Nhoma Safari Camp is a remote camp in north-eastern Namibia. It sits on state-owned land where the Nyae Nyae and Nna Jaqna Conservancies meet and offers a unique opportunity to experience the culture and way of life of the Ju/’hoan San people, also known as the !Kung.
Overview
Nhoma Safari Camp is a traditional tented camp: wooden floors, canvas or thatch roofs, basic yet comfortable furniture which is nearly all handmade by Arno Oosthuysen (who runs the camp with his wife Estelle) and local craftsmen. The communal dining area is a thatched shelter with a large table. Outside is a fire around which guests congregate for pre-dinner drinks in the evening; from here there are views over the Kalahari landscape of forested dunes, and at night skies of extraordinary clarity. There is no wifi or television, and only intermittent cell-phone reception.
Food & service
The kitchen at Nhoma Safari Camp produces meals that, while not ‘fine-dining’, are varied, tasty and enjoyable, as well as flexible. Arno and Estelle, and their team, offer a truly warm welcome.
Rooms
There are 10 tented rooms at Nhoma Safari Camp, each on a raised wooden deck. The tents are Meru-style and each includes a private veranda and en-suite facilities that include flush toilets, a shower and a sink and mirror. The beds, again handmade by Arno and the local community, are either twin or double. Each room offers an excellent level of comfort and privacy with a charmingly rustic and rudimentary feel.
Activities
Everything at Nhoma Safari Camp centres around the unique opportunity it offers to experience, interact with and contribute to the everyday life of //Nhoq’ma village, which the camp borders. This goes far beyond the depth of cultural engagement common elsewhere, and it is possible for instance to accompany (with a guide) the village huntsmen, who employ practices and tools that have remained largely unchanged by modern methods and materials.
Impact
Community
Nhoma Safari Camp is run with the well-being of the local community always in mind. Arno and Estelle are highly engaged with the local community and with helping to maintain and improve the standard of living while maintaining a connection with cultural tradition.