A Flying Action Adventure in Namibia

Housed in a turreted castle built by Count Schwerin for his fiancee and with fabulous views over Windhoek, this Relais & Chateaux property is hands down the most luxurious place to stay in the capital city. The sixteen rooms are contemporary and chic with a traditional twist, very well-equipped and highly comfortable. A quiet sanctuary in the midst of the city, the hotel’s gardens and pool are a joy to relax in and a nearby golf course means getting in a couple of holes before your flight home or a good way to begin your trip, is pleasingly straightforward. A fantastic restaurant and with tables set up on the wonderful terrace outside, means very few guests choose to dine out.

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.

Cradled against the ancient mountains, Sossusvlei Desert Lodge is renowned for its desert experience with luxurious accommodation overlooking the stark yet beautiful Namib Desert. 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, ensuite 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.

Located within the 37,000 hectare private Kulala Wilderness Reserve, this lodge enjoys convenient access via a private gate to the iconic red dunes of Sossusvlei. Staying here is extremely comfortable, with 25 thatched and canvas “kulalas”, each on a raised platform to catch the cool desert breezes and with private rooftop decks should you want to spend the night under the spectacular star-filled skies. All are en suite, and solar powered heaters provide hot showers. The main lodge is a clay construction with a North African inspired décor, and it’s here you enjoy the simple yet delicious meals in the spacious dining area followed by relaxing in the comfortable lounge. There is also an outdoor plunge pool and stargazing deck from which to enjoy the breathtaking scenery.

Offering more of a ‘boutique’ polish and size set in the 37,000- hectare private Kulala Wilderness Reserve, and a stone’s throw from the Sossusvlei dunes, this beautiful lodge is easily the most luxurious in the area. Little Kulala consists of eleven self-contained ‘kulalas’, sympathetically designed so as to merge deceptively into the desert landscape. Each one is air conditioned with an en suite bathroom, and has its own private outdoor pool and shower. The rooms are huge and with floor to ceiling windows designed to spoil you with the incredible views that flood in. Or take it a step further and sleep under the stars on your own rooftop ‘skybed’. The main lodge is built on three levels and provides an elegant entertainment area, with a spacious lounge, stylish dining area , well-stocked reference library and its own wine cellar to boot.

Lying just 4km (2.5 miles) from the Sesriem gate, at the base of a mountain, Sossus Dune Lodge is the first and only lodge inside the century-old Namib Naukluft Park. Linked by a raised wooden walkway to the left and right of the main communal building, 25 wood, canvas and thatch chalets enjoy expansive views over the dunes, mountains and Sesriem Canyon. Being inside the park, guests can be at the great rust-red dunes of Sossussvlei for sunrise and be the first to climb some of its towering neighbours, and stay until after sunset, when the light is most spectacular. There are also nature drives to see the incredible desert adapted wildlife and guided walks.

30km (19 miles) south of Sesriem and the entrance to Namib-Naukluft-Nationalpark – virtually next door by Namibia’s vast spatial standards – Desert Homestead Lodge well located as a starting point for tours to Sossusvlei, or an oasis for a relaxing rest after visiting the world famous dunes. The lodge is located in a private nature reserve adjoining the Namib Sand Sea UNESCO World Heritage Site and enjoy a wonderful frontier-like isolation in this incredible landscape. There are 21 thatched guest houses and a family suite, each air conditioned, stretching out from the main homestead building. With shaded porches, they make for a fine setting for watching the sun rise and set over the mountain horizon. The main lodge has indoor and outdoor dining space and cool swimming pool for cooling off in after a day exploring the desert on hikes or drives. Desert Homestead Lodge is also famous for its horse safaris through the Namib desert which are suitable for experienced riders as well as beginners (under guidance of experienced riding instructors). Several riding tours lasting one or two days are offered with nights spent out in a tent camp under Namibia‘s beautiful starry sky.

At the foot of the Namib-Naukluft Mountains, overlooking the dry bed of an ephemeral river, Hoodia Desert Lodge is a small, owner run lodge with a warm welcome to match the spectacular surroundings. There are just 11 thatched luxury chalets, all with indoor and outdoor bathrooms, air conditioning and huge windows with views across the plains best enjoyed from bed. Follow the wooden walkway to the central communal areas, such as the shaded swimming pool, lounge, bar and restaurant. The food is an inventive mix of traditional and international cuisine accompanied by a wide selection of South African wines. Outside on the decking, a large central fireplace doubles as a braai in summer months. The lodge is great base for exploring the vast dunes of Sossusvlei and Sesriem Canyon as well as the surrounding desert landscape, with horseback riding, hikes, hot air ballooning, helicopter flights and quad biking all available from here.

