Mopane Fields is a camp for people who like to do things themselves. Twenty campsites are spread through a woodland of mopane and purple-pod terminalia, each one with its own shade, braai, tap, power point and a small ablution block that you do not share with anyone. Eight chalets near the entrance are for those who want a proper bed without giving up the campfire. The gate into Etosha is nine kilometres up the tar.
Mornings start early. Most guests are out of camp before sunrise to be at the gate when it opens, and back by midday when the heat flattens everything. Afternoons are for the pool, a cold drink at the small bar in the old farm workshop, or a nap in the shade. The camp shop sells firewood, ice, eggs, bread baked each morning and vacuum-packed braai meat from Ombara Farm.
Power comes from the sun and is stored in batteries for the night, so there is no generator noise. A short path leads to a raised platform above a small waterhole, where jackals, springbok and the odd brown hyena come to drink. With no town lights for a hundred kilometres the sky is crowded with stars, and on most still nights you will hear lions calling from inside the park.
Twenty private sites on level sand for up to 6 people and 2 vehicles, each with a parking bay suited to rooftop tents, a braai, a timber prep table, a tap, 220 V power and lighting. Every site has its own ablution block with a hot shower, flush toilet and basin.
Sites are 40-60 metres apart and screened by mopane, so the neighbours stay out of sight.
Simple brick chalets with a double or two single beds, a ceiling fan, a shower room and a kitchenette with a two-plate stove, fridge and basic cookware. A covered stoep and a braai sit outside the door. Bedding and towels are provided.
Rates and live availability are on the Ombara booking engine. Ask the Windhoek team and they reply with both.
For guests who would rather not drive themselves, a guide takes up to 9 people into the park to Okaukuejo and the waterholes around it: Nebrownii, Gemsbokvlakte, Olifantsbad. Lions, elephants, gemsbok and springbok are regulars, and the guide knows which waterholes deserve a second look.
A guide walks you through the camp's woodland while the sand still holds the night's tracks: porcupine, jackal, steenbok, sometimes leopard. You learn which mopane leaves the elephants prefer, how to find water in a dry riverbed and which birds give the alarm when a predator is about.
A 15-minute drive to a low ridge on the edge of the camp land, with a view north towards the white edge of the Etosha Pan. Cold drinks, a few snacks and a fire if the evening is cool.
On Tuesday and Friday nights a guide sets up a telescope on the waterhole platform and talks through the sky, from Saturn's rings to the star clusters of the southern Milky Way. Bring a blanket and a warm drink.
9 km south of Etosha's Andersson Gate on the C38, 100 km north of Outjo, Namibia
19.3512° S, 15.8483° E
Getting there: Ombara Shuttle and Ombara Drive 4x4s both reach most of our lodges. Ask the team for the best route from where you are.
Tell us your dates and group. We come back with availability and a sensible way to get there.
