Namibia
Accommodation
Namibia offers the traveller many different types of accommodation from luxury lodges and upmarket hotels to self-catering chalets and remote desert camps. See below for Close Encounters' recent selection of quality places to stay.
Swakopmund
Beach Lodge $$$$$
Every room at the nautically themed Beach Lodge at Swakopmund has a sea view, with most also having a fireplace and small kitchen. They serve a great breakfast here, while you watch the waves and listen to the roar of the sea.
The Stiltz $$$$$
This newly built complex offers the most spectacular views in Swakopmund overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the river-bed, the sand dunes and the bird rich lagoon at the river mouth. As the name suggests, each of the nine bungalows is built on stilts and linked to other parts of the complex by wooden walkways. The bungalows are attractively decorated and all offer en-suite bathrooms with shower, and a balcony with views of the dunes, the lagoon and the ocean.
Windhoek
The Elegant Guesthouse $$$$$
This modern guesthouse, situated in the up-market residential area of Klein Windhoek, offers six luxurious bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms. The property is decorated in a contemporary style and has a comfortable guest lounge with television and DVD and VCR players and spacious dining room where a buffet breakfast is served. The Elegant Guest House's is set in leafy gardens where guests can relax and enjoy the use of the small private pool.
Guesthouse Terra Africa $$$$$
Terra Africa is an unusual establishment, in that it combines guesthouse and art gallery. This slightly schizophrenic idea results in an elegant guesthouse which allows guests to explore the best in contemporary Namibian and African art. On a less prosaic level, Terra Africa is a delightful place to stay, offering bedrooms with high-quality beds, ceiling fans, Satellite TV, spacious en-suite bathrooms and breathtaking views over the southern valleys of the city.
Kalahari
Dune Chalets, Bagatelle Kalahari Game Ranch $$$$$
Situated in the heart of the Kalahari Dessert, Bagatelle Kalahari Game Ranch's premier accommodation is its four dune chalets, built on stilts atop one of the mighty Kalahari sand dunes. The dune chalets are built of wood, comfortably furnished and have a bathroom with offers bath, shower and some of the finest views in Africa. The chalets are a short distance from the main ranch which has the dining room, boma and leisure facilities, including open-air pool.
Sesriem
Desert Homestead $$$$$
The Desert Homestead lies about 20 miles south-east of Sesriem in a wide grassy valley sheltered by the Nubib, Tsaris and Naukluft mountains. The Homestead offers 20 thatched, en-suite chalets, all luxuriously decorated in pale hues and contrasting dark wood riempie furniture. Each chalet has its own verandah under a latte canopy with Northern views extending to the Rotterkaum Mountains... the ideal retreat after a busy day in the dunes.
Sossusvlei Lodge $$$$$
Viewed from afar, you'd be forgiven for thinking that Sossusvlei Lodge has a slightly Butlinesque appearance. Don't be put off, because the lodge is well run, comfortably furnished and offers great value for money. Most importantly of all, Sossusvlei Lodge is situated by the entrance gate to the Namib-Naukluft National Park, allowing early access to the park so that guests can see the dunes soon after sunrise when they appear at their finest.
Damaraland (south)
Mowani Mountain Camp $$$$$
Mowani Mountain Camp is located between the Ugab and the Huab Rivers in southern Damaraland. The camp is made up of as a series thatched, dome-shaped structures echoing the indigenous building-style. It comprises two suites and twelve tents, four of which have verandas with particularly fine views of the boulder-strewn landscape that is a feature of the area. The lodge is an ideal base for those visiting the primitive cave paintings at Twyfelfontein.
Damaraland (north)
Grootberg Lodge $$$$$
Set high up in the #Khoadi //Hoas Conservancy, Grootberg Lodge offers commanding views along the surrounding valleys. The Lodge was funded by an EU grant and is owned by the community, but offers a professional service, spectacular surroundings, extremely good food and well-trained guides, with the added benefit that revenues from Grootberg Lodge are used to benefit the local community via a number of local educational and community projects.
Damaraland (east)
Hobatere Lodge $$$$$
Hobatere Lodge is situated on a 80,000 acre wildlife concession, which is home to a wide variety of game species including lion, leopard and cheetah. The lodge has 12 bungalows and guest rooms, all of which are under thatch and have en-suite bathrooms. Excellent bush cuisine is served on the veranda as well as "braais" at the boma. A special feature of the lodge is the night drives which allows guests to view nocturnal animals such as aardvarks and genets.
Etosha National Park (Eastern SIde)
Onguma Tented Camp $$$$$
Onguma Tented Camp is situated on the eastern side of Etosha bordering Fishers Pan. The seven spacious tents extend the u-shaped design of the camp, allowing for both privacy and fantastic views over Fishers Pan. Styled in the colours of the bush, the tents are luxuriously furnished and very spacious. Each tent has both an indoor and outdoor shower, a gorgeous modern interpretation of an old zinc bath, a separate toilet and two stone basins.
Onguma Bush Camp $$$$$
The least expensive of the Onguma Camps, guests at Onguma Bush Camp stay in comfortable and relaxing surroundings. Watch animals quench their thirst at the waterhole from the elevated bar area while you experience a true Namibian sunset. Dine alfresco during the summer months in the open dining room. Stay in a charming thatched bungalow with views over the waterhole. Enjoy the great game viewing opportunities in the Onguma Nature Reserve, which has over thirty animal species, including four of the of the 'Big Five'.
Onguma Plains Camp $$$$$
Modelled on a small fort, the Onguma Plains Camp has a main building complete with watchtower and battlements, around which are built the individual bush suites, each with its own viewing tower offering spectacular views over the Etosha Pans and probably the best sunsets in Namibia. The main complex offers a lounge, fin dining in a choice of two dining rooms, an events hall, tower bar and a swimming pool. An unusual, luxury safari retreat.
Onguma Tree Top Camp $$$$$
Onguma Treetops Camp consist of four luxury built tree houses built on raised platforms about seven feet above the ground. The tree house offers an unusual form of safari accommodation, without sacrificing any of the creature comforts that guests will expect. The ethos of the camp is to allow visitors to experience wildlife in its natural environment. Guests can enjoy guided walks through the bush, together with day and night game drives on the reserve.
Mushara Lodge $$$$$
Situated just 5 miles from the Von Lindequist Gate on the eastern edge of the Etosha National Park, Mushara Lodge is ideally located for visiting the park. The Lodge comprises ten thatched chalets, built in a horseshoe shape around the swimming pool. The chalets are spacious, tastefully decorated and all offer en-suite facilities with either a shower or bath and shower, together with a separate toilet. Mushara Lodge is surprisingly luxurious and great safari.
Mushara Outpost $$$$$
The Mushara Outpost is all about old fashioned hospitality with warm, friendly service and a country house party feel. Mushara Outpost accommodates 16 guest in 8 permanent tent structures, which nestle on the banks of an ancient dry river bed. The lodge house is styled on an old farm house - tall walls, corrugated iron roof and a large wrap around veranda. The ambiance is that of a well lived in house, friendly, extremely comfortable with a light feel to it.
Southern Namibia
Cañon Lodge $$$$$
Situated in the harsh rocky desert at the southern tip of Namibia, camouflaged into the huge naturally smooth granite boulders, is the Cañon Lodge. Twenty-six thatched, wooden bungalows are built into the rocks, making you feel at one with nature, while still experiencing desert luxury. The lodge makes its own cheeses and yoghurt, grows a variety of vegetables and raises livestock in a quest for self sufficiency.
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