Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Chameleon is a modern, fun and cosmopolitan Backpackers in a great central location, close to all amenities. We have a range of spacious rooms with en-suite bathrooms, air-conditioning and heating, along side our dormitories, tents, twin/double and family rooms with shared bathrooms. Catering to all type of traveller! The premier "Elephant" room has a private balcony, outside shower, queen size 4 poster bed making it perfect for honeymoon couples. Our reasonable rates include off street parking, a continental breakfast and free wifi! We also have an on-site bar, pool and specialities dinners in the evening! Don't forget our FREE City Walking Tour @ 09:00 daily as well as many other one day and multi-day safari offers! If you need safe long term accommodation we have flats and rooms available for stays of 3 months +, ideally suited to volunteers, interns and students. Bookings can be made direct.
5 Voigt Street, North Off Trift Street, Windhoek 9000 Namibia
Chameleon Backpackers Hostel
745 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
We stayed at Chameleon Backpackers the last day/night of our trip through Namibia. Since we were doing self-drive it was great to end the trip in the Backpackers, because we could leave our food etc in the common kitchen. We loved to be able to order snacks as well as dinner; they were all very tasteful. We loved the vibe. They also have the travel agency, organize daily walking tours through Windhoek. We would love to come back
Read more
Date of stay: November 2023
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Brecit Hebach, Guest Services / Front Office at Chameleon Backpackers Hostel
Responded Nov 15, 2023
Hi Urska, Thank you for choosing Chameleon Backpackers in Windhoek and for sharing your positive review. We're glad you enjoyed our location. We look forward to welcoming you back on your next visit.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I stayed at Chameleon Backpackers both before and after my Safari with Chameleon Safaris. I stayed in one of the private rooms, with a private bath and air conditioning (which I did not need - the ceiling fan was perfect).
It was a very comfortable stay. I enjoyed their nightly dinners, which were offered at a reasonable price and loved finding cozy places to sit and read or catch up on the news with free WifI. What really sets this place apart however, is the staff. They knew my name, they were always greeting me with a smile and nothing was too much troulbe. I neeeded to walk to the Grocery store, where there was an ATM. One of the staff was leaving for the day and she accompanied me to the store and to the ATM. I will remember their kindness.
Read more
Date of stay: November 2022
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Nuts About Namibia, Marketing at Chameleon Backpackers Hostel
Responded Nov 13, 2022
We're so pleased you enjoyed your stay with us and great to know the staff looked after you so well. Thank you for the lovely review.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
It is a huge place with really nice people .. you do not have just dorms but as wel private rooms with or without bathroom !!! In the morning you have a large choice of products sweet or salted for breakfast and in the evening you can order some namibian or international meals that are really really good ... Next to that the backpackers organise every morning a free walking tour and you can as well book one of their touristic tours to visit the highlights of Namibia .. At least but not last all the staff is really helpful and you feel at home ...
Read more
Date of stay: April 2020
Rooms
Location
Service
Room Tip:The dorm behind the reception is the best one I've ever had ...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Claire G, Marketing at Chameleon Backpackers Hostel
Responded Apr 5, 2020
Thanks for staying with us and really glad that you enjoyed your stay with us. Looking forward to seeing you again at Chameleon one day soon!
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I stayed for a night in a single room with shared bathroom. It’s a cute place but it looks much better in the online pictures than it actually is. The pool is tiny and the water in it looked dirty, the loungers around the pool are quite unconformable. The kitchen and shared toilets were not very clean. The door for the shared shower was tricky to lock, so was my bedroom. A couple of times a member of staff saw me struggle with the room key and locked it for me but that was it. They offer breakfast which is a nice touch, simple but nice with cereals, tea, coffee, toast, jam and bread. It was very warm at night and the big fan in my bedroom was extremely noisy so impossible to have on the whole night. I would not have wanted to stay for more than one night.
