Namutoni is situated on the eastern side of Etosha pan, just inside the von Lindequist entrance to Etosha National Park. It is an improbably beautiful Beau Geste-style fort situated in an area dotted with graceful makalani palms, Hyphaene petersiana. It derives its name from the old German fort around which it is built and it overlooks the King Nehale waterhole. The presence of this fort undoubtedly gives Namutoni more character than the other rest camps inside the park.
It is also the closest restcamp to the picturesque Fischer's Pan, so expect great concentrations of waterbirds around here when it's wet – including a breeding colony of flamingos.
An outbreak of rinderpest, (cattle plague) in the late 1890's wiped out entire herds of cattle, inflicting economic disaster and subsequent malnutrition in northern villages. A cordon measuring several hundred kilometres was set up and Namutoni became an outpost at one end of Etosha and Okaukuejo at the other.
After the rinderpest was repressed Namutoni served as a frontier post, controlling the smuggling of arms and ammunition, liquor and supervising trade with the Ovambo people. It became a military post but was razed to the ground after an infamous attack by Chief Nehale's men, under the command of Captain Shivute.
A second fort with 4 towers and 3 gates was built in 1905 and in 1906 First Lieutenant Adolf Fischer became the first game warden of Namutoni. The fort has also served as a German police post and a South African army base.
Fort Namutoni was declared a national monument on 15th February 1950, when it was decided to use it as a tourist camp. Funds were made available to have it rebuilt along the old German design from instructions of the Historical Monuments Commission. In 1957 it opened its gates to tourists for the first time. The sunrise and sunset bugle calls are no longer sounded, but you can still get a great view of Etosha Park and the setting sun from the elevated deck walkways of the fort.
Namutoni’s accommodation is in either Double Rooms or Bush Chalets.
Rooms: 24 double rooms with en-suite bathroom with bath and a shower. A toilet, mini-bar, air-conditioning and a tea/coffee station are standard. Mosquito nets are fitted to the front and back doors. These rooms are accessed along wooden walkways and offer comfort and privacy with access to a private area both at the front and from the bathroom.
Bush chalets: 20 spacious and private units equipped with double shower and basin bathroom. Sliding doors give access to a relaxation area in the front of the chalet while the outside shower is reachable via the bathroom. The facilities are similar to the Double Rooms.
Namutoni's office and reception are on the right as you enter the camp. In front of reception is a museum and the petrol station is across from the museum.
Located inside the fort are 2 restaurants. ‘African Fusion’ offers African fare, whilst ‘The Steakhouse’ has a more of a European flavour to it’s menu. Take your meals and drinks in the ‘Chill Lounge’ if you prefer.
Also inside the fort is the tourist shop where you can stock up on groceries. You can also find a craft shop selling a wide variety of traditional handcrafted Namibian goods. Jewelry and book stores complete Namutoni’s facilities.
Most people choose to drive themselves around the park. But you can join one of the three daily game drives around Etosha: Early morning, late afternoon and at night.
Guided Game Drives around Etosha Park: You can join one of the guided game drives around Etosha.
Game Drive: Game viewing is best done in the cool of the early morning and late afternoon, most people choose to drive themselves around the park - stopping at the various waterhole's and watching the animals as they come down to drink.
Historic fort: This building is of great historical interest as well as the photographic architectural beauty it displays.
Birding: Best suited for observing water birds as Namutoni boasts of the highest rainfall of all 3 camps. The drive to Fischer's Pan yields breeding in vast numbers.
Small mid-price lodge close to the park gate - situated of the private Fischer's pan reserve.
Just north of the King Nehale Gate into Etosha, this new property offers guests full access to the national park, as well as the opportunity to explore the north-central reaches of Namibia. The Etosha King Nehale serves as the gateway into a unique cultural adventure. Every detail of this property was refined and delicately implemented to reflect the essence of royalty and the charm of the OshiWambo culture. Each room stands as its own unit, with private plunge pool and unmatched views of the Andoni Plains. Beyond the plains, the property also offers access to a private waterhole in the National Park. Guests are invited to embrace their inner royalty.
