Sossus Dune Lodge is the first up-market lodge to be owned and built by the Namibian government's para-statal NWR (Namibia Wildlife Resorts) company.
Sossus Dune Lodge is also the first, and currently only, lodge to be built in the Namib-Naukluft National Park – and so is quite ground-breaking! It opened in 2007, amidst many questions about the propriety of building within the national park at all.
It stands just 4km from the Sesriem gate, at the base of a mountain, and we first visited the lodge before it opened, in 2007. Most recently one of our team stayed here in May 2008 – and to date it seems to be getting excellent reports from our travellers.
Sossus Dune Lodge has a total of 25 chalets: thirteen are on the left of the main area, with views of dunes; and the remaining 12 chalets, on the right of the main area, have mountain/canyon views. All are linked by raised wooden walkways.
All are basically the same, although the last chalet on either side of the main lodge is a 'honeymoon suite'. Each of these is very similar to the normal chalets, with the addition of a 'sala' – a small open-air lounge.
Each chalet at Sossus Dune Lodge is built using a wooden frame with orange/yellow canvas for walls, topped by a thatched roof. These are very loosely modeled on the style of traditional Ovambo homes, as found in the northern parts of Namibia.
The furniture inside is very African, leather and dark wood – plus some artistically-designed suede loungers and very brightly-coloured mosquito nets. It's all quite fun and modern, with plenty of space.
Each room has a large veranda, although to sit outside you'd need to take a chair from inside. That said ... it'll often be too hot to sit outside for most of the day anyhow!
The front of all the chalets at Sossus Dune Lodge has floor-to-ceiling glass, supported by wooden frames – which give wonderful views of the surrounding desert. The top of the glass windows open, helping to generate an air flow through the chalet and keep the room cool. Each chalet has a big en suite bathroom with a hot shower, double basin and a flush toilet.
The main central areas of Sossus Dune Lodge all stand on raised wooden decking (which is fairly wheelchair-friendly). This includes a small reception room and big, open-plan restaurant and separate open-plan lounge and bar – all with large sliding doors around them letting in a lot of light. A curio shop and bigger reception area is planned for the future.
At the back of this is the kitchen, the offices, pilot and guide accommodation. There is also a swimming pool with a few loungers but the area is not shaded, and so can be very hot during the summer.
Cars are parked in a shaded parking area and guest is transferred to and from there is electric golf carts!
In short... Sossus Dune Lodge has a superb location.
Lodge overview
Lodge type: Safari
No. of bedrooms: 25
Season: Open Year Round
Ideal length of stay: 3 nights
Central facilities: The main central area encompasses a reception area and restaurant, as well as a set of guest toilets and a curio shop. This is all raised up on a large, level wooden deck – it is fairly wheelchair-friendly. At the back of this is the kitchen, the offices, pilot and guide accommodation, the lounge and bar area.
Directions: Sossus Dune Lodge is about five hours' drive from Windhoek. To reach is from the Sesriem gate into the Namib-Naukluft National Park, you pass through the gate and turn left, towards Sesriem Canyon. Sossus Camp is about 4km from the gate, inside the Namib Naukluft National Park.
Accessible by: Self-drive or Fly-and-Transfer
Key personnel
Owner: Namibia Wildlife Resorts
Food & drink
Usual board basis: Half Board
Dining style: Inidividual Tables
Dining locations: Indoor Dining
Special interests
Photographic: The stunning scenery of the Namib's high red/orange sand dunes in the Naukluft Park is one of the great sights of Southern Africa – it's a 'must see' for most photographers. Sossus Dune Lodge is now probably the best lodge for self-drive visitors to catch the early-morning rays on the dunes.
- See more of our suggestions of the best places for photographic in Namibia
Walking: Travellers can walk directly from