Mowani Mountain Camp — Hotel in Kunene Region

We visited Namibia for a couple of weeks in September 2016 and stayed at three high end resorts including two nights at the Mowani Mountain Camp in Damaraland.

Our reservation was made many months in advance through Discover Namibia Safari & Tours, who gave this excellent recommendation as our stop over between Swakopmund and Etosha National Park. The resort is located along D2612 and is well-situated amongst the mountainous, boulder rich area of Damaraland and not far from Twyfelfontein, where herds of desert elephants can be found.

The property takes advantage of the natural contours of the surrounding landscape and we really liked the traditional design and tastefully decorated interiors. Common areas and huts were built into surrounding boulders, allowing hut privacy and maximising views for guests. There is a common lounge where you could enjoy afternoon tea and an adjoining dining area, both providing outstanding views into the valley below.

We also had memorable meals here and the best we had amongst the luxury resorts visited during this trip. Breakfast had a wide variety of morning cereals and muesli items, cheese, cold cuts and cooked breakfast meals served with juice, coffee and tea. Dinners were a set menu with a choice of two mains. We had oryx fillet and venison (which was probably oryx as well) during our two nights. In both occasions, our meats were perfectly grilled at medium rare and tasted very good. These meals were nothing less than we would expect of better restaurants in Hong Kong, London or NYC.

Service was equally impressive across the board and we found it was of a higher standard than other places tried during this trip. Check-in, welcoming staff, kitchen and dining room wait staff and room attendants were timely, friendly and professional. Everyone at Mowani seemed experienced and knowledgable of how and when to service guests. Service felt very natural, nothing awkward or forced. This included our driver/ranger during our desert elephant drive.

Our rooms were large and accommodating, with modern furnishing, comfortable beds, spacious bathroom and fully functional fixtures. And the views from the rooms were really special. We enjoyed our own private viewing area of the beautiful landscape of Damaraland, and spotted springbok, jackals and other wildlife walking in the valley. We couldn't ask for more.

Additional excellent landscape views are also available in the resort pool and sunset bar, which is located atop some of the largest boulders. The latter makes a lovely sundowner setting with lots of seating for guests.

The resort organises local activities and we joined the desert elephant nature drive, as well as visited Twyfeltontein, Burnt Mountain and the Organ Pipes. We found them to be very good with comfortable vehicles and we found the ranger/driver knowledgeable and quite pleasant.

In the end, Mowani Mountain Camp was one of those rare places that ticks all the boxes when it comes to getting it right as a luxury resort! They have an excellent location, private huts and common area, food, activities and the best service we encountered during our time in Namibia. We very much enjoyed Mowani and would gladly return for another stay when we come back to Damaraland.

Note: Other luxury resorts we tried during this trip to Namibia include Kulala (Sossusvlei) and Onguma The Fort (East Etosha National Park). I have written reviews for these properties as...

We’re extremely upset with our experience to Mowani.. Actually, We never made it to Mowani because to get to Mowani is a River that is actually at high levels currently and no car can cross it.. BUT NOONE MENTIONED THIS WHEN WE BOOKED! We arrived at the River past 8pm, we had nowhere to go, the people managing the hotel weren’t very helpful and didn’t seem to be bothered much by our situation. We were lucky a lady (Maggy from Malansrus) who works for a nearby camp found us at the River and helped arranged accommodation for us at another lodge. She calmed us down and took us to the lodge we slept at.. It was shocking that when we got to this lodge, Mowani had not phoned the lodge or informed them about us and our arrival there. We had initially asked them to keep some dinner for us as we’d be arriving a bit late, but they couldn’t even arrange this with the lodge we went to. We had to go to bed hungry. We had to call Mowani again in the morning to let them know we were at Twyfelfontein lodge and ask what the way forward was. They took no accountability of the fact that they omitted information that is crucial to actually getting to the lodge. Who runs a business, awaits clients but doesn’t bother know or check if the conditions of the arrival are actually okay?! It was such a disappointing experience, such poor service, no care for their clients at all.. No communication at all with us considering the situation we were in. They couldn’t give us clear information as to what the way forward was, they kept blaming the booking agent. After spending a lot of money on that booking, the least they could do was give service worth the money spent.....

Mowani Mountain Camp reminded me of the Flintstones, tucked away amongst boulders, well camouflaged and tastefully decorated. We had a refreshing dip in the rock pool the afternoon we arrived and took in the views from the main deck and covered dining areas and enjoyed the sunset higher up in the viewing area. The rooms were hidden amongst the rocks and the decks in front had views. We had an indoor and outdoor shower, supplies for tea/coffee, and were very comfortable.|Staff from the porter, to the waiters and tour guide were very friendly and helpful. The tour guide especially went out of his way to make sure we saw the desert elephants – it must have been exhausting for him since the road through the conservatory was challenging to say the least. We feel privileged to have experienced a group of about 7 elephants.|They strive to create an elegant dining experience and the food was good, but the 3-course meal felt drawn out from 7-9pm, by which time we were tired and ready for bed after a full day’s driving and then another day to view the elephants and UNESCO rock art (6.30am-12.30pm and then 2-5.30pm).|Breakfast on the last morning was a bit haphazard with no staff in sight. We and another group had requested to eat at 7am. Eventually we found someone to bring us the basics, and we decided not to order anything cooked to avoid delays.|We should have stayed an extra day to relax and enjoy the view from the deck in front of our room, but our time was unfortunately limited.|Can definitely recommend...