Dolomite Camp

The stay

The quiet end of Etosha

Dolomite stands on a ridge in western Etosha, looking out over plains that very few visitors ever see. Access to this section was restricted for decades and little has been built here since, so the game is plentiful and the roads are largely your own.

The camp is twenty chalets raised on wooden decks, tented walls under thatched roofs, threaded along the outcrop among indigenous trees and linked by wooden walkways. It is unfenced, so wildlife comes through — which is rather the point.

Seventeen bush chalets and three deluxe chalets with their own plunge pools. Every one has a private veranda facing the plains, some towards the sunrise and some the sunset. Breakfast is included, and there is an infinity pool, a bar and a viewing deck at the top.

What to do

Why stay at Dolomite?

Because almost nobody else does. Dolomite sits in the western section of Etosha, which was closed to the general public until relatively recently and has seen very little development since. Far fewer vehicles, far fewer people at the waterholes, and a great deal of game.

That isolation brings species you will struggle to find in the busier east. Hartmann’s mountain zebra and the scarce black-faced impala are both here in numbers, alongside black and white rhino, lion and giraffe.

And you are inside the park, so the gates do not govern your day. Every other lodge we list on the western side is outside; here you are already where you want to be at first light and still there at dusk.

The camp itself is built along the top of a dolomite outcrop, twenty chalets raised on wooden decks among the trees, linked by wooden walkways. It is unfenced, so game wanders through — which is part of the appeal and the reason you are escorted after dark.

Before you book

• Breakfast is included in the nightly rate; other meals are served at the restaurant
• The camp is unfenced and wildlife moves through it — you are escorted between the chalets and the communal areas after dark
• You park at the bottom of the hill and are taken up by golf cart; your luggage is brought up for you
• Only three deluxe chalets have plunge pools — ask early if you want one
• One bush chalet is wheelchair accessible
• Park entry fees are payable separately
• The western section is remote — fill up and stock up before you come in

Getting into the park

• Professionally guided game drives from the camp
• Self-drive game viewing on the western plains
• Game watching from the top of the hill — the camp itself is a viewpoint
• Birdwatching and plant identification with the guides

Things to see

• Hartmann’s mountain zebra, largely confined to the west
• Black-faced impala, scarce elsewhere
• Black and white rhino
• Lion, giraffe and springbok on the plains below the camp
• The quiet western section of Etosha, with few other vehicles

Facilities

• Restaurant, with breakfast included in the rate
• Bar and lounge
• Infinity pool
• Viewing deck over the plains
• Boma
• Wooden walkways linking the chalets to the communal areas
• Safe free parking, with a golf-cart shuttle up to reception
• Laundry service on request

Comparing the in-park camps

• Okaukuejo — the famous floodlit waterhole, busiest of the camps
• Halali — floodlit waterhole, quieter, central
• Namutoni — the old German fort, eastern side
• Dolomite — the remote west, no floodlit waterhole but far fewer people

Getting there

• In the western section of Etosha National Park
• Reached via the Galton Gate on the western side
• A long drive from the eastern gates — plan it as a stop on the way to or from Damaraland
• Bring your booking confirmation for the gate