The latest edition to the Mushara Collection offers mid-range tented accommodation.
Good accommodation at a reasonable price, close to the park entrance.
Small intimate tented camp built on raised platforms, good for privacy and a 'luxury outdoor' feel.
Large lodge situated at the Namutoni entrance gate to Etosha. Excellent facilities but expect to share these with large group tours.
Newly renovated, good mid-market option for self-drive tourists.
Luxury lodge built around a fort on Fischer's Pan. Easy access to the park.
Small exclusive camp, built on raised platforms - a popular option with those seeking an exclusive new perspective.
Very exclusive private suites, all mod-cons and luxuries.
These are honest reviews, both good and bad, from our travellers who visited this property.
NEEDS Renovation, starting to get very worn, was nice but need improvement ASAP!! Will not recomend..
Improved since last year, alot of renovation going on. This good, in need of it really. Overall good.
Seemed to be the most beuatiful lodge of the 3 we booked, but in reality it needs a lot of maintenance
Super clean apartement; great waterhole (dinner: broccoli contained sand; otherwise the meal was good)
The place is in need of maintenance, part of the staff did not seem to care very much about their work.
Ideally placed to leave early on the self-drive game drives.The facilities are in good state and clean!
Most comfortable of the campsites in Etosha and easiest access to nearby waterholes. Fort has character.
Almost the opposite to Halali, very beautiful location, good standard of rooms, and service was adequate.
Splendid room and bathroom ! We were a few disapointed by the waterhole (Okaukuejo\'s one was so marvelous)
A bit more out of the way than Okaukuejo, and a bit more quite. I think I might try Halali if do Etosha again.
Nice campsite. But a little bit crowded. Facilities were fine. Swimming pool was not in use. That was a shame.
Very nice - the food wasn't all that great in the restaurant but the game viewing was so good it didn't matter.
waterhole was a bit tricky to figure out how to best situate ourselves for viewing. we really liked the chalets.
wonderfull room and bathroom, but a lot of things were already broken down (and it is so new). Great night safari
Beautiful setting, staff a little too relaxed for sharp and efficient service, but a good experience nevertheless.
Disappointed there were no longer coffee and meals available at n the fort. Nice grass around came clean amenities
I had a beautiful room and the food was excellent and much better value for money. The waterhole was disappointing.
This was my first trip to this end of the park . Very pleased that I have seen it but I think Okaukuejo is the best
Overall it is a beautiful structure that would need a good and constant maintenance. Untidy, careless part outdoor.
Well located inside Etosha but quality inferior compare to the rest of the Namibian lodges. Bring you meat for BBQ !
Namutoni was ok for a first night in Etosha. We were happy to be there just the one night. Nothing too special here.
Very nice and helpfull staff who helped us a lot to recover our stuff taken by other customers, great swimming pool.
This lodge is a nice place to stop when visiting Etosha. Nice and clean rooms, and very good food at the restaurant.
excellent location but only an average resort, buffet dinner in the restaurant does not really cater for vegetarians.
Reasonable site albeit less privacy. Facilities OK and kept clean. Jackals at night were a pest rummaging in the bins
All OK. The staff struggling with the large numbers of tourists. All very willing but just overrun Etosha is wonderful.
We were not very lucky at the waterhole, but the surroundings are very interesting. At Klein Namutoni we saw a leopard!
Beautiful, beautiful place with a water hole view! A bit of a hassle checking in and booking tables for dinner though...
My favourite of the three Etosha places we stayed at. We wished we`d stayed 2 nights here, and only one night at Halali.
Excellent accommodation but not a great game/waterhole experience. More should be made of the Fort. Restaurant adequate.
The place looks a bit run down. Some woodplanks by the pool and on the path leading to the waterhole need fixing (nails).
Rooms are the largest and best looking in Etosha. Maintenance in the rooms is poor (shower, carpets). Breakfast is lousy.
