Namib Desert Lodges

A family-run horse-breeding farm at the foot of the Naukluft Mountains. Riding lessons and trails, hikes and a guided 4x4 trip onto the Naukluft Plateau, with a quiver tree gorge walk, fill the days. Dinner is at one table with the owning family.

A small tented camp on a private reserve bordering Namib-Naukluft National Park, booked for exclusive use by one family or group. Meru-style tents shelter behind stone walls under roofs of recycled oil drums. Guided Sossusvlei trips, walks, drives and star beds fill the days.

The main lodge at Klein-Aus Vista, in the Gondwana Sperrgebiet Rand Park near Aus, on the edge of the Namib. It has a restaurant, bar and pool, and this is wild-horse country, on the road towards Lüderitz and Kolmanskop.

A Gondwana retreat for two, set on a rise in the Gondwana Namib Park with views across the desert to the Naukluft Mountains. Guests check in at Namib Desert Lodge and have a dedicated host, a plunge pool and a private scenic drive.

Self-catering stone chalets built into granite boulders at Klein-Aus Vista, near Aus in the southern Namib. Each has its own kitchen and fireplace. Desert Horse Inn, the Klein-Aus Vista main lodge, is a short drive away.

A tented camp set among boulders below the Tsaris Mountains, built from recyclable materials and run on solar power. Canvas walls roll up to open the tents to the desert, and the pool is built into the rocks.

Formerly Betesda Lodge, this lodge sits off the C19 between the Naukluft Mountains and the desert plains. Rooms open onto verandas, there are family rooms, and the stone swimming pool looks across to the mountains.

Thatched-and-canvas kulalas on raised platforms in the private Kulala Wilderness Reserve, which borders Namib-Naukluft National Park. Guests reach Sossusvlei through the reserve's private park gate, and every room has a rooftop deck for sleeping under the stars.

A Natural Selection camp in the NamibRand Nature Reserve, south of Sossusvlei. Every chalet has an open-roofed star-gazer room, and the camp has a shared pool. Drives, walks, horse riding and quad biking explore the reserve.

A castle-like stone resort on the C27 south of Sesriem, with a spa, pool and garden courtyard. Thick rock walls keep the rooms cool, and guided Sossusvlei drives, nature drives and quad bike tours run from the resort.

The smaller Kulala Wilderness Reserve lodge, sharing the reserve's private gate into Namib-Naukluft National Park. Each thatched suite has a private plunge pool, indoor and outdoor showers, a star bed that rolls out on the deck, and a rooftop for private sundowners.

A tented lodge on raised decks at the foot of the Naukluft Mountains, off the C19 south of Solitaire. Guest suites have private splash pools, and the main deck looks over the desert plains to the fossilised dunes.

A Gondwana lodge at the foot of fossilised dunes in the Gondwana Namib Park, north of Sesriem. Rooms have verandas facing the dunes or the plains, oryx and springbok visit the floodlit waterhole, and guided drives climb into the fossilised dunes.

One night on a dune crest in the Gondwana Namib Park. Guests check in at Namib Desert Lodge, transfer in by 4x4 and roll their beds onto the deck at night. There is a guided dune walk, and a guide points out the constellations.

An &Beyond lodge of stone-and-glass suites along an escarpment on its own private desert reserve. Each suite has a plunge pool, fireplace and retractable skylight over the bed, and the lodge has an observatory, wine cellar and its own airstrip.

A Gondwana lodge in the Gondwana Namib Park, between Solitaire and Sesriem. Every bungalow has its own plunge pool, and guided nature drives and a night walk explore the surrounding desert.

Five tented suites at the base of a granite outcrop in the deep south of the NamibRand Nature Reserve, open on three sides to the gravel plains. Walks with San guides, e-bikes and a naked-eye star safari fill the days.

Spacious tented suites on a dune plateau in the NamibRand Nature Reserve, with wide decks over the dunes. Formerly Wolwedans Dunes Lodge, it sits in Africa's first International Dark Sky Reserve.

The original Wolwedans camp, set on top of a dune in the NamibRand Nature Reserve. Canvas tents, shared dinners and long sunset views set the tone, and a Star Bed can be set up on a private deck for a night in the open.

An exclusive-use villa in a secluded valley of the NamibRand Nature Reserve, made for families and small groups. It comes with a private guide and chef, a central pool, and generous indoor and outdoor living space.

Ten tented suites on stilts among granite boulders in the southern Namib, styled as a 1920s British colonial camp. There is an infinity pool and stables for desert rides, and the lodge has its own airstrip.