Simanya River Lodge

Simanya River Lodge sits on the Kavango River at Simanya village in Kavango West, close to Nkurenkuru and looking across to Angola. Simanya is part of the Uukwangali kingdom, one of the Kavango kingdoms. The lodge’s pitch is that it is the closest river lodge to Windhoek, about 670 km away on tar, by way of the B15 through Tsumeb and Tsintsabis. It makes a good first river stop for people heading on to Rundu and the Zambezi Region.

What to expect

All 20 rooms face the river: 16 rooms with private balconies and four family rooms with interleading doors. There is a restaurant, a pool and a pub called the Fancy Fisherman, and the lodge grows some of its own vegetables. The Basecamp has ten grassed campsites, each with its own shower, toilet, basin and braai, and a small shop sells ice, water, firewood and meat. It also hosts conferences, so midweek you may share it with a work crowd.

Practical details

• Phone: +264 83 288 8352, +264 81 954 4440 or +264 61 250 238. Email reservations@simanya.com.na.
• From Tsumeb, drive towards Tsintsabis and then Mpungu. Just past Mpungu, turn right onto the B10 towards Nkurenkuru, drive about 40 km and follow the signs left off the road. Allow 6 to 7 hours from Windhoek.

Good to know

All fishing here is catch and release, from the bank or a boat. Between September and December the river can drop too low for boats, so ask on arrival before counting on a cruise or a fishing trip. There are breakfast and sunset cruises, mokoro trips, donkey cart rides, guided walks and village visits. The lodge counts more than 300 bird species in the area. It also runs trips to old sites nearby, including a graveyard of German soldiers and farmers dating to 1910 and the Tondoro mission station, about 35 km away.

Last updated 7 October 2026. Sources: Simanya River Lodge, Simanya River Lodge, about, Simanya River Lodge, activities, Simanya River Lodge, contact and directions, Wikipedia, Nkurenkuru, Wikipedia, Tsintsabis.