The vast splendour of the Damara landscape deserves a full orchestra Or silence Think Arizona without the people. After the sun has melted into the mountains it is time to negotiate the tricky path down to the campfire before dinner

Mowani is not your traditional safari camp You come here for the landscape as much as for the wildlife. Situated in Damaraland in Namibia’s rugged, sparsely populated north-west, this is the land of the last free-roaming black rhino and the desert elephant. But for the rest of the Big Five you’ll need to go to Etosha What you get instead is bushman rock art at Twyfelfontein.

And peace.
During the day you can go for guided walks or on desert elephant safaris, you can laze by the icy plunge-pool built in the rocks, or just drink in the view. The comfort factor Less barefoot luxury – there are snakes round here – more rustic desert chic. There are 12 tents (eight standard, four “view” tents, one luxury room and one suite) scattered among the rocks. The tents are spread out along sandy paths, little wrought-iron arrows pointing the way. Ours, number four, was one of the view tents, suspended on stilts, the land falling away below us.A wooden deck with two director’s chairs provided the perfect spot to while away the hours in speechless contemplation The tents have wooden floors and canvas walls. When these are pinned back, you can also gaze at the view snuggled under the softest white duvet. The walls are decked out with African hangings and the design is simple but stylish.

The main lodge buildings – and the suite – are luxury mud hut in style, round with thatched roofs. The food and drink As you’d expect from a luxury safari camp, the food is delicious. Tea and home-made cakes and biscuits are served at 4.30pm; sundowners are accompanied by mouthwatering canap? Dinner, beneath the domed thatch, is a traditional, three-course gourmet affair. The bathroom Behind a screen at the back of the tent, bathrooms are simple but with the requisite white robes and fluffy towels; some come with open-air showers The suite has an open-air tub for bathing under the stars. The people Families on fly-drive holidays and groups of Europeans on upmarket tours. The area This parched, dusty landscape seems devoid of life but there are birds, lizards and a desert elephant drive or excursions to see the Bushman rock-art at Twyfelfontein which, with more than 2,500 engravings and paintings, is considered one of the most important such sites in southern Africa.

The access The winding paths to the tents are rocky and uneven, lit by old paraffin lamps. The damage Standard tents cost N$2,370 (£195) per night for two sharing, including breakfast, a guided nature walk, transfers from Twyfelfontein airstrip and all taxes Full board excluding drinks costs N$3,710 (£305). The address Mowani Mountain Camp, PO Box 40788, Windhoek, Namibia (00 264 61 232 009; mowani ). Liked that? Try these * Ol Malo (01488-689 700; rbrww ) has just three cottages perched on Kenya’s Laikipia Plateau.* Also in Namibia, amid the red dunes of Sossusvlei, is Wolwedans Lodge (00 264 61 230 616; wolwedans ).. 1. Go with the flow in Ethiopia

You get to see Ethiopia’s historic landscape and tribal villages from a novel point of view with a rafting trip down the Upper Omo river. Putting in near Albelti and paddling down through the gorges of the Gibe and Omo rivers for several days, it’s a challenging journey through deep, forested gorges.