Reviews of Mowani Mountain Camp
(94%) From 124 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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A wonderful wedding anniversary
Superb "superior" room. Very private, with a beautiful view, but also very close to the main building. It had its own dining area next to an outside fire, where we were invited to dine on our second evening. It was very romantic (but difficult to see what we were eating!). Two beautiful, colourful geckos in the room, which unfortunately were very camera-shy!
The shower was difficult to get to the right temperature without wasting water.
We had a wonderful elephant hunt to track the desert elephants with a very good guide again. We saw one group of 7 and another group of 8, with a lone male which was chased off. There was also a memorable sight of an ostrich pair with twelve chicks. The female objected to our presence and bravely advanced towards us fanning out her feathers.
It was also very good to see the village where our guide grew up, as well as his intended bride!
Mowani Mountain Camp review
We really like Mowani.
Our room had a fantastic view and these do vary depending upon which room you get. The lodge itself was good and had a nice area to sit by a small water feature which attracted a number of birds. The setting is what makes it special though and because of that the access to some of the rooms requires walking up steep gravel paths. I am disabled but managed OK but only by applying some care!
Some previous reviews mention lack of wifi and what a draw back this was. Personally I would have been very happy not to have any, but we found it worked OK. The tour to find the elephants was excellent and well worthwhile. We saw many elephants, as well as giraffes and ostriches.
Be warned however that you drive quite a distance in an open vehicle quite early in the morning at usual road speeds. More warning of just how cold this can be would be useful as every visitor we spoke to said the same. Blankets are provided, but our fellow travellers from Switzerland had woollen hats, scarves, thermal coats and gloves and were still cold! We didn't do the other tour to the Cave Paintings, partly on the guidance of the lodge as you can visit this just as easily yourself.
Superb on every front
We stayed in the suite, and it more than exceeded expectations. Loads of space, private seating area with wonderful views, free mini bar, outdoor bath and shower. It was incredible.
Food and eating area were both top.
Staff also repaired our punctured tyre.
Only criticism was that we had a bit of a lie in on the first day and breakfast was depleted by the early risers.
Mowani Mountain Camp review
Stunning, unique location. Go there for the location, rather than the wildlife. Important to get a room with superior view.
We enjoyed the walk they had marked out close to the camp.
The 4-course meals were too pretentious, and we didn't enjoy the meals as much as we did in other places.
ok place to rest
The location -- built onto huge rocks in the mountains -- is amazing. Our tent/cabin had an incredible view. And the sundowner is fabulous. We were a bit tired, so this was a good place to unwind a bit. We went for a nice hike in the morning -- saw a big flock of Springbok.
We did the afternoon execursion to see the Tweifelfontein rock art. The rock art is great, but the heat was brutal. It's too bad they don't do this excursion in the morning. On it's own though this place is a bit dull in comparison with the other places we visited, which was ok because we needed some down time.
The food was odd -- the menu is fine, and it looks pretty, but tastes weird. The chef has few taste buds. It felt more crowded with guests than the other places we stayed, and the service seemed a bit off at times, even-though the staff certainly is working hard to please. It's not a bad place, the setting is amazing, just doesn't quite compare to the other lodges we stayed (eg Woldewans).
A small thing about this place is they charge you for all drinks, even bottles of water. It's kind of like USA domestic airlines charging you random fees. No big deal really, but ... somehow this was our least favorite place on our trip. Maybe we had just gotten spoiled by all the other places.
A real highlight
We had a fantastic chalet that was very well designed. The lack of air con wasn't a problem given the time of year we visited but I would have been more concerned if it had been any hotter.
The sundowner bar was a huge plus and we really enjoyed it both nights. Dinner/breakfast service was a bit erratic at times but overall very good. The elephant safari was excellent and our guide willy was outstanding.
The absence of internet access/wi fi is a big issue and a negative. Every other property (no matter how remote) we visited had it. Several other people we spoke to shared our concerns about this. It really does need addressing.
Luxury in the remotest of locations
To find such a unique place to stay in the raw wilderness of Damaraland was so unexpected.
