Name: Gobabeb Campsite & Accommodation
Address: 7 Brandberg Street, Walvis Bay, Walvis Bay, Walvis Bay, Namibia
Rating: 9

Smoke-free property

All Spaces Non-Smoking (public and private)

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Barbeque

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Parking

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Pool and beach

Conference Hall

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Gobabeb Campsite & Accommodation

Walvis Bay

We camped at Gobabeb, it's primarily a research station but has campsites that are available to passing travellers.  It's in a great situation by the Kuiseb river bed, near some wonderful dunes.  The ablution block was clean with hot water.  Very helpful reception staff.  The shade screen at the campsite was not very big, so the afternoon was very hot, but otherwise we enjoyed our night at Gobabeb.

Great campsite in the dunes

 Gobabeb is a must-visit destination when traversing Namibia. This is firstly a research station, but with accomodation available for travellers .Do not expect all the facilities of a lodge or holiday destination .The management of the facility ( Elna ) and staff are really helpful and friendly. The 2 bed unit was clean , cool and well laid out, with fridge and gas cooker. This is very much self- catering , but you can book a meal at the kitchen for the research staff . There is no shop , bring all you need. Camping site is neat & clean with good ablution facilities , a few metres from the river bed. Each campsite has it's own wind shelter. The location is what makes Gobabeb special: It is in the reserve, has the Kuiseb river forest with the dunes right behind. You are free to walk the dunes and areas , which is as spectacular as any of the the overpopulated tourist attactions elsewhere in the Namib. You can walk up a red dune and have peace and quiet, or a  sundowner ( self supplied) on the granite outcrops.The roads can be in very bad shape, but it is well worth the effort to visit. Overall it was the highlight of a recent overland trip  

Well worth to visit !

We stayed in a basic self-catering unit although we were not self-catering.  The unit was clean & well provided (fridge, 2-ring gas stove, good shower etc) certain better than the "basic" we had been expecting.  Food was OK - although some effort was made to cater for dietary requirement, it somewhat missed the mark with a bit too much overcooked chicken.
The location of the research centre is on the banks of the Kuiseb river with the sand-sea to the south and the gravel plains to the north.  The sand-sea dunes are accesible on foot - we dorove out into the dunes in the early morning to "read-the-news" - following the myriad of tracks of snakes, spiders, gerbils, lizards etc that hed been around during the night & largely hidden from the sun an hour, or so, after sunrise.
The centre carrieas out several research projects - some have been ongoing for years as there is data going back to the early days of the centre - over 50 years.
Students / trainees can take interested people to see the various habitats - flora & fauna - in the area including a night-time hunt for scorpions.

Gobabeb research & training centre - great place to stay & begin to feel & understand the desert

Gobabeb Research and Training Centre offers cabins (when available) and a very nice campsite, with toilet facilities and kitchen. While doing research, I have stayed there many times and enjoyed the accommodation and restaurant services.

Wonderful place to stay for research or pleasure

This is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Getting there isn't as hard as it looks, and if you drive carefully you can even do it comfortably in a small front-wheel-drive hire car. Gobabeb is a research station that happens to include accommodation, and has been hosting academic and school groups for many years. The accommodation is surprisingly good - we stayed in one of the 'clay huts', which are actually groups of four brick buildings, designed and spaced to give a sense of privacy and seclusion. There are also larger units as well as campsites near the river. 
We were in room 17, which gave a great view of the research station, the Kuiseb river bed and the dunes. The beds are comfortable, but like much of Namibia, there are two singles that you may have to push together. The kitchen has a small fridge with no freezer, and two gas burners, The bathroom has a shower, toilet and basin with lots of signs that emphasise water conservation, and also be warned that because the place runs on solar power, you are limited to 400 watts or you'll trip the fuse, so no hairdryers or toasters ... or air-conditioning, but the walls are thick enough to keep the temperature comfortable until that cool wind arrives every day at sunset. The most amazing thing about the room is looking out the window at the dunes that change colour during the day. Then there's the wildlife and insects and birds and the stars at night. There is so much to see and do, day or night, but unfortunately we only spent three nights here.

Gobabeb Campsite & Accommodation

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