Madisa Camp

Madisa Camp sits among granite boulders on the Goantagab River in Damaraland, just off the D2612 road that leads to the Twyfelfontein rock-engraving site. The camp lies on a route used regularly by desert-adapted elephants, and sightings at or near camp are common. The boulders around the camp carry ancient San rock paintings.

There are nine private campsites set along the riverbed, each with its own ablution block built on stilts among the trees, a braai area, lighting, and a limited plug point. Low stone walls separate the sites. Hot water comes from a donkey boiler fed by the braai fire, and the shower is open-air. Two overland sites are also available, larger and with shared facilities. For guests who want a roof, the camp has safari tents — each sleeping two, positioned privately among the boulders with an open-air rock en-suite bathroom. Family units pair two tents side by side, sleeping up to four, with a shared braai area between them.

A guided elephant-tracking excursion departs at half past seven and runs for six to eight hours depending on where the elephants are moving that day. An evening drive goes out to a hilltop for the sunset. Twyfelfontein, Brandberg, and the Petrified Forest are all reachable as day trips from camp. The property has a pool, a bar, and a restaurant that caters on request.