Good chalet and pool, but seemingly waterhole not visited very often by animals! Fort itself interesting and site very good.
camp left a little abandoned : it's a shame ; average reception and staff ; no improvement since our first visit 3 years ago
We loved the lodge and the room we got! It was spacious, clean and nice, the staff was very friendly and the food good! Top!
Lovely historic site - waterhole not the best - but the pool was lovely and the rooms were plush - especially the bathrooms.
Again, poorly maintained camping facilities. Adequate dining and facilities in fort, but could be better. Very variable service.
the camp improved since 2012, New Management?? Hopefully they finish the renovation of the wooden decks before the season starts.
Great quiet campsite. Too bad the waterhole was not so populair amongst the animals while we were there, but the staff was great.
Lovely campsite, grassy and shady. the ablution block was clean and adequate despite there being 2 groups camping at the same time
Expensive but quality accomodation. Only limited eating choices as one restaurant was closed. waterhole poor compared to Okaukuejo
Namutoni is undergoing renovations which are long overdue - so our experience at Numtoni was not to the standard of the other camps
Horrible, everything is destroyed (teck trails, pool, garden,...). Prefer a lodge outside Etosha park. Only cooking was not to bad.
The best place inside of Etosha. The standard room here was better than honeymoon suite in Halali or waterhole chalet in Okaukuejo.
Rooms are nice, but the rest of the resort needs some looked after, splecialy the fort. The restaurant on Namutoni was the best one
Not sure why they are not using the fort which would be a great asset if they moved the restaurant/bar there & repaired the walkway.
We loved the bush chalet but recommend they put a self catering/kitchen in it as well as a braai on the stoep. It is big enough for it.
Nice place, helpful and kind staff. Surroundings interesting because of the museum and the old building, waterhole nice but very quiet.
Great place. Good campsite. Secure your garbage cans so animals can't get in and get habituated to human trash. Water hole seemed empty?
Room is very clean and spacious and bathroom too. The lodge must be kept better but there are some works in progress. Restaurant average.
Namutoni seems to be halfway through a re-build and not everything is finished. Waterhole isn't even 10% as busy as the one at Okaukuejo.
A big disappointment after Halali. Waterhole overgrown making it difficult to see anything with virtually no lights. Restaurant very poor.
The best of the 3 camps we stayed by far; well run with pleasant and efficient staff, very good catering, comfortable and clean accommodation
The place is quite ok - sad to see the difference to a non-government lodge. The staff does not really care about you, and the food was lousy.
Good hotel, however would be better if it were renovated. The other camps in Ethosa were cleaner and newer. The swimming pool was rather dirty
Good, but I have to say that privately owned lodged are far better in service. Employees in National Parks are less interested / service oriented
Like Okaukuejo, the accommodation & food was good but not anything special & the food which is also buffet style was plentiful but not memorable.
We couldn't believe how many animals we got to see. The staff there could be more helpful in advising the best times and locations to see animals.
again poor shop facility and very limited restaurant menu. The water hole was badly kept and the place was very tired and needed lots of maintenance
Excellent facilities at reasonable prices and I cannot understand why people complain about Etosha as it was a very pleasant experience for our group
I read the many criticisms of this resort, and found them totally unjustified. the staff were great, the food was good, the rooms were clean and tidy.
As Halali and Okaukuejo, this campsite was great, with large areas, nice bathroom, table and braai ... I recommend the three campsite of NWR in Etosha
This particular camp was a bit tired and the waterhole disappointing as it was overgrown and you can't see anything that is there. The food was lovely.
Great camp, helpful staff and good location, although no one seems to respect the "no noise after 10pm" rule ... luckily we took ear plugs for sleeping.
Reception was friendly and efficient. The accommodation was good and clean, although strangely positioned to have no view whatsoever. The food was awful.
Needs attention to upkeep. Only basic buffet available as restaurants all closed. Significant deterioration in standards since our last visit 5 years ago
While the accommodations could have been a bit cleaner, the staff on site was lovely, and the grounds were very well maintained/beautiful to walk around.
The double bush chalet is beautiful. Much more than I expect. The restaurant of lodge only had a buffet, not a la carte service, but the food wasn't bad.