Our spacious chalet afforded us the most wonderful views of the surrounding area and across to the mountains in the distance. Well appointed and with a very modern shower cubicle. Part canvas and part stone built we really felt we were camping, especially as there was a fair walk through the boulders to the main camp buildings.
One major issue we had during our 2 night stay was with the split level room. We both tripped over, in fact Mr L tripped over twice. In our view a warning reflective strip should be installed on both sides of the bed - we did in fact move the furniture to remind us there was a step up but the staff had re-positioned these on servicing the room. We made our guide aware and in fact also reported it to the front desk as Mr L had incurred very nasty bruising and also damaged his trousers.
We didn't have time to make use of the small swimming pool but we did enjoy sun downers and snacks on top of the boulders where seating was arranged to take advantage of the setting sun.
The restaurant was very well appointed and our first dinner was excellent. On the second evening, our guide had arranged for a surprise private dinner on our veranda by candle light. This was a lovely idea however the chicken dish we both chose was rather overcooked and very tough. Had we been dining in the restaurant we would have sent it back as it was inedible.
Scenic and unique location
The accommodation was excellent - spacious and well equipped with great views out from the balcony - but don't be surprised if a few small uninvited guests (small lizards and spiders) find their way inside. The pathways to the tents are stony and uneven in places and not brightly lit at night so we found torches useful. Our security safe didn't work initially but was quickly rectified with a new battery. For the sundowner drinks we recommend getting up to the ridge early to get your preferred comfy seat to watch the sunset amid the unique location.
As a whole we found the evening meal experience disappointing and not what we had expected - whilst my husband enjoyed his meal I had chosen a different option and my main course was served tepid and the vegetables very overcooked and meat tough and I communicated this to the waiter who surprisingly seemed unconcerned and gave no reaction or offered a replacement as he took the plate away with food virtually untouched. At the end of the meal there was confusion with billing and we were charged for drinks ordered by other guests and this took two attempts to correct.
We went on the early morning elephant safari with our guide Rosie which was very entertaining and she ensured we spent plenty of time with the elephants once located. The desert elephants near Mowani are used to the jeeps and approached them with curiosity making this a very close encounter indeed. Rosie then took us back to camp via a scenic drive showing us some very unexpected green and lush landscape making this a very memorable experience.
Rocks, more rocks, even more rocks.
If you like rocks, definitely come here. The superior views room open up to a panaramic amphitheater of granite boulders. The public areas and sundowner spot are also lovely. For a 2 day stay the desert elephant tracking and Twyfelfontein are run by nice guides. The elephant sightings are guaranteed at the time I went, but it was the bumpiest road to get there over 2 hours.
We were given almost 2 hours with the elephants, so it was a good experience to be able to observe their behavior. The 2 year old calf kept falling asleep on the ground as she was foraging. It was very funny. The other tour included a visit to Twyfelfontein, Burnt Mountain, and Organ Pipes. Burnt mountain didn't feel worthwhile to me.
The rooms were spacious, fairly cool, and comfortable. The camp lacks water so doesn't want to offer laundry services. They wanted to charge me USD $40 to wash seven items.
Staff were nice but a bit backward. Rooms do need more signage to get to.
Peaceful and relaxing with stunning views
Our review is influenced by having been upgraded to the Suite when we had booked a mini suite. The suite comprises three huts and an area of decking. The whole suite was completely private and for our access only. Truly special and luxurious!
The welcome was fine, and the staff were very friendly. One of them very helpfully fixed our one and only puncture. Overall it was very comfortable with great views.There was a lovely spot for sundowners.
Only one of us went on the early morning drive to see the desert elephants - the guide was very knowledgeable. The afternoon trip was to Twyfelfontain but we actually drove there ourselves and saved a lot of money. You have to use a local guide there anyway and so there was no real benefit in going on the 'official' tour.
If anything the staff were too attentive. It becomes a bit annoying when your conversation is interrupted time and again by someone asking if everything is alright!