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.

Huddled among – and even built around – huge orange boulders of a rocky outcrop in the dry grasslands of the Aba Huab Valley, Kipwe is a gem of an eco-friendly camp. There are nine dome shaped rooms at Camp Kipwe and one sprawling, thatched roof suite. Natural touches such as rocks embedded in the floor and animals carved into the wood, mimicking the area’s famous engravings, add to the unique sense of place, as do incredible views out across Damaraland. Follow paths through the rocks to the heart of the camp – the communal lounge area and dining area with its expansive deck area and cool swimming pool where birds flock. Explore the area in search of long wandering desert adapted elephant herds, hike along the river bed and marvel at the ancient rock carvings at Twyfelfontein, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where the oldest engravings might be as old as 10,000 years. Sustainable eco-tourism and community upliftment is of the utmost importance and local villagers can also give you a unique insight into life and traditions here.

Ongava Lodge is situated on the slopes of a rocky outcrop within Ongava Reserve and its surrounding scenery is astoundingly attractive with large open plains blending into Mopane tree woodlands and granite ridges. 14 rock-and-thatch en-suite chalets, one of which is a family suite with two bedrooms. The main lounge, dining and pool area is situated on the foothills of the Ondundozonanandana Range, overlooking a floodlit waterhole and a vast beautiful plain. You’ll be accommodated in luxury air-conditioned thatched chalets with private veranda, all with en-suite bathrooms. This lovely property offers you the full Etosha experience whilst providing superb accommodation and service, as well as night drives and nature walks on the reserve.

Set high on a hill overlooking Ongava Private Reserve’s plains along the south-west border of Etosha National Park, Little Ongava comprises just three luxury villas, offering privacy and the utmost comfort. Each of the thatched villas feels like a home, with a king sized bed, beautiful open bathroom, fireplace, private plunge pool and veranda making the most of the surrounding panorama. A board walk snakes through the rocks connecting the villas to a main lounge and dining area that looks down onto a watering hole below, a real draw to wildlife throughout the night. Activities in the reserve include game drives, rhino tracking, nature walks, birding and use of a wildlife hide. There are also excursions into the neighbouring Etosha National Park.

At the foot of one of Ongava Game Reserve’s dolomite hills, the Tented Camp sits immersed in mopane woodland that is rife with game and birdlife. There are seven large, classic safari tents sat on decks with shaded verandas from which you can watch wandering antelope. Inside, you’ll find a large bed leading around to an en suite bathroom and an open-air shower. There is also a family suite consisting of two tents linked by a walkway that can sleep four people. The main area, built of stone, canvas and thatch, fronts onto a busy waterhole where much of the reserves wildlife can be viewed while floating in the swimming pool. Enjoy game drives and guided walks within the expansive reserve itself, a great place to spot both black and white rhino, or take excursions into the adjacent Etosha National Park to see it’s stunning salt pan.

Wonderfully atmospheric and well set out, Mushara’s Bush Camp consists of sixteen standalone custom-made, en suite tents with their own verandas for optimal privacy and comfort. With a very stylish, thatched palapa-style lodge at the camp’s heart for dining, lounging and possibly recounting your safari tales with other guests, not to mention a very good kid’s program, this is fantastic place for families wishing to explore Etosha.

A modern, and certainly chic, option is Mushara’s Outpost property. Styled on an old farmhouse with a more minimalist take on the open plan safari lodge, the effect is elegantly up to date and sleek. Positioned along the ancient dry riverbed of the Omuramba, their sixteen standalone canvas and wood rooms are raised by stilts on individual wooden platforms for extra privacy and elevated views over the bush. Spend friendly days and nights sitting around the campfire, talking with fellow guests over gourmet food, embarking on game drives to the park or simply soaking up the serenity of your surrounds.

The epicentre of the Mushara Collection and indeed a delight to stay in, not only for its charming mix of traditional, ethnic and contemporary styles, but its fabulous service and ten, spaced-out, luxury chalets. Arranged in a horseshoe style around the well-kept lawns and inviting swimming pool, these are very spacious and feature all the mod-cons with the added element of more room and privacy. The central lodge is beautifully decorated and a joy to socialise in with other guests, order a G&T, or relax in the lounge.