Very nice place to stay at the East side of the Etosha National Park. We stayed in a bungalow, which is very quiet. The waterhole was a little disappointing.
not bad but some features were not working in the room. We made a full comment on the things like blinds that didn`t close, shower heads that didn`t work..etc.
Quite pleasant campsite with a lot of trees and vegetation around, very well maintained, convenient and functional. The best of the three campsites within Etosha.
The better of the two Etosha camps we stayed in for ambience, staff and food. We didn't see as much game, however we enjoyed the experience there more than Okaukuejo.
My favourite place - wonderful accomodation & staff were very friendly. Lots of waterholes near the camp & saw more wildlife around there than any other place in Etosha
The remodeling improvements here were also done very well, however, the lack of mosquito nets over the beds was puzzling (all of my party suffered mosquito bites here).
Very friendly staff at the reception and in the restaurant. Cleaness and functionality much better than in the last articles readable in the AZ and FB. Food simple but ok.
As usual, we enjoyed the large and beautiful room, friendly welcoming, good food. Waterhole not fantastic but we already knew it, and the neighborhoods are very interesting.
Campsite - loud bullfrogs, dusty, and not the cleanest showers, or toilets. We will give it a miss next time. We did not stay for the second night, but upgraded to Okaukuejo.
Acommodation was wonderfull. The warehole next to Namutoni was disappointing. In the evening there was a stong smell of sewage. Would still recommend this rest camp to others.
Rooms good. The restaurant and the rest are not well run. It is way behind Okaukuejo in all aspects. They should be sent there for training - from the top to the bottom! MEAT TOUGH?
Enjoyed the resort and accommodation was good. Food not too bad. Plenty of game to view at the waterhole!! Would definitely visit again and recommend to friends anytime of the year!
A bit run down. Staff at reception not friendly at all. we found this at all the camps. The restaurant staff is friendly but the staff at reception is very unfriendly and unwelcoming.
The least relaxing camp site of our stay, but fine for one night. There was not much to do at the camp itself (the fort was closed, the waterhole not very comfortable or interesting).
Very luxurious camp, liked our room. Dinner was buffet, and very well prepared (we had it twice). Excellent wine list (as all NWRs). Quiet - as not very tourists were there (happy us).
How things have changed in 10 years. Clearly a lot has been spent on infrastructure. Camping still great, but let down slightly by the number of overlander trucks now being accommodated.
We where surprised by the room very modern and well done. Waterhole was absolutely uninteresting, not an animal in sight, but that's not management fault. Otherwise nice place and well run.
The waterhole cannot be compared to the one of Okaukuejo, so people should not book at this camping site if it is for the waterhole. The electric plugs in the bathroom for shavers didn't work.
Best of the 3 resorts at Etosha. Room modern and nice. Only de blinds and the curtains didn't work at all in room n° 2!!? Buffet as always, no choice. Rarely we could eat "à la carte". Pity!
The additional booking for our child was not honoured - there was no additional bed, towels or anything provided. With respect to that fact, 500 N$ just for a child`s breakfast seems a bit much.
Great accommodation in the most beautiful and less commercial camp within Etosha. The restaurant deserves 6 out of 5 starts: fresh food in the best variety and selection plus outstanding service.
Still an excellent site. For campers, the shop carries next to nothing - probably deliberate to encourage people to use the NWR restaurants. The `Bush Bar` with DSTV blaring is sadly out of place.
While we had a great 3 days overall, Namutoni was slightly less wonderful as the waterhole is not really 'watchable'. I've heard subsequently that they are working on it. Everything else was fine.
Great, slightly unkept, maintenance is not a priority, but it was wonderful, we loved it. Rustic, the bush bungelow was wonderful, food was good, people friendly. They did, however, run out of ice!
Allison (from the Cardboard Box Travel Shop) did mention not going to this location. I insisted. Took a very long time to check in, very slow, uncaring. Nothing to see at this water hole. Disappointing.
Good campsite. Facilities a bit run down. Poor maintenance. Staff member at gate spent entire time on a social phonecall whilst we checked in to reserve. Welcome during check in at camp could be better.
