After a dusty, bumpy journey we arrived from Windhoek in the early afternoon. It was pleasant to see this green oasis of the lodge sitting at the foot of an escarpment of petrified sand dunes that glowed a reddy orange in the afternoon sun with yellowed grass savannah spreading out as far as the eye could see! This is Africa!
After checking in we are shown to our room, which sort of reminds me of an English holiday camp. The bungalows or chalets are set in blocks or the larger ones are individual, all with en-suite bathrooms and a small patio area.
The lodge itself has a large dining room and the meals are buffet style although starters and desserts are served at the table. The food was plentiful and quite interesting as we had Eland Stroganof the first evening and Oryx Goulash the next. One highlight of the meal was the excellent wine list.
Next to the dining hall is a large terrace that over looks a waterhole that is floodlit at night, although we didn't see any animals the Namib Desert Lodge also is a game reserve known as the Gondwana Namib Park and has Oryx, Sprinbok and Ostrich.
The service was good although everyone in our group had a query with their bill when we checked out.
Integrated with the dining hall is a well stocked bar, also next to the terrace is a tv/games room with pool tables and also conference facilities. This building faces on to a well groomed garden and newly built swimming pool.
There is also a Curio shop which looked well stocked although we never had time to have a look.
I would recommend this lodge as for location it is perfect.
Unique Qualities: Although our room was a bit spartan there were newer rooms being built and the new owners were upgrading everything.
The lodge sits on an underground reservoir so they supply their own water, they also bottle the water which is then sold and money going to conservation.
The views from the lodge are superb although as I said we looked out at yellow grassy savannah but this was unusual because they had ahd more rain than usual that year so normally you wouldn't have the grass but the red sand like in the desert.
You can take trails around this area which are safe to walk, they also offer a game drives and as we did a sundowner drive.
Another good point was the amount of birdlife seen around the lodge. I didn't get to photo all, but I did see Rosyfaced Parrot, Laughing Doves, Crimson breasted Shrike, Bulbuls and Glossy Starlings to name but a few.
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Theme: Other
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$40-80
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Phone: ++264 63 693376
Address: On the C 19 approx. 70 km north of Sesriem, 30 km south of Solitaire
Directions: On the C 19; 70 km north of Sesriem, 30 km south of Solitaire you can't miss it as there is only one road.
Website: http://www.gondwana-desert-collection.com/accommodation.htm
Other Contact: email: info@gondwana-desert-coll
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on Nov 24, 2006
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