A serene study in stone and glass, following the curve of the escarpment and with expansive, ever changing views over the Namib Desert, this is AndBeyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge. It’s as if you reside on the edge of natural theatre, watching the alluring dance of light on the desert sands. Here you will truly exhale, truly unwind your mind and experience the joy of endless clean space and wide horizons. The desert is a soulful place.
Your suite is a coveted vantage point from which to soak up clear views, go out exploring or simply stay put and relax – there’s a discreet music system and personal bar in the house too. Beautifully contemporary in muted tones, ever cool and air-conditioned, suites are sanctuaries out of the sun – though there are also plenty of shady nooks and your private pool and shaded verandah to escape to in summer. If you wish, suites also open up to include the outside inside.
Or there’s the two-bedroom Star Dune Suite for families and groups of friends to enjoy, each room with its private deck and pool. The main lodge will also entice you with its rim-flow pool, walk in cellar and interactive kitchen; plus there’s a sunrise view gym and sunset view spar to top and tail the day.
In between, the desert gently beckons exploration and interaction. By foot, e-bicycle, quad bike or on a scenic hot air balloon or helicopter flight, the Namib and the sensational dunes of Sossusvlei are a magical and ethereal landscape that will touch you deeply – whether seen from the sky or earth. Imagine enjoying breakfast in the world’s most ancient desert, surrounded by almost 13 000 hectares of private desert reserve, or walking the crest of a dune whose sands have witnessed the beginning of time. It’s touching antiquity and it’s unimaginable until you do it.
And then, as night falls and a diamond-studded sky appears overhead, savour the experience of sublime stargazing through a state-of-the-art telescope. It brings the stars so close to you, it feels like you’re amongst them. And when you turn in for the night, open the skylight above your bed and have the brightest stars imaginable shining down on you as you sleep. That’s just magical.
What we love!
- The lodge is innovatively designed to discreetly harvest solar power and recycle waste water, and each suite actually produces enough power to run itself and then some.
- A massive, reclaimed tree root serving as a coffee table base is beautiful and atmospheric.
- The carpet of ‘parched earth’ design is a reminder of the surrounding fragile environment.
- Dips in the pool on a hot day while surrounded by endless desert are simply extraordinary.
Need to know…
- The lodge is in a malaria free area and borders onto an International Dark Sky Reserve – hence the extraordinary stargazing here.
- There is a private lodge airstrip which is 75 minutes by fixed wing and 90 minutes by helicopter from Windhoek. The lodge is a 10-minute drive away. Daily scheduled flights are also available to the lodge’s airstrip.
- If self driving, a 4×4 vehicle is necessary during the rainy season form November to May. The lodge is 400km from Windhoek and 380km from Swakopmund on good gravel roads.
Reviewed by Keri Harvey