5 campsites in Namibia: the southwest

By Roxanne Reid
Southern Namibia is dominated by the Kalahari in the east and the Namib Desert in the west. Here scenery has a lunar tinge, mountains and plains go on forever and sand is your constant companion. When visiting the Fish River Canyon, Sossusvlei, the wild horses and the ghost town of Kolmanskop, you might enjoy camping at these 5 campsites in Namibia. 

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Ai-Ais Resort, Fish River Canyon

The Ai-Ais Resort at the southern edge of the Fish River Canyon is where the four- to five-day hike through the canyon will spit you out at the end. It may not be my favourite of all the campsites in Namibia, but it’s an oasis in a forbidding landscape of dry sand and burnt-looking rocks. It’s usually crowded with campers and holidaymakers who love camping in Namibia, here to enjoy the hot springs and swimming pool, so it's certainly not the place to go if you want peaceful camping. But at the end of an energy-sapping Fish River Canyon hike, you’re bound to see it with different eyes – a welcome place to celebrate your achievement with an ice cold beer from the bar and enjoy a slap-up meal in the restaurant. The campsites have power points and the ablutions are generally clean and tidy.

Things to do: hike, swim, visit the hot springs

​Read more about Ai-Ais campsite

Klein Aus Vista’s Desert Horse Campsite 

This is much more my speed when considering the campsites in Namibia. On the fringe of the Namib Desert and the Gondwana Sperrgebiet Rand Park, Klein Aus Vista’s Campsite is near the small town of Aus on the B4 to Luderitz and a perfect stopover for anyone wanting to look for the wild horses at Garub waterhole. Camel thorn trees provide some shade and reed wind-breaks double as privacy screens although the sites are spaced fairly well apart anyway. The ablutions have hot and cold running water, but there are no power points at the sites. Each site has a tap, braai and great view of the surrounding hills.

Things to do: chill, hike, MTB, see the wild horses, visit the Aus info centre to discover the history of the area and its horses; ghost town Kolmanskop & Luderitz 100km away

​Read more about Klein Aus Vista

Little Hunter’s Rest, Namtib Biosphere Reserve ​

This is what camping in Namibia is all about. If you enjoy being off the grid and surrounded by beautiful landscapes far away from crowds, you’ll love it here. Set on a sustainable farm among the Tirasberg mountains off the D707, Little Hunter’s Rest has only six sites spread far apart, so your nearest neighbours are at least 100m away. There’s no power, so you need to take your own solar/battery lights or torches. Ablutions are simple but adequate, with a donkey boiler (wood supplied) for hot water. Each site has a built-in braai and there are some camel thorn trees for shade. The best things here are space, mountain views, sunsets and peace.
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Things to do: chill, hike, botanical trail, nature drive, bird watching, star gazing

Read more about Little Hunter's Rest

The Family Hideout, NamibRand Nature Reserve ​

Camp among red sand dunes, grey-mauve mountains and golden grass plains in one of the largest private nature reserves in southern Africa, bordering on the Namib Naukluft National Park. The Family Hideout offers just two campsites, each with its own private ablutions and dish-wash area. Our site, called Orion, was set on a dune about a kilometre from the next site so it was like having the entire wilderness to ourselves. Solar power provides light and hot water and our site had a camel thorn tree and a small shelter to provide some shade, as well as a small waterhole where game could come to drink. The NamibRand is a Dark Sky Reserve and the lack of light pollution makes for magnificent star gazing. This will remain one of my favourite memories of camping in Namibia.

Things to do: chill, 4x4 route, game viewing, star-gazing, dune-boarding, bird watching, hot-air ballooning

Read more about the Family Hideout

Sesriem campsite, Sossusvlei

Photo: mp3ief

The biggest plus here is that the internal gate at Namibian Wildlife Resorts’ Sesriem Campsite opens 30 minutes or so before the external gate to the Namib Naukluft Park, so if you stay at Sesriem Campsite, you can drive to some of the dunes before sunrise. You can also stay out longer at dusk. Apart from that, this is not one of my favourite campsites in Namibia. Some of the sites have shade, but not all of them. There’s a swimming pool, bar and restaurant under thatch, which are good places to hang out to get away from the heat of the sun. The sites are very sandy. A tap, braai and bin are provided, but on our last visit the first two were a bit broken and the last overflowing on to the ground. To summarise: not the best camping in Namibia, but worth it to get a few precious extra minutes with the dunes when the light is at its best for photography.

Things to do: climb one of the dunes, see Deadvlei and Sossusvlei (if you don’t have a 4x4, park at the Deadvlei parking and catch the 4x4 shuttle or walk 2km to Deadvlei), walk down to the bottom of Sesriem Canyon

Read more about Sesriem campsite and Sossusvlei

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