By Roxanne Reid
There aren’t many places in the world where you can shower with an elephant before enjoying dinner around a campfire while live music pulsates with energetic township vibe. Not unless you stay at Etosha Safari Camp 10km south of Etosha National Park’s Andersson Gate in Namibia.
There aren’t many places in the world where you can shower with an elephant before enjoying dinner around a campfire while live music pulsates with energetic township vibe. Not unless you stay at Etosha Safari Camp 10km south of Etosha National Park’s Andersson Gate in Namibia.
I fell in love with Etosha Safari Camp at first sight a few years back. Our ‘room’ was a free-standing chalet surrounded by mopane thicket and tall blonde grass so although there were lots of them, they were fairly widely spaced on the large property and we didn’t feel anyone was peering down our necks as we lolled on the porch in our safari chairs.
Self-standing units are spread around the property, to give you a sense of space and privacy
It scored bonus points for being accommodation near Etosha National Park, one of my favourite places to see wildlife. More bonus points for the air conditioner that preserves sanity in northern Namibia’s fierce summer heat.
You can't help but be cheerful in this colourful room
The rooms have since been refurbished. Now you’ll find sunshiny yellow doors and mozzie nets, bright orange sheets, zebra-patterned pelmets, and black-and-white woodcuts of animals like elephant and rhino on the walls. My favourite spot is still the shower with a mosaic of the back view of an elephant, its trunk raised up to where the water comes out, as if it has sucked up a trunkful to splash you with. It’s playful and I love it.
Shower with an elephant at Etosha Safari Camp
The main complex houses everything from the reception desk, swimming pool and a shop to the Oshebeena bar and restaurant, where you can enjoy your meals on the long verandas or in the courtyard.
There’s a shanty town alley of small spaces holding funky objects like entire car doors and their windows plastered into the walls as if they are building materials. There are old kettles, faded political posters and a tin lean-to roof stacked high with tin chests and old-fashioned suitcases. At the far end, a full-size train carriage painted light green has a medley of baskets and other bric-a-brac on its roof.
There’s a shanty town alley of small spaces holding funky objects like entire car doors and their windows plastered into the walls as if they are building materials. There are old kettles, faded political posters and a tin lean-to roof stacked high with tin chests and old-fashioned suitcases. At the far end, a full-size train carriage painted light green has a medley of baskets and other bric-a-brac on its roof.
Old cars, bicycles, posters - they're all part of the decor mix
The township shanty style of the food service alley
Before supper, spend some time in the bar and ‘bottol stor’ crammed with more colourful and wacky objects. There are zinc baths filled with bottles, beer crates, Coca Cola crates, a Dover stove, car licence plates and old tin signs advertising Windhoek Lager, Cobra polish and BP oil. There are paraffin lamps, bicycles hanging from the ceiling, and a table made from a 40-gallon metal drum cut in half.
Sidle up to the bar and order a cold one
Crane your neck to enjoy all the signs around the bar, advertising the Ooh Shebeena Bar, the Down Corruption Bar, and more. Others signs boom, ‘Light of Admission Leserved’ and ‘Only for Colour Blind People’, while someone has scrawled graffiti on a wall: ‘White men can’t jump, black men can’t swim; white men can’t eat mopane worms.’ It’s lighthearted fun.
Unusual building materials make it fun to walk around the bar and dining area
In the pool hall there’s an old cabinet radiogram along one wall and a flatscreen TV showing sport on another – a mix of old-time style with functional modern tech. A third wall is filled end to end with shebeen signs from across the country – Hot Stuff, Huhu City Man Back, Young Life Bar. A few signs advertise other services such as the Look Good Beauty Bar, even the Obama Fish Shop.
Half-barrels are used as tables to serve breakfasts and salads at dinner
Outside in the courtyard some chairs in a circle around the fire are made from car tyres and fitted with comfy cushions, their arms and legs painted bright red, blue or yellow.
Dinner was a delicious gemsbok stew with pap and pumpkin, and there was kudu stirfry and tender chicken too, all set up as a buffet along the side of the train carriage. We ate by candlelight on the verandah and tapped our toes in time with live music around the small campfire.
Singing and playing, building the mood from mournful to merry, were Chris, Stefanus Gaeb and Jomo Africanus. Stefanus played a guitar made from a 5-litre Castrol oil tin attached to the amplifier, while Jomo played guitar, drums and accordion. One of the waiters, who had been shimmying while he worked, joined in here and there to strum a guitar or play drums. The diners bobbed their shoulders and tapped their feet to the rhythm, clapping at the end of every piece.
Dinner was a delicious gemsbok stew with pap and pumpkin, and there was kudu stirfry and tender chicken too, all set up as a buffet along the side of the train carriage. We ate by candlelight on the verandah and tapped our toes in time with live music around the small campfire.
Singing and playing, building the mood from mournful to merry, were Chris, Stefanus Gaeb and Jomo Africanus. Stefanus played a guitar made from a 5-litre Castrol oil tin attached to the amplifier, while Jomo played guitar, drums and accordion. One of the waiters, who had been shimmying while he worked, joined in here and there to strum a guitar or play drums. The diners bobbed their shoulders and tapped their feet to the rhythm, clapping at the end of every piece.