Read more
Date of stay: February 2020
Value
Rooms
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Quest63349716321, Owner at Chameleon Backpackers Hostel
Responded Feb 12, 2020
Hi Sunny, Thank you for taking the time to review Chameleon Backpackers. We are sad that you did not appear to enjoy your stay with us in the budget single room that you booked. The fans are installed to keep you cool and to keep away mosquitos, they are quite common here and we do find that for our more sensitive guests, using ear plugs at night is a great option. The pool is small as we are an inner city lodge and convenient for those wishing to cool off but the kreepy crawly is on a timer to clean the pool 2 x a day, and the water is tested daily . I will inspect today the shared bathrooms and see why the shower door was tricky as we installed simple latches to close them and to keep them simple. Cleanliness is of the highest importance to us as we are a very busy hostel/lodge, so this will be inspected and rectified today if I find any unacceptable practices. Thanks again for your positive comments and we welcome the chance to improve our service to our guests every day. Safe travels Jackie
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
First and wonderful experience on Camping2Go, It’s looks like camping but easier and more comfortable. Just 10 Km from Etosha southern entrance. A huge experience on Safari organized by camping team. People are very friendly and Francelina was our game guide. She is the best and very lucky girl. 3 days there are enough and take care on organize the transportation from Windhoek, it’s very expensive if you don’t organize previously and join to a group.
Read more
Date of stay: January 2020
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I had come to Namibia to get my study visa because I am a student who had intended to study in Spain. I was looking for a cheap, but reasonable accommodation around the city center to easily navigate and that's when I found chameleon backpackers. They welcomed us with a smile, always delivered services efficiently, all the rooms and facilities look exactly as they did in the advertisement, and they treated all their guests the same, without prejudice and were the friendliest people ever. Definitely would come and stay there again. BIG SHOUT-OUT!!!
Read more
Date of stay: March 2023
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jackie Burton, Owner at Chameleon Backpackers Hostel
Responded Mar 20, 2023
Thanks so much for your great review and it makes us happy that you felt at home. See you next time and happy studies and safe travels...
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I am in my 50s, American residing in Cape Town for the past two years. I do not do reviews of hotels as they all do exactly what they are supposed to, depending on how much they get paid. I just spent 4 days and 3 nights here. While the rooms on all levels are very nice, I opted to stay in a common dorm for a new experience. I had a wonderful and very relaxing time. All areas were much better than I had hoped for. The television lounge, the outdoor bar with pool table, the outdoor library/reading area, the small but adequate swimming pool with lounge seating, the open kitchen, all very comfortable, inviting, and extremely clean with no obvious or obtrusive cleaning staff. The staff were beyond courteous, making me feel as though I was visiting a friend's home rather than as a paying customer. The breakfast was beyond what I have usually been offered as continental breakfast. While I did not join the safari events, those that did, from what I was told, found them very enjoyable. I made a lot of good friends from around the world in a very quiet and relaxing place. I would like to them all, and the wonderful staff. Even the arranged airport transport was spot on. There us plenty of downtown shopping and business just a short walk away. For the value, you would be hard pressed to find better than Chameleon. If I had to make anything resembling a complaint, it would be that nearly all of the books in the library were in German. But considering that I wasn't expecting a library at all, it doesn't count. I donated a couple of my own English books to help the cause though. Thank you again, to all of my Chameleons.
Read more
Date of stay: February 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jackie Burton, Owner at Chameleon Backpackers Hostel
Responded Mar 17, 2024
Hi Mickey, thanks so much for nailing the Chameleon experience and I take my hat off to you for being brave to try the dorms for the first time. It is great that you made new friends and that is what staying at hostels should be all about. I hope you come back and stay again. Safe travels
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
This room was nice for a hostel. The room was clean and aircon worked fine, no issues there. It was on the second floor which was unfortunate to lug your suitcase and things up and down, especially when leaving at 3am to the airport - so double check that if you have mobility issues. The staff was friendly and if you booked your tour with their safari arm, they helped arrange airport transportation which was great. However, actually getting picked up very early in the morning was confusing and the driver didn’t show up where they said and there was no staff out this early - I finally realized my driver was the guy parked outside the gate on the street, but I only figured this out by going out and getting in a van with a stranger, not a great experience for a solo female traveler. My other major issue I had here was that they couldn’t take a credit card to pay for the room, despite everything saying they took Visa and having signs in reception saying they did. They tried all 3 of my cards from different banks and claimed all 3 were “declined” even though I knew there were no issues with my cards. I ended up having to walk to the mall and use the ATM to get enough cash to pay for the room - luckily it was relatively cheap and I only had one night here. My debit card that they had said was declined worked fine at the mall and my credit card worked fine to buy dinner, it was clearly their machine. Another lady working there even said there was something wrong with their machine, but the lady at the front desk just said “sorry it’s declined, you need to pay”. Spending an hour and a half on this situation was not how I wanted to spend my last day in Namibia when I was exhausted and just wanted to check into a room and lay down. I’d stay here again if I paid their safari arm in advance, but I don’t think I’d book and expect to pay on arrival.
