Reviews of Doro Nawas
(92%) From 362 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Doro Nawas review
This camp is at a fantastic location with lovely spacious rooms and being able to push your bed out onto the patio to sleep under the stars is a memorable experience. The bar/dining area has a great view.
Our guide found us the desert adapted elephants which was wonderful and we spent as long as we wanted with them. However we did feel that he was perhaps a bit less energised than some of the guides we had in Namibia.
Of special note was our guide at Twyfelfontein, Dion, who was extraordinarily well informed. (He also had an extensive knowledge of Britain that he had obtained from books!)
Doro Nawas review
The name was right out of Game of Thrones and the location was too . On a small kopje surrounded by nothing but desert and mountains . No people . No animals . Nothing moves as it is 40C. And there is no air conditioning and the enticing outside shower has a concrete floor which is too hot to stand on!
The view from excellent breakfast , lunch , drinks and dinner (with a choice ) was unparalleled .
Doro Nawas review
This is a fantastic place in an amazing setting. It's worth the long gravel drive!
We were given a warm welcome and the service was very good. The reason we didn't give it excellent is that we found the room, although huge and very well furnished, gloomy. I add this is an entirely person view and I know that other people will find it paradise.
The room had two showers and was very well appointed. We did pull our beds outside onto the deck one night to sleep under the stars. Incredibly memorable!
Desert treat
We enjoyed the singing greeting.
The staff were really friendly. The food was good.
The lodges are lovely and we enjoyed the outdoor shower- a great experience.
The nearby sites are easy to drive to and view.
Spectacular location
The location looking across the desert to the mountains is spectacular. The tented chalet accommodation was excellent - spacious and well appointed.
The main lodge building with the roof terrace (unfortunately there was too much cloud/rain to do any star gazing), sitting area and indoor/outdoor dining is excellent. The meals - we had breakfast, dinner and lunch - were first rate.
The morning safari to look for wildlife was very well led and we had very good close views of elephants and good bird identification. The vehicle we were in - there were 4 of us and one guide - was not the most comfortable, especially on a hot day. We decided against doing a further trip in the afternoon - largely because we decided we had spent long enough in the vehicle already that day.
Vetry sadly, not recommended
And perhaps average is being kind. Doro Nawas in undoubtedly a good cause (income and employment to the community), but without Wilderness to provide a flow of bookings it would struggle. The hard fact of the matter is that is that the market is western and that means that standards should be western too. The easy way to understand this is to compare it to Hoodia.
To be fair judgement was probably skewed by the journey from Swakop to Doro Nawas in a car that wasn't fit for the journey on dirt roads.
The two page Wilderness indemnity should be dealt with in the UK before departure, and had I been given it I would have suggested a stay elsewhere. Asking someone to sign that at the end of a long day with no option isn't a good idea.
Having a receptionist who doesn't understand eye contact or a firm handshake creates a negative impression at the outset.
There was no question of viewing the stars; it rained. Equally no walking was permitted outside the strict perimeter, but drive 5 minutes down the road and you can go where you like.
The lady who carried our bags to our room, considerably helped by me I should add, had the nerve to stand there and demand N$10.
Wheels on one bed didn't work. No plugs for the basins. By late afternoon (and I do understand that it's a difficult environment) there was a good scum on the pool at the lee end. Etc.
The rooms (and indeed the whole place) is downright gloomy. Our rooms looked straight out onto the staff camp and its lamp post. Avoid rooms 1 to 3.
The singing was very jolly, but couldn't paper over the cracks.
Obviously I haven't been to the other offers in the area but the Bradt guide suggests that Doro Nawas the most expensive in the area and I am unclear as to why it has an AE recommendation.
Doro Nawas review
We arrived too late for afternoon excursion and left for Twyfelfontein in the morning so never saw the desert elephants.
In retrospect we should have done Twyfelfontein the previous evening, on our way thee, and left the morning free for an elephant hunting excursion
Doro Nawas review
What a delight to arrive after a long day's drive to be greeted by a group of people singing you a welcome song!
Doro Nawas was full of such sweet touches. The warmth and competence of the staff was truly remarkable. Our guide Markuz was fantastic too and seeing desert-adapted elephants with him was a special treat.
Doro Nawas also stood out for its beautiful design, especially its gorgeous rooms that harmonised with the severe beauty of the landscape.
So much to see in the surrounding area, I wish we'd stayed an extra day at least.
Great Safari to see Desert Adapted Elepanhts
Doro Nawas was our favourite place to stay. The hospitality and the safari was first class.
We loved our stay; the welcoming song, the bush dinner, the sunset, the scorpions at night, and last, but not least the Damara people.
Doro Nawas review
HOT as hell! Swimming pool was a god send - and a few beers!
Food, accommodation and service was excellent. Loved the singing welcome and farewell!!
Elephant safari great and the guide very knowledgable and funny. Was so amazing tracking the elephants and getting so close to them.
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.