The Etosha Safari Camp entertainment begins before sunset and continues long after
I can’t tell you how much fun it all is – this spirited mish-mash of township flair and wit, finessed with warm hospitality, cold beers and hearty grub. Etosha Safari Camp is a lively place to spend a night or two on your way to Etosha National Park. Take a dip in the pool on a hot summer’s day but, come nightfall, don’t forget to experience the jollity at the Down Corruption Bar.
Things to do at Etosha Safari Camp
1. Go on a guided drive in an open safari vehicle into Etosha National Park, just 10km away. Choose from a half day (4-hour) or full day (8-hour) trip, or even drive there in your own vehicle. There are a number of excellent waterholes in easy reach of the Andersson entrance gate, such as Nebrownii, Okaukuejo (a waterhole you can see from inside the camp) and even Okondeka. You can expect to see kudu, giraffe, black-faced impala, warthog, springbok, zebra, wildebeest and gemsbok, maybe even lion or elephant.
Things to do at Etosha Safari Camp
1. Go on a guided drive in an open safari vehicle into Etosha National Park, just 10km away. Choose from a half day (4-hour) or full day (8-hour) trip, or even drive there in your own vehicle. There are a number of excellent waterholes in easy reach of the Andersson entrance gate, such as Nebrownii, Okaukuejo (a waterhole you can see from inside the camp) and even Okondeka. You can expect to see kudu, giraffe, black-faced impala, warthog, springbok, zebra, wildebeest and gemsbok, maybe even lion or elephant.
Nebrownii waterhole, Etosha National Park
2. Wake early to watch the blood-red sun rise through the mopane trees around your cabin in the morning. Park yourself on your safari chairs on your porch in the evening to watch the sunset as the day winds to a close.
3. Cool down in the heat of the day with a dip in the pool in the main area. Laze on the chairs under umbrellas and read a book until it’s time to cool off again.
3. Cool down in the heat of the day with a dip in the pool in the main area. Laze on the chairs under umbrellas and read a book until it’s time to cool off again.
Cool off in the pool
4. Go for a walk around the property; the hills will give you a bit of a cardio workout.
5. Keep a lookout as you move about the camp for birds and small creatures, like the dainty dik-dik we saw on an early morning visit near our cabin.
5. Keep a lookout as you move about the camp for birds and small creatures, like the dainty dik-dik we saw on an early morning visit near our cabin.
The tiny Damara dik-dik
6. Explore the main area to see the funky decor, from old signs and rusted vehicles to political posters, bicycles, suitcases, tin trunks, and small statues of elephants and warthogs.
7. Enjoy a cold beer at the quirky ‘township’ pub, chuckle at some of the signs, park yourself in a chair ingeniously made from recycled car tyres.
8. Don’t miss at least one dinner during your stay. It comes with a side order of vibey music that makes for a full evening’s entertainment. It'll be one of the most fun things you do on your holidays in Namibia.
9. Browse or buy some of the affordable curios in the shop next to the reception area, like fridge magnets, bracelets and necklaces, scarves, etc.
7. Enjoy a cold beer at the quirky ‘township’ pub, chuckle at some of the signs, park yourself in a chair ingeniously made from recycled car tyres.
8. Don’t miss at least one dinner during your stay. It comes with a side order of vibey music that makes for a full evening’s entertainment. It'll be one of the most fun things you do on your holidays in Namibia.
9. Browse or buy some of the affordable curios in the shop next to the reception area, like fridge magnets, bracelets and necklaces, scarves, etc.
Shady, grassed campsite
10. If you can’t bear to tear yourself away, spend a night or two at the Etosha Safari campsite behind the pool area. This is Etosha camping at its best. Far less busy than Okaukuejo’s overcrowded campsite inside Etosha National Park, it has the added bonus of shade and grass that you won’t find at Okaukuejo. The ablutions and outdoor wash-up areas are simple but clean, and you have all the facilities of the lodge – like pool and restaurant – near at hand.
Crazy discounts you need to know about
If you’re planning a trip to Namibia, do yourself a favour and invest in a Gondwana Card. R200/N$200 gets you a card for five years and gives you great discounts on some 40 Gondwana Collection properties across this vast and beautiful country. Namibians get a 50% discount on accommodation, and visitors from SADC countries get 40% discount on accommodation, both in their lodges and campsites. In addition, the card gets you 25% off meals and activities.
It doesn’t matter whether your budget stretches to luxury lodges or you prefer camping, with discounts like these, what are you waiting for? Namibia is calling.
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Crazy discounts you need to know about
If you’re planning a trip to Namibia, do yourself a favour and invest in a Gondwana Card. R200/N$200 gets you a card for five years and gives you great discounts on some 40 Gondwana Collection properties across this vast and beautiful country. Namibians get a 50% discount on accommodation, and visitors from SADC countries get 40% discount on accommodation, both in their lodges and campsites. In addition, the card gets you 25% off meals and activities.
It doesn’t matter whether your budget stretches to luxury lodges or you prefer camping, with discounts like these, what are you waiting for? Namibia is calling.
Like it? Pin this image!
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Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from roxannereid.co.za
Places to visit and things to do in Namibia: the north
Etosha Safari Lodge: classic safari style
Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from roxannereid.co.za