Read more
Date of stay: September 2023Trip type: Traveled solo
Room Tip:Pay in advance only
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Brecit Hebach, Guest Services / Front Office at Chameleon Backpackers Hostel
Responded Oct 4, 2023
Dear Rachel, thank you for taking the time to write this review. Reviews like these give us an opportunity to address areas of improvement. I apologize for the bad experience you had during your stay. We are very disappointed to hear that we did not meet your expectations. Please note our airport transfers (we use a specific and trusted transfer company) don’t leave before 04:30. There seems to be a misunderstanding/miscommunication because it was our safari arm that booked the transfer for you and we confirmed to our Safari arm that the transfer only leaves at 04:30, I also checked with the staff member on duty that morning and he advised that he checked you out at 04:30. The driver usually comes in and waits for the clients to finish breakfast but will sometimes stay and wait outside if the client is ready to leave. We have cameras outside and can see who is parked outside but that is no excuse, my colleague should have escorted you to the gate and made sure you are safe and for that we would like to apologize for the oversight. Regarding the credit/debit card payments "We take 80% of all our income through our POS machine, but sometimes we have network failure, and this means there is a hiccup with payments as the machine is run through the cell phone network. We apologize for the inconvenience caused and the staff should have communicated more specifically with you, however when this happens, we have no choice but to request our clients to pay cash. These are the challenges we face and unfortunately they sometimes impact on our guest experience, but they are totally out of our control." We are sorry for the inconvenience this has caused and the impact on your happiness with our services. We hope that you will give us another chance sometime in the future.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I was staying at Chameleon for my last 3 nights in Namibia. I was staying at room elephant, which I loved very much. The room is very cosy, nicely decorated and clean. It has a small balcony with an outdoor shower, inside the room you have a aircon and a ceiling fan. The bed was comfortable and the shower had good water pressure. All the staff were very welcoming, helpful and friendly. The prizes at the bar are very reasonable and very enjoyed the quiz night on Thursday night. I could book a transfer to the airport through the reception. I can fully recommend this place.
Read more
Date of stay: November 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled solo
Room Tip:The room elephant is wonderful, but you need to walk up narrow, steep stairs.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jackie Burton, Owner at Chameleon Backpackers Hostel
Responded 2 weeks ago
Hi Cheeky-Kea, thanks for the wonderful review and it was a pleasure hosting you. Elephant is my favourite room as well. See you next time and safe travels .
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
This hostel offers everything that one needs to spend a few nights in Windhoek. The use of a kitchen is available to all guests which is very convenient when you don’t want to eat out. Good wifi. Nice little swimming pool. Rooms are cold in winter but there is an air con that can be reversed as a heater.
Read more
Date of stay: July 2021
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Chameleon Backpackers, Marketing at Chameleon Backpackers Hostel
Responded Aug 16, 2021
Thanks for choosing to stay with us and we hope to see you again sometime soon.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hi Viktor,
Namibia is traditionally a tough country to travel independently if you are used to relying on public transport and budget accommodation however with 4 weeks you could probably get around to some of the sights if you are adventurous. However, if you are open to hiring a vehicle and camping, and able to find others to share the experience with then you can certainly control your budget and see most the places that you want to see in a 4 week period. My recommendation would be to send us an email, you can find our email address on our website, with the following information and we can pop that up on our notice board for you and if anyone is going to be around during the same period they can get in touch with you directly;
Travel dates
Destinations you want to visit
Contact details
Would be worth doing a little research into the different options if you do think that is a good option for you, looking at the costs of cars per day, types of car that you will need for the route you want to do, rough budget of fuel for the route etc, and checking out some of the different campsites or lodges as these can really vary in price.
Alternatively, if you are looking for tours, we can also assist, just let us know and we can point you in the right direction for your time, interests and budget.
Cheers,
Claire
Chameleon Safaris & Backpackers
There are more places to choose from in the Windhoek area.
PRICE RANGE
$40 - $54 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
chameleon backpackers hotel windhoek
LOCATION
NamibiaKhomas RegionWindhoek
NUMBER OF ROOMS
18
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
Is This Your Tripadvisor Listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
