Wilderness Serra Cafema — Hotel in Kunene Region

We stayed at 4 high-end camps over 13 days during our Namibia journey, and while some of the other properties offered (slightly) better accommodations or superior big game viewing, in the end we felt that many of our most memorable experiences were during our time at Serra Cafema.||This place is as remote as they come, even by Namibia standards. It's a whopping 3.5 hours away from Windhoek (including a short fuel stop) via a light aircraft, and is located in the extreme North of the country along the Angolan border. It can only be accessed via air, and is situated along the banks of one of only two permanent rivers - all others are ephemeral (that is, it only flows occasionally, and only during the brief stints of precipitation that occurs in the country.) Upon arriving at the Hartmann Valley airstrip, it's still another 45 minutes by ground transport to the camp itself. Once there, we were treated to a stylish but earthly property - how in the heck did they manage this oasis in the middle of nowhere?!? - we were in awe of what Wilderness has managed to accomplish here. ||While it's a pretty camp and oozes relaxing luxury, there were a few minor nitpicks. First of all, while the room was on the large side, there was a dearth of furniture and shelves to store our belongings - just a small shelf with a rack to hand our shirts and jacket. And while there's an outdoor lounge area, it's obviously not a place to chill out in the evening, unless you consider Mosquitos as your friend. What they need is a couch in the room itself, and another second chair for the desk - otherwise, where is the second person going to sit, aside from laying down in bed?||Service wise, everyone was friendly and eager to please, but it was less polished, and the staff were slightly more reserved than personnel we came across at our other camps. This included our guide, who meant well, but was not particularly engaging whatsoever. The meals were wonderfully presented, but quality of the dishes were hit or miss. For example, the beef skewers served one evening were almost inedible... it was rock hard, and had an unpleasant aroma. Overall, though, there was not much to complain about; we didn't come here for Michelin-quality meals, and given where we were, it was more than satisfactory.||So... the food is good enough, and accommodations were good enough. It's the scenery and experiences that really transform Serra Cafema into a "must visit" property. The visit to a Himba village was most likely the most extraordinary cultural experiences we've ever had. Much more so than several Amazon communities and Masai villages that we've paid a visit to. This was the real deal - authentic, not choreographed in any way, and the people... their lifestyle, beliefs, customs and traditions, environment that they live in, house structures, fashion... you name it, it's unlike any people we've ever come across. And even though they sleep in the ground, have no electricity, no internet, no running water, no shoes for women and children, and no upper-body coverings for the women, they are dignified and take pride in their lives. In other words, they are certainly much more culturally rich than most of the developed world, that's for sure. We enjoyed it so much that we asked to be taken to the village again on the morning of our departure. Yes, it's that life-altering of an experience.||Aside from that, boating in the Kunene River, along with desert quad-biking on an ATV are unique activities at Serra Cafema. While there isn't much wildlife along the river (the water level was high, so we didn't even see a single Crocodile), it was still a scenic cruise in an area that was exclusively ours... no other guests, no other camps anywhere close by. Just a small village on the Angolan side of the river, where friendly locals waved as we passed by.||After a thrilling but very exhausting 2 weeks in Namibia, we were about to pass on the final afternoon activity - ATV quad biking - but we mustered up the energy to give it a go. And we're glad that we did! There's something to be said about being closer to the earth. Sure, walking will also do the trick, except that you can't cover much distance by foot - the quad-biking excursion allowed us to see a variety of landscapes (and small Himba villages) in a different light. If you stay at Serra Cafema, do not pass up the opportunity to quad bike in the desert!||One final note - large animals were almost non-existent here, even compared to most of the other Namib desert areas, which already are sparsely populated with big fauna. There's been a major drought condition in the area for the past 7+ years, resulting in wild animals dying or otherwise migrating away from this region. No matter, animals are not and should not be the reason to come to Serra Cafema; just make sure to combine a stay here with another property that can feed your animal cravings.||After all is said and done, the peace, tranquility, the beauty and (especially) the Himbas will be permanently etched in our...

This is an extraordinary place. It’s isolated and takes a while to get there but it’s so worth it. Nestled on the banks of the beautiful Kunene River, the buildings don’t intrude on the landscape, in fact they make you feel part of it. Our beautifully appointed suite had everything we needed to make our stay comfortable, even a yoga mat and weights for a peaceful workout on the deck overlooking the river. Great shower, wifi (not strong but OK), tea, coffee, treats and a stacked fridge.||The highlight for us was the visit to the Himba people. I was concerned that this would be exploitative, but not at all. The lodge works closely with them to provide schooling, food and other things in return for bringing tourists to see their way of life. Our visit was sensitively done – no photos until we’d gone through an elaborate series of introductions, but then we could interact freely.||They were such warm lovely people with dazzling welcoming smiles. Through a translator we were able to converse somewhat and in that short time gained insight into their incredible way of living – so difficult in the eyes of us Westerners but they seem to love it. Please if you visit take plenty of cash (rand or the local currency) to buy trinkets from them. It costs so little for us but means so much to them and they were very grateful. It was an amazing experience, one we will always remember.||We also loved the river cruise which was most pleasant and included very civilised drinks on the northern bank of the river which is actually Angola, so we even visited another country while we were there.||Of course we also have to mention the incredible staff from the manager Matthew, our wonderful guide Athan, and Richel, Annalina, Angel, Rosemary, Ties, Pietra, Ester, Vee and Zander (apologies for any omissions). They looked after us so well. We loved your welcome and farewell singing and dancing as well as the performance you put on one night. Amazing! The food was excellent and we couldn’t have asked for more. As you may have gathered by now, this camp comes highly...

Serra Cafema was far and beyond our favorite destination during our 10 day Namibia trip staying at other luxury properties. The setting on the banks of the Kunene river is stunning, and the views from our ATV ride the first evening of the trip were gorgeous - watching the sky change from stormy to a rainbow to the sunset. Our guide Elias was thoughtful, attentive, knowledgeable, and knew how to broach subjects in a way that sparked conversation and questions from the group. Some of our excursions ran long because we had such a great time talking and learning from him!

The food was incredible, and you’d never know how remote the location was based on the incredible variety of dishes served each night including cuisines from other parts of the world and fresh delicious ingredients.

Visiting the Himbe village and our boat ride along the Namibia/Angola border were unforgettable. I feel so lucky to have visited this authentic village as you can’t help but feel their days as a semi nomadic tribe without modern advancements and influences are numbered.

While no air conditioning was a surprise to me given the price point, the room windows had screens so you were able to leave the windows open at night without fear of insects or critters, and the cooler evening temperatures made the room more comfortable. They also provided creative solutions such as a thin wrap that they instruct you to dip in water to use to keep you cool. The room and balcony were gorgeous, spacious, and private, with sliding doors to make it all feel like one space, or close it off in...