Very nice - how can this be run by the same group as a Halali! Restaurant good. campground grassy. Pool good. Nicest of the 3 Etosha rest camps. The waterhole is overgrown and likely not used by animals much.
The bush chalet we stayed in was the best of all the lodges we used on our trip. Watching elephants at sunset at the waterhole was an unforgettable experience. The only regret is that we could not stay longer...
Now trying to be too upmarket for a national park. Much has been spent on fancification but a distinct lack of active management (no sign of a manager). The pool was green and un-usable due to a lack of chlorine.
Excellent rooms - The best of all 3 camps. Everything was 100% except for the towels. They were very old, washed out, hard and nearly unusable. A great disappointment given the excellent rooms, linen, bedding, etc
The front desk people at check in were very unfriendly & not very helpful with questions but the acoomadations were beautiful & we enjoyed the breakfast & evening buffet. It was here we got to try kudu & springbok.
We visited this resort four years previously and on this occasion noted a distinct fall in maintenance. We also noted that some work was already underway but more needs to be done - particularly outside with the walkways.
the renovation and the new construction of the restaurant are done well but the restaurant gives you from inside the impression being in the old GDR. the pool should be cleaned more often, a lot of sand and dirt on the ground.
Newly refurbished rooms with private screened off sitting out areas. Sadly refurbishment done to look amazing rather than function well. Food better than Waterberg. A lovely place to stay, and good for surrounding game viewing.
Was very nice, but the campsite was not great. Lots of mosquitoes due to the fact that there was a lot of water lying about - a leaking pipe from the bathrooms and a faint whiff of sewerage - I hope that this has been rectified.
The pool was just being redone. Apart from that the accomodation was nice - large rooms. Our Problem with the toilet was fixed at 9 o clock in the night which we appreciated very much. Waterhole without animals when we were there.
Best campsite in Etosha NP. since there is grass on the sites, it is less dusty of muddy, depending on the weather. It provides also much shade. When we were there in April 2011, the Namutoni area was by far the best for game viewing.
AMAZING! Such a pleasant place. Cheerful staff, lovely accomodation and good food. Also, the proximity to the Etosha pan made this a highlight of the trip. Obviously under different management to Okaukuejo. We left them a glowing review.
We were quite surprised by this property. We hadn`t expected it to be as nice as it was, very nice indeed and as they had so few patrons the menu was a la carte rather than buffet. This suited us fine and the food and prices were wonderful
Great place to explore the area around Fishers pan. Namatoni is in disrepair and a lot of things need to be fixed and/or better maintained. As we noted work is in progress and we hope that amendments will be ready before the high season starts
This was a very nice lodge with beautiful accommodations. We only spent one night here, but we enjoyed the lodge very much. It was nice to have the opportunity to get an early start in the morning to see animals at sunrise by staying in the park.
In our view, the nicest of the camps that we stayed in. The accommodation was spacious, clean and very comfortable. Service was good and despite having the customary menu (oryx/springbok/kudu etc), we enjoyed the restaurant and the friendly staff etc.
Very very nice rooms. Service in restaurants wasn't that good... one night the only restaurant was fully booked by a bus that came in the morning. No one told us that you could book a table and the only restaurant available was complete for 2.5 hours!!!
Room good. Again, typical NWR standard of service. Swimming pool was out of action for one day. The whole area around the pool looked dirty and uncared for. The whole site looked generally in need of care and attention. The night game drive we had was excellent.
Essentially all the same comments as for Okaukuejo. Downside of Etosha was time of year (my choice due to unavoidable scheduling), as elephants had migrated away and wildlife was not as plentiful as rainy season. Still, I saw a lot and have a lot of great photos.
unfortunaltely although the rooms were fine, the service at the check in was slow as only one person working at a time, the service at the restaurant was poor and no one really seemed to care. The food was very average, such a shame as they could do so much better.
For what NWR charge I feel it is overpriced and not the best value for money. But Etosha is fantastic so we would return. Feels like it is the manangement that should be taking things in hand,not nec. the fault of the staff on the ground, they need better leadership.
Least favourite Etosha site. No big animals visiting the water hole when we went although loads of birds in the reeds which made a beautiful sound. The raised wooden walkways were very noisy and needed maintenance. Didn`t really like the shop/restaurant area very much.
Nice room but the camp is less interesting. Staff there weren`t very helpful, nor seemed to care. The waterhole was not lit at night and when we notified the staff, they said they would fix it the day after, but we were only there for one day, so this was a bit unfortunate.
The layout of this place is very weird, but the rooms were quite nice. Fine entry into Etosha. We went on a night drive which was unbelievable! So many nocturnal creatures, including an entire hyena family with two adolescents and a tiny baby, sniffing the tires of our truck.
Very run down. Staff were very unpleasant and seemed very unhappy. Breakfast and dinner was ok but nothing special. Rooms very spacious but bizarre that there is no door or divider to the toilet. The waterhole there is a waste of time. Would stay outside of the park next time.
The room was amazing. Huge! we did 3 game drives with Danny who was brilliant. really knew a lot about animal behaviour. on an early morning drive, we tracked 3 lions for an hour as they tracked zebra. didn`t end in a kill but the lions crossed the road right in front of us. Amazing.
Namutoni room facilities were great, a plumbing maintenance issue was sorted out by reception promptly. The waterhole is a let down. Food was mixed (one good meal, one less than good meal). The pool and kiosk were enjoyable but pool needs maintenance (I realise it is now low season).
We`d stayed at Namutoni before so knew what to expect. Our chalet was very nice. It is undergoing refurbishment of the boardwalks and swimming pool but this didn`t cause us any problems although the waterhole is closed because the path is being relaid. The food here was generally good.
The roads at this end of Etosha do not seem to be as good as Okaukuejo end but the wildlife is still plentiful and good views of the pan. Fischer's Pan is well worth a drive around as we saw a lot of elephants here and were lucky enough to see a Cheetah mother with three cubs. Amazing!
Great accommodation; food better than Okaukuejo but could still improve; service needs improvement. Why isn't the Fort at the camp utilised better - It would make a great centre for the restaurant, bar, reservations - it really is eye-catching (and under-utilised and in need of upkeep).
Lovely rooms and swimming pool. Disappointing that only dinner option was very expensive buffet, even for children, so difficult to get any value for meals. Watering hole disappointing, but the best game was seen close to the camp, including Leopard and Cheetah, so very happy we visited.
We were unable to use these facilities because we arrived at the park gate 15 minutes after dark. Cardboard Box had warned us clearly and frequently of the need to arrive before dark, but we were delayed by unforeseen circumstances. That was completely our issue, not that of anyone else.
Nice camp. again, clean toilets and good showers. The shop closed at 5.30 which was too early for us but the restaurant did a very nice buffet so we treated ourselves. We were surprised to find the camp shops closing before the camps close. (That would have been good to have known beforehand.)
Namutoni was our 3rd venue and 1st stop in Etosha. By comparison with Okaukuejo Resort and every other lodge/hotel we stayed at, Namutoni needed some TLC. The rooms were fine but in need of maintenance. The waterhole was disappointing. The restaurant provided a fair breakfast but supper was poor.
Namutoni is in a great location when it comes to watching animals! On the down-side, it is probably the worst of the camps inside the park when it comes to maintenance and service.. We therefore prefer to stay either at Onkoshi, or at Halali or Okaukuejo. Or in one of the lodges outside the part.
Lovely room, but poorly located on edge of camp. Third person's bed was a mattress on the floor with no bedding. Reception was closed before 8pm and by pure chance managed to find someone to find someone to get some bedding. Again, reception have an attitude problem, other members of staff great.
The lodge is beautifully restored/rebuilt with excellent facilities. The Bush Chalets were great, a real taste of luxury after spending time in the bush camping!! only minor downside was the food which whilst not bad was maybe not quite as good as the rest. Overall an truly unforgettable location,
Namutoni is situated just inside the (eastern) von Lindequist entrance to Etosha.
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