Skeleton Coast
Buck’s Camping Lodge, near the police station in town, is expensive but for the extra dollars you get a campsite with your own private bathroom. Look for…
Must-see hotels in Botswana & Namibia
Botswana
This site has cold showers and sit-down flush toilets, and may be accessible from north of Bokspits in Botswana without having to go into South Africa…
Kasane
Self-catering cottages here probably wouldn't win a style award, but they're well maintained and offer a fine alternative to hotel ambience. It can also…
Botswana
This simple campsite has shade and latrines but no running water. The location is everything – Polentswa is in the heart of some of Kgalagadi's richest…
Namibia
The historic Seeheim Hotel features an atmospheric old bar as well as period furniture. Rooms are simple, clean affairs with mosquito nets (upstairs rooms…
Botswana
One of the better hotels in the Cresta chain in Botswana, this decent hotel has expansive grounds, standard rooms and some attractive thatched cottages on…
Swakopmund
Ideal for families, these split-level apartments overlooking the sand and sea have kitchens, ample space and, at the very least, partial views of the sand…
Namibia
The Oshakati Country Lodge is a favourite of visiting government dignitaries and businesspeople. It’s your best bet if you’re a slave to modern comforts.
Namibia
This community-run campsite is located at the mouth of the Otjinjange Valley. Facilities include flushable toilets, showers and a communal kitchen.
Namibia
Simple but nicely turned out en-suite rooms make this appealing guesthouse an excellent base in the area. There's also a rather noisy restaurant.
Swakopmund
This campsite sits right on the sand at the beach front, sheltered from the wind by lovely tamarisk trees. It’s convenient to the city centre.
Damaraland
A decent Kamanjab choice, Oppi-Koppi has rather basic, brick-walled family rooms, much nicer luxury chalets and well-kept campsites.
Botswana
On the north side of Female Hill, Malatso is rarely full and is a lovely bush campsite, albeit with no facilities.
Mokolodi Nature Reserve Campsite
Botswana
Spending the night in the reserve is a refreshing and highly recommended alternative to staying in Gaborone. The campsites are secluded and well groomed,…
Namibia
This place lies within an hour’s walk of Arnhem Cave, and is located on the same farm. Day visitors can arrange guided tours here, while overnight…
Botswana
This once-excellent place is living on past glories. Although marketing itself as a business hotel, not everything works, maintenance and service are…
Botswana
Just out of town along the road to Gaborone, Kang Lodge is similar to other places in town, although, like most, its bare surrounds and rather depressing…
Skeleton Coast
This campsite, which opens during the Namibian school holidays, is flanked by a textbook field of barchan dunes. These dunes are actually the southernmost…
Botswana
Tsodilo Hills’ main campsite has a simple ablutions block with sit-down toilets and cold-water showers; staff sometimes lock the block in the evening. The…
Kasane
This is the Kasane office for the company that runs the Savuti, Khwai, Linyanti and Khumaga campsites. Don't come here expecting to find room at any of…
Botswana
Nata Bird Sanctuary offers several serene and isolated campsites with clean pit toilets, braai pits and cold showers. All five campsites are 2WD…
Okavango Delta
This campsite is reasonably developed, but its distance from the main wildlife-watching areas would make it our last choice of the public campsites…
Windhoek
This rather grand-looking affair has great-sized rooms; the very friendly staff have a good attitude towards hospitality and serve a decent breakfast. Ask…
Botswana
Inhabiting a small roadside compound, this fine little inn at the southern entrance to Nata (it's just over the bridge on your right if you're coming from…
Botswana
In the town's heart, next to the petrol stations, Northgate Lodge is more about breaking up the journey than finding a remote base for a few days. The…
Okavango Delta
This camp is run by the Okavango Polers Trust and is the usual launching point for mokoro trips into the delta. Sadly, like so many community projects,…
Botswana
On the riverbank, this is an OK midrange option that feels like an old-school country motel. It’s popular with locals and strikes a decent balance between…
Damaraland
Well-shaded, close to the Twyfelfontein rock art and often visited by desert elephants, Abu Huab is an appealing choice for self-drivers, at least at…
East Gate Service Station & Rest Camp
Namibia
The East Gate Service Station & Rest Camp rises from the desert like a mirage, and is a decent enough place to crash if you’re not particularly fussy. The…
Damaraland
Just a short walk from the town centre, this friendly old place gets mixed reviews and features curio-filled rooms surrounding plush greenery and a…
Damaraland
Facilities are basic here, though the camp is well-run and a good base for organising guided Brandberg hikes or climbs. The turn-off is signposted from…
Botswana
This small but quaint hotel with chalet-style accommodation is built on the slopes of Thathaganyana Hill and boasts great views of the town. The attached…
Botswana
Run by the local community, Motse Lodge has bungalows and tented rooms that look a whole better than they are. Maintenance is pretty shabby (the chances…
Botswana
This pair of remote hilltop sites is out in the far east of the Makgadikgadi Pans section of the park. They have a neglected air, and the government…
Damaraland
A fairly basic in-town choice that could serve as a base for visiting the Brandberg, this rest camp has fairly standard accommodation that won't win any…
Botswana
Don't be fooled by the thatched roofs – Kang Echo Lodge has comfortable if uninspiring motel-style rooms set back a little from the highway. There's a…
Botswana
This promising place, just off the main highway and close to Nata Bird Sanctuary, inhabits a rather bare block where the vegetation needs a little time to…
Namibia
Kriess-se-Rus is a rather ordinary site in a dry stream bank on the gravel plains, 107km east of Walvis Bay on the Gamsberg Pass Route. It is shaded, but…
