Namutoni Camp

The stay

A fort, a birding pan and the eastern gate

Namutoni is unlike the other Etosha camps because of the fort at the centre of it — a white-walled colonial building with a tower you can climb, two restaurants and a bar inside. Dinner in a fort and a sundowner on its ramparts is not something the rest of the park offers.

It is also the closest camp to Fischer’s Pan, which fills in the wet season and pulls in waterbirds in numbers, flamingos among them. For birders this is the camp in Etosha, and it is twelve kilometres from the Von Lindequist Gate on the eastern side.

Accommodation is twenty bush chalets with private patios and outdoor showers, twenty-four double rooms on raised wooden walkways, and twenty-five campsites. Breakfast is included with the chalets and rooms; campers cook for themselves.

What to do

Why stay at Namutoni?

Two things set Namutoni apart, and neither is the waterhole. The first is the old German fort: whitewashed walls, a tower you can climb, two restaurants and a bar inside it. Nowhere else in Etosha do you eat dinner in a colonial fort and take a sundowner on its ramparts.

The second is the position. This is the closest camp to Fischer’s Pan, which fills in the wet season and draws waterbirds in numbers, flamingos among them. If you are interested in birds, Namutoni is the camp to choose. It is also 12 km from the Von Lindequist Gate on the eastern side, so it suits anyone arriving from or heading on to the Caprivi or Tsumeb rather than doubling back west.

Straight answer on the waterhole: King Nehale is floodlit and you can watch it from the fort walls, but sightings here are quieter than at Okaukuejo or Halali. If a night at a busy floodlit waterhole is the point of your trip, book one of those instead and we will say so. Come to Namutoni for the fort, the birds and the eastern side of the park.

Being inside the park still counts for everything else: you are through the gates before sunrise and still inside them at sunset, and night drives leave from here.

Before you book

• Breakfast is included with the rooms and bush chalets, not with the campsites
• No self-catering or braai facilities at the rooms or the chalets — only campers can cook
• Meals are taken at the restaurants inside the fort
• The waterhole is floodlit but quieter than Okaukuejo and Halali
• Park entry fees are payable separately at the gate
• Beds inside Etosha are limited and go a long way ahead — ask early
• Camping is covered in more detail on our Namutoni camping page

Getting into the park

• Self-drive game viewing to the waterholes around the camp
• Guided morning and afternoon game drives
• Night drive, available only to guests staying inside the park
• Birding at Fischer’s Pan, best in the wet season
• Sundowners from the tower at the fort

Things to see

• The old German fort, and the view from its tower
• Fischer’s Pan and its waterbirds, flamingos included in the wet season
• King Nehale waterhole, viewed from the fort walls
• Elephant, lion, giraffe and zebra at the waterholes nearby
• The eastern edge of the Etosha pan

Facilities

• Two restaurants inside the fort
• Bar and lounge
• Swimming pool
• Tourist shop with basic supplies, and a crafts and curio shop
• Lookout point from the fort tower
• Bush kitchen for campers

Getting there

• 12 km inside the Von Lindequist Gate, on the eastern side of Etosha
• The closest camp to Fischer’s Pan
• Park roads are fine for a normal car
• Bring your booking confirmation for the gate