Gondwana Damara Mopane Lodge

The hotel is pretty nice. Quiet and clean. Good night sleep. There is a platform for you to watch sunset. The only activity at this lodge is bird watching. However the guide was unavailable when we were there. The dinner was a buffer. We came back right after sunset. However, they run out of the main dish very quickly. This is a stop b/c Palmwag and Etosha. If you don't have to, I'd recommend skipping this stop.

Named after the mopane trees that grow here, this is another green oasis (an overused phrase, but appropriate) in the hot, harsh deserts of Damaraland. Featuring a large swimming pool surrounded by concentric semi-circles of cottages and abundant birdlife, it is a relaxing spot to hang out en route to those early mornings in Etosha. The rooms are large and comfortable, as are the shower/bathroom. The air conditioning struggled to cope with temperatures in the high 30s, and the room seemed to be substantially hotter than the outside temperature, even with windows open, although it did cool down overnight with the windows open. There is a nice little trail up to a sunset deck, and a much longer one round the whole mountain, and even a small waterhole. The food is top rate, although portions are unnecessarily large, as they are throughout Namibia it seems (consider sharing), and they coped fine with vegetarians without any fuss. Each cottage has a garden where fruit and veg are grown - spinach, squash, eggplant, tomatoes, herbs, lemons, papaya, you name it - so the lodge must grow more of its own food than anywhere else in Namibia.

We stopped at Damara Mopane for a night on the road from Swakopmund to Etosha and arrived around lunch time. We had a great afternoon by the pool, having lunch and relaxing with the bar, and then a great evening meal in the outdoor dining area. The rooms are big, cool and comfortable with each room being its own little house. In the gardens of each room vegetables and fruit are grown which is a really nice touch and provides fresh produce for meals. We didnt stay long but it was a wonderful short break and pitstop and I could have happily stayed another night to have a day in the sun by the pool with the bar! Great birding too.

This was an ideal stop in Damaraland between Swakopmund and Etosha. The hotel was a green oasis in an otherwise very dry location. We really liked that each room had its own garden growing produce for the kitchen. The staff were very friendly and helpful and we enjoyed watching the sunset from the viewing deck. We travelled with guests with limited mobility and of all the lodges we stayed in, this was the best for accessibility. The site was relatively level and well lit. The only minor negative was that the food while perfectly adequate, was not quite up to the standard of other places we stayed.

Beautiful gardens Will kept pool Excellent food Friendly staff Walking trails Top notch mattresses Ac Can't say anything bad. Very very good place to stay......................................................................

Loved this place. Maria treated us like royalty at meal times. Loved the individual cabins that have everything one needs and the fact that they grow their own veggies in the yards of the cabins and around the property. There is a pool and despite the robo cleaner, it still needed a little more skimming off the top of the water. Beach towels provided.