We’ve been camping in Namibia with our rooftop tent for over three weeks, staying at almost twenty different camping sites in Namibia. It was the best travel experience we could ever wish for. How about camping next to a waterhole with elephants and rhinos? Setting up your tent on a volcano? Or falling asleep at the murmur of the ocean on a beach called The Skeleton Coast? We experienced it all in Namibia! We’ll tell you all about the nine best camping sites in Namibia, including where exactly to find them.
Read more about camping in Namibia:
- Camping in Namibia: what to bring? what to rent? how to find the best 4WD with a rooftop tent? where to camp?
- Camping in Etosha: everything you need to know about camping in Etosha National Park
- Camping in Namib National Park: go off the beaten track and explore the Namib National Park during a camping trip
9 best camping sites in Namibia
#1 Bagatelle Kalahari Game Ranch
Price: 350 Namibian dollar per person | Direct link |A less than 300 km drive to the south from Windhoek, you will find the beautiful camp of Bagatelle on the edge of the Kalahari. The beautiful main building in safari style with restaurant and swimming pool, the wildlife around you and the red Kahalari sand truly give you a safari feeling. There are two black rhinos walking at the private park, usually near the camp sites. We spotted them in no time!
The six campsites are very spacious and each have the luxury of their own toilet block. You pay 350 Namibian dollars per person, which is more expensive than the average campsite in Namibia. But as you usually have to pay a park fee on top of your campsite price, this price sounds pretty reasonable to us anyway. Not camping? There are also large lodges close to the campsite. The range of activities at Bagatelle is big. We advise you to skip seeing or feeding the cheetahs, but to admire them (for free) at the Quivertree Forest Rest Camp. We chose a morning excursion with members of the San tribe – or: Bushmen – who lead a reasonably modern life today at the Bagatelle ranch, but showed us how they lived in their tribe not that long ago.
#2 Torra Bay at the Skeleton Coast
Price: 230 Namibian dollar per person and 55 Namibian dollar for electricity| Direct link | In the Skeleton Coast National Park itself there are only two possibilities to spend the night. Terrace Bay Resort offers chalets and double rooms, but even more exciting to us was to camp on the beach of Torra Bay. The campsite is only open in December and January. Nobody could explain us why though. In December the campsite is relatively busy because of the Namibian holidays, but in January the campsite was almost deserted.
The campsite seems quite basic, but has power on the spots, free wifi at the reception, a small shop, running water and showers from 4 pm. The place attracts mainly fishermen. We came to let the vastness of the Skeleton Coast overwhelm us and to take a dip in the freezing ocean with the seals. The campfire on which we cooked our evening meal at our beach spot made the feeling complete.
#3 Aus Klein Vista
Price: 140 Namibian dollar per person | Direct link This campsite – there are also chalets – has an atmosphere of peace and luxury. The main building with thatched roof has a good restaurant and a nice swimming pool with sunbeds.
The camping spots are not at the restaurant and swimming pool, but a little further. They are spacious and surrounded by mountains and are located at the start of some of the beautiful hiking trails on the terrain of Aus Klein Vista. We walked the sunset trail early in the morning – though that might not have been the best time given the name of the hike – and enjoyed the 1.5 hour hike with a beautiful viewpoint and mountain views. For hiking, a separate permit must be purchased at the reception for 45 Namibian dollars per person.
#4 Ai-Ais Hotspring Spa at the Fish River Canyon
Price: 210 Namibian dollar per person | Direct link | This campsite is a paradise at the end of all the sweat, dust and rocks for the hikers spending five days in the beating heath of the Fish River Canyon. But even without this famous hike it is wonderful to spend a night here. The campsite itself is fine, but not special. No, Ai-Ais deserves a place among our favorites because of its spa.
When staying at the campsite – there are also double rooms and luxury chalets by the way – use of the swimming pool is included. Normally a dip in the pool might be good to cool off, but the water here is actually very warm because of the nearby hot spring of 65 C. Ai Ais means ‘burning water’ in an indigenous language. For 15 Namibian dollars you can also use the indoor spa, where massages can be booked for half an hour for prices starting at
250 Namibian dollars. We were there in the low season – when the Fish River Canyon hike is not allowed because of the summer heat – so we had the indoor spa completely to ourselves.
#5 Okaukuejo Resort in Etosha
Price: 300 Namibian dollar per person | Direct link | The oldest and largest camp in the Etosha National Park is Okaukuejo. The camp itself – where you can camp or stay in one of the chalets – is no more special than the other camps in Etosha we visited, but the waterhole on the edge of it absolutely was. There you have the best chance to spot wildlife, just right next to the camp from a bench.
Only a minute after we sat down on a bench at the edge of the waterhole at sunset, Sebastiaan spotted a rhinoceros from afar. And another one! And that huge dust cloud behind it? A herd of elephants with several children came to drink at the waterhole just like the two rhinos, right in front of our noses! The next morning, we saw a herd of giraffes in the early morning. In the afternoon we came back to eat our lunch on a bench and we enjoyed the afternoon spectacle with zebras, oryx, springboks and kudus. In short: wildlife next to your camping pot is guaranteed here!
#6 Tiger Reef Camping
Price: 180 Namibian dollar per person | Facebook | Camping in Swakopmund is possible in only two places, but when we read that Tiger Reef was located on the beach and in the city center, it was not hard to make a choice.
The campsite is set up around a lawn with relaxing chairs. A great spot to sit down in the afternoon sun with a coke or beer. The camping spots are situated around the lawn, all are partly covered for some shades and are surrounded by a wooden fence for some privacy. At the reception you can not only use the free Wi-Fi, but you will also be welcomed by the super-friendly staff. We booked an extra night right away.
#7 Felix Unite Provenance Camp
Price: 340 Namibian dollar per person and 475 Namibian dollar per person for a canoe trip | Direct link | At Felix Unite at Noordoewer in the far south, you can normally only camp with groups, but luckily for us an exception was made. Without a group you can stay here as well at one of the safari houses with river view. We would highly recommend that, if you are looking for a place to sleep in Noordoewer!
The staff is the friendliest we have come across. The swimming pool is located next to the river and has relaxing sun beds. The bar and restaurant have an affordable and tasty menu. All this makes this place really a must-do. Because of the presence of the river you are not only guaranteed a beautiful river view, but you are also in one of the very few green places of the country. Oh, and once you are in the river, you will be in both Namibia and South-Africa at the same time!
#8 Quivertree Forest Rest Camp
Price: 510 Namibian dollar for two persons and a car | Direct link | The quivertree forest near the giant’s playground is slightly north of Keetmanshoop and is therefore an perfect pit stop when driving from Windhoek to the south. If this spot is on your itinerary, you should pay to visit the unique quiver trees and the nearby giant’s playground with bizarre towers of enormous stones for sure.
And if you have some time? Stick around to spend the night on the campsite or in one of the houses, as you do not want to miss feeding the cheetahs at 5 pm (summer) or 4 pm (winter). With the owner and a bowl of meat, you’ll walk into the areas of the orphan cheetas. You will probably never get closer to a cheetah than this! If you spend the night on the camp, the entrance fee of 45 Namibian dollars per person for the quiver forest and the giant’s playground is included.
#9 Brukkaros volcano
Price: free | One of our best camping experiences was not on a camping site in Namibia. Sleeping on a volcano. In a place where once observatories stood, as the stars are so bright. Without running water or electricity, just you, the old volcano and the stars. You’ll get that this night left a huge impression. Read more about this unique experience in our Brukkaros blog post.
