Wilderness Little Kulala

Your home before you venture off into the barren and beautiful Namibian Desert, this stylish boutique hotel is hidden away in the Eastern corner of Namibia’s capital and only proclaimed city, Windhoek. The city itself is the seat of the country’s cultural and administrative powers but despite this, it remains one of the smallest capitals in the world with just 250,000 residents. The Olive reflects Windhoek’s small size, providing a cosy but luxurious bolt-hole with great access to the surrounding wilderness. Reminders of the prevalent Namibian culture are spread throughout the hotel as the modern is combined with the traditional. Rough-hewn wooden benches sit on plush carpets around sculpted granite coffee tables, animal-skin rugs lay beneath large beds covered in crisp white cotton and wide glass doors lead out onto your personal terrace for a view across the small city.

Designed to capture the splendour and solitude of the desert, just ten stone and glass desert villas spread out along the curve of the escarpment allowing absolute privacy. Each air-conditioned suite features a private veranda, split-level bedroom and living room with fireplace, en-suite glass-encased bathroom and outdoor shower. The villas are equipped with a stunning star-viewing skylight, discreet CD system, custom-stocked personal bar and compact spotting scope for magnificent star and game viewing. The guest area, where walls have become windows that fold away completely, boasts unimpeded desert vistas. The split-level Lodge features a fire-lit bar, comfortable sitting room, swimming pool, wraparound verandas and a Safari Shop. A fine selection of wines from an impressive walk-in wine cellar complements delicious Pan African meals. Guests can escape the desert heat with a revitalizing midday dip in the pool fed by water from an underground spring. At sunset, animals are drawn to a nearby waterhole, enhancing desert sundowner drinks.

Grouped together like a typical African village in squeezed between huge rust-coloured boulders of the Twyfelfontein Conservancy, Mowani is an imaginative and sustainable eco-lodge with astonishing desert views. Perfectly placed to explore the landscapes of southern Damaraland and the bushman rock art the area is famed for, not to mention the desert elephant and black rhino within the conservancy, Mowani conjures up a wild romance and ethnic tranquility in its setting and service. Four ‘View’ tents, eight standard ones, one luxury room and one suite (with private deck & private lounge area) give you a choice as to the type of traveller you are.