Camp Kipwe — Hotel in Kunene Region

There is so much to like about this camp , but unfortunately the dislikes over weighed things for us.|So lets start with the good. The drive to the camp is spectacular , Damaraland was one of the most beautiful areas that we travelled through in Namibia. Be advised though there are a lot of beggars on the roadside who the moment they hear a car will run out to try to sell you goods . The lodge is carefully designed around the rocks in a koppe, and is difficult to spot until you arrive. It is set on three levels, on the ground all of the chalets are carefully built so you are secluded from other guests and all with a small terrace with great view. On the next level is a lovely open sided restaurant / bar with spectacular views and a small pool and on the top a viewing deck where you can have sundowners . Your chalet is one very big room with a huge bed , small seating area and table and fridge . The bathroom and toilet are all outside which is lit at night . Outside is also a terrace area where you can sit and watch the view , although we saw little wildlife there apart from lizards. The restaurant probably had the best choice of food of anywhere we stayed , with a three course meal every evening and very high dining . Breakfast was an amazing lovely platter of fresh fruit, yoghurts bread and baked goods served to your table and a range of cooked to order hot food. They also offer a range of activities , although we had booked ours privately.|All good so far, now to the negatives. The chalet was the only accommodation on our 3 week trip that did not have mosquito nets, yet it was the only place that needed them. Despite spraying the room with the Doom spray they provide, both before and after dinner and covering ourselves in insect repellent we were bitten to death every night ( I had 15 bites just on one leg, and even a month later I still have marks left on legs)|The outside bathroom is lovely, but ours was situated directly under the restaurant and you very wary of how any " noise" may travel. If you need the toilet at night although it is lit, it does mean it attracts all sorts of bugs and insects that you have to battle through. Also I was taken ill on our last night and needed to make urgent trips to the toilet, and the distance to the toilet was troublesome. However our biggest issue was with the staff, right from the start of our stay. When we arrived , we were met in the car park with someone with wet warm towels, lovely after a long hot drive. There were also two other staff members who instantly we arrived , were demanding they needed to take our bags to reception , really hassling us whilst we were trying to sort ourselves out. They took off with our bags whilst we were left at reception , where another member of staff demanded to see our travel voucher ( the only accommodation on our whole trip that did) and then sat scrutinizing it and looking at his list for several minutes like it was a forgery. Eventually he stopped and then started telling us about all the activities which took ages ,before eventually asking which ones would we like to book. Even when we said could we think about it as we were tired and just wanted a shower, he kept insisting he needed to book them for tomorrow until we finally stated we would let them know at dinner . We were then taken to our rooms , and the guys with our luggage showed us around and then just kept standing staring at us until we gave them a tip. Again at dinner we kept being hassled about booking trips , until we said we were driving ourselves . The waiters were very efficient , but seemed almost scared to chat to guests apart from the script about the food or camp. At the other lodges staff were very friendly and chatty , and loved to talk about their lives and tribes but not here. When we went to move our table slightly due to some rain starting, our waiter rushed over and said don't do that I would get the sack if you were seen doing that. On our final morning we were leaving early and had checked if it was ok for us to have an early breakfast at 6.30am when their guests leaving for an activity were having theirs, which was agreed. However when we got there there was a lot of fuss by the staff as they had not been informed to set a table set for us. We said that was fine as all we wanted was coffee and toast, we specifically said don't bring out the platter and everything else as we were heading off early. The waiter kept fussing backwards and forwards bringing various cutlery , glasses etc and several times we said we don't need that just coffee and toast is fine. Eventually that turned up and then a few minutes later he turned up with the platter and all the rest of the breakfast items. It was also odd that all the staff were men, they seemed to be no woman on the camp at all , which was very different to all the other lodges we had stayed. It felt that the staff were so over trained , and working to a very rigid script and regime that you and they could not relax, and with the hassling to get you to sign up up to activities we did not really enjoy our stay here . Its the only place on our trip we would...

We absolutely loved our stay in a luxury suite at Camp Kipwe. The suite was extraordinarily well designed and furnished, which exceeded our expectations. The room was incredibly spacious, with an expansive outdoor deck that had incredible views, several seating areas and a small plunge pool to cool off in. The included minibar was restocked daily and had a great selection of beverages, beer, wine and cocktail ingredients. ||The food at Camp Kipwe was a standout and by far the best we had during our entire 2.5 week trip throughout Namibia, so much so that we were surprised how the hotel was able to procure the ingredients given the extremely remote location. Every meal was far above average and far exceeded our expectations. The service throughout the property is professional yet casual, which made us feel comfortable - not stiff and formal like some of the expensive tented camps are trying to achieve. Everybody was extremely courteous from arrival to departure. ||The elephant excursion was a highlight of our stay; a bit of an adventure having to track and search for the elephants for quite a long time, but that is par for the course since they are completely wild and not in an enclosure. I also highly recommend a visit to the Damara Living Museum which is only minutes away from Camp Kipwe and provides great cultural insight into the local Damara culture and the opportunity to purchase very affordable and locally made souvenirs that support the...

This was the second time I stayed at Camp Kipwe. I was there five years ago and so enjoyed the camp that I asked my travel agent to book us there again. It's in a pretty remote location, but so worth the effort to get there. The design is just amazing - it reminds me of Bedrock Village from the old Flintstones comic show. The rooms and buildings blend into the rocks so well they almost disappear. Our room was a bit of a walk from the main area, but we didn't mind after spending so much time sitting in a vehicle. The view from our room was lovely, as it is from everywhere in the camp. Our room was very large, clean, and quite comfortable. There was plenty of space to relax and stow our bags and gear. The refrigerator worked well and kept our water nice and cold. The beds were comfortable with good mattresses. The bathroom was outside the main room, but attached so no need to walk anywhere. The outdoor shower felt wonderful after a day outside. We even had a gecko on the wall to take care of all the bugs which was great. The sundowner spot is up a hill which might be a bit challenging for some people, but there are stairs to make it easier. The view from up top is spectacular and well worth the walk. You can enjoy a cool drink and some snacks as the sun sets. The food was plentiful and very good. I don't eat red meat or pork and had lots of options. The service was attentive, friendly, and professional. A wonderful stay from...