-gatherer society. We were very pleased with our three-night stay at Nhoma Safari Camp and attribute the high quality of the experience to the careful and thoughtful services and accommodations provided by owners Flora and Moritz.

The camp, at the crest of a low ridge, provided superb vistas to the south from the dining and social area and from individual tents. We looked eagerly for the Southern Cross and Scorpio as they rose in the evening sky and the straight line of Venus, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn brightly shining in the morning sky before gradually fading before the rising sun. The experience was enhanced by the comfortable and discrete accommodations. All the activities involved Bushmen from the village that was a five-minute walk through woodland.

The owners have lived with the Bushmen for nearly a decade and know them well. They are strongly committed to incorporating them in the operation of the camp, so all of the staff come from the local village. The goals are to provide the Bushmen meaningful livelihoods and the visitors an authentic experience. The camp and accommodations are modest for a good reason. Anything more elaborate or luxurious would detract from the experience with the nearby Bushmen village by adding barriers to comfortable interactions.

The camp had an atmosphere of intimacy that enhanced the experience and put us at ease to relax and learn. The owners were very thoughtful to provide lunch for our late arrival and a long challenging excursion to Gautscha Pan that figures prominently in Marshall’s books. Because the village was only five minutes away, we walked there several times and each time found a different activity depending on time of day, healing dance in the evening, afternoon games at the end of the day. Although Bushmen have been changed by contact with outsiders, it was fascinating to see their lifestyle that still reflects and embodies their knowledge and experiences that are so different from ours.

I highly recommend Nhoma Safari Camp for an authentic and intimate experience of Bushmen and their land. I highly recommend researching Bushmen of Namibia before a visit and planning to stay as long as possible. A visit of several day offers opportunities to become involved in a wide variety of activities at a meaningful pace. I only wish we had stayed longer than three nights." See all these reviews: 11n in Namibia; 10n in Botswana

"We wanted wildest Africa and this is what we got.

Really interesting even though wildlife was scarce.

Best part was interacting with the San people who seemed to enjoy our visit to their village and waved us off when we left." See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia

"This was totally different but a great experience. The drive to the camp is long and challenging and the camp is more basic. However the opportunities to have completely different experiences made it more than worthwhile. We went out with the owner for an evening drive to check the waterhole and watched the elephants come to drink. The next day we went out on a walking hunt with the San people and then spent time in their village. The second day we went out again with he owner into Khaudum NP to check several water holes in readiness for the annual elephant count." See all these reviews: 18n in Namibia

"Great entertainment provided by the bushmen who were eager to show us everything while laughing and joking all the time. The local guide, Freddie, was excellent.

The camp was in need of renovation. For example, our toilet leaked continuously despite three complaints to the manager. He had only arrived back in camp the night before we arrived, so there seemed little preparation for guests. The owner arrived later.

A memorable stay in a substandard camp. However the food was good." See all these reviews: 27n in Namibia; 4n in South Africa; 3n in Botswana

"Arno has done a great job creating the camp and cultivating the relationship with the local village. Seeing the bushmen in the village and out on their 'hunt' was really interesting especially as we expect their lifestyle will not last very much longer. It is clear they rely now on tourism rather than having to hunt and live nomadically. The main bushmen we saw, the chief and other relatives of guide Freddie, made a real effort to be informative and friendly.

It does seem a little too much like a 'human zoo' in the village when you start with the 'shop' selling their handmade articrafts followed by arranged dances and demonstrations of arrow making etc. On the walk the bushmen clearly weren't needing to hunt and it felt the walk was a bit of a tourist occasion.

Arno was informative and attentive, clearly is core to the camp and is looking to sell the camp if possible. The camp is comfortable but basic with simpler meals than at other camps.

We also suffered because of the drought and a recent bush fire in the area which meant there was little game and no elephant locally.

It is a long drive out to Nhoma which ensures you realise how remote you are (and the effort Arno has to go to get supplies from 4 hours drive away). The last 20 kilometres of the road has a lot of deep sand in places and a 4x4 is essential for getting through to the camp.

Overall, well worth the visit to a remote location to see a life which if likely to end soon, but not as authentic experience as hoped." See all these reviews: 18n in Namibia

"Long way to go and definitely interesting" See all these reviews: 8n in Namibia

"Great experience here, felt a little strange at first but after two trips into the bush, felt more natural but still a sort of living museum of bushmen. It is a long gravel road to get there, followed by a long sandy road, - our 2wd got stuck in sand, but we were rescued with rope.

Camp is pretty basic compared to others we stayed out. Food not so good for example but it is all relative and the real reason for staying here is to share the bushmen environment." See all these reviews: 13n in Namibia

"Our stay here at Nhoma Camp was very special. The chance to accompany the Bushmen hunting and gathering was a unique experience. The traditional Bushman way of life cannot continue in the modern world. We felt so fortunate to have the opportunity to see it before it's gone forever. In fact I don't believe the Bushmen in this little village would do much hunting if there were no tourists there to pay for the experience.

We enjoyed our conversations with the owner, Arno. He is an intelligent and charming fellow. He is selling the business to another person but I think it will be a smooth transition. The manager for the new owner was there to learn from Arno and he seemed very enthusiastic." See all these reviews: 18n in Namibia

"It is a long drive from the Grootfontein area, so worth checking times of any organized activities. When we arrived we were the only guests in the camp, so this did not matter. We went out late afternoon to go and pump water for the elephants! The waterhole was drying out, it was the end of dry season. It was quite fun, but we wre expecting more bushman activities

The camp itself was nice, the tents basic but perfectly acceptable and with all the facilities. Food was overall good, although the fish was rubbery ad overcooked and puddings after dinner only appeared for 1 out of 3 days..

The next day we went out on a long walk with the owner Arno and a couple of very knowledgeable bushmen. They showed us where to find food & water, and how to trap animals and make arrows etc. This was very interesting. Arno was very helpful and translated and answered any questions we had, and encouraged the bushman to show us things.

The next day we to the Nye Nye nature reserve to look at water birds and plants. This was also interesting, we saw lots of storks and flamingos etc.. Arno's skill in the 4x4 is good - He knows exactly where the car can and can't go...

When we left , Arno was kind enough to sell us 20 litres of petrol, so we did not have to divert back to Grootfontein - much appreciated!

A related note:

Half way between the junction of the C44 & B8, and Nhoma is a very interesting "Living Medicine project which also has bushmen demonstrating their life skills. http://www.lcfn.info/juhoansi/home. They are not allowed to go hunting, but we thought they it was a interesting and informative project with and a much higher spec than most village tours. It is a German Namibia co-operation project. For some tourists, this village may be all they need to get an authentic experience of bushmen life." See all these reviews: 10n in Namibia; 4n in Botswana

"We loved this part of the trip. Mine host and his wife went out of there way to ensure that all was OK. Got stuck trying to get up the hill to the lodge and had to be towed out and leave the car at the bottom of the hill. Visit to the water hole to fix the water pump was an unexpected delight at dusk - so we enjoyed watching the five bull elephants whilst the pump was fixed.

The bush walk with the bush men was also a delight and thoroughly captivating. We learnt a lot and fell in love with them and all the people in the village. We felt very privileged to be able to share a part of their life.

A must visit." See all these reviews: 10n in Namibia