Palmwag Lodge

We spent two nights at Camping2Go. Our tent was nice and was OK for the two of us. However, one or two luggage rack could be useful. The kitchen is fully equipped and we self-catered. We had a morning walk with Rodney and an afternoon scenic drive with Loud and both were very interesting. The lodge is very well run, staff at reception is very kind and the "maintenace man" is the perfect worker for a similar lodge: on arrival he checked if we had hot water (yes), on second day he checked if gas in the cylinder was enough for our stay (yes) and he was very attentive and caring. We are very satisfied and surely we'll take into account other Gondwana lodges in the future.

We enjoyed our stay at Palmwag. The accommodation is beautiful, set in a little oasis in the middle of the dry and rocky landscape of Damaraland. The main dining area where dinner and breakfast are served is very spacious and offers fantastic views of the oasis and waterhole, including some animals who come there for a drink. Dinner is buffet style, and there was a variety of options to choose from. There's also a second dining area for lunch and snacks, and everything is "open air", but still providing lots of shade and great views. We did an evening game drive with Nero (very entertaining and educating, and saw lots of animals) on our first day. The second day we did the Rhino tracking in the morning, which was a bit expensive, but in my opinion worth the money. They also need to pay the local rhino rangers which are responsible for protecting the rhino from poachers, so I would say the money is well spent. And we saw three black rhinos in the wild, which was a great experience. The rangers make sure that the animals are not disturbed or bothered, and it is all done very professionally. The same day we also joined the guided walk in the evening, which was very pleasant and offers great view of the oasis, and you learn interesting things about local plants and birds.

Very comfortable lodge with great facilities. Our room was very comfortable and looked directly over the waterhole. Unfortunately this was dry due to very low rainfall in the last year, so we didn't see any animals up close but you can't blame the hotel for that! The communal areas for eating and relaxing were very comfortable, and the buffet dinners and breakfasts were plentiful and tasty. We did an early morning game drive and afternoon bush walk with Nero, who was very knowledgeable and entertaining. Unfortunately the Big 5 animals weren't keen to come out for us on this occasion as we only saw boks, kudu, zebra and baboons, but we learnt a lot about the area and the plant life, the 'Ugly 5' and the 'Little 5'.

Stayed here for 1 night as part of a tour group of 6. I really liked my room, it was huge, well lit and had a monstrous bathroom. There is supposed to be a resident elephant called Jimbo but we didn't see him. We had a very nice dinner and breakfast buffet there.

Very bad experience with the afternoon scenic drive. We were so bored looking at rocks, no driver's explanations, we did not learn anything, no animals, back pain for 4 hours. I did not receive any feedback from Gondwana since I have asked for reimbursement. The cost of the drive was even more expensive than Etoshas' !!!!. 160 € for 2 adultes and 1 child. The drive is definitely not worth the cost and I am very disappointed of Gondwana services. Évitez le scenic drive, une belle arnaque, 4 heures de gravier, des pierres mêmes, le guide n'explique rien, pas d'animaux, tu t'ennuies à mourir et tu souffres du dos pendant 4 heures....160€ pour 2 adultes et 1 enfant. Aucune réponse suite à ma demande de remboursement....A ÉVITER Pour les éléphants du désert, ils sont dans la région uniquement l'hiver (juin à a septembre).

Part of the Gondwanan groep (which has a deservedly high reputation in Namibia) this Lodge has it all. Good campsites with views towards the mountains, frequent elephant visitors, also at night they're munching the trees next to your 4x4. The Restaurants are very good, a nice gift shop, good service (& wifi) friendly staff & many different options to sit & enjoy the surroundings. I recommend it. The campsites are a little basic/dated but in good condition. The showers are shared (split, mens/womens) with the next campsite. The showers are good & kept clean, there are mirrors too but if you're over 5 foot, not high enough.. Next to your vehicle there is a place to cook/wash up etc & the cleanliness here left a bit to be desired. It was better to clean it yourself. This didn't spoil anything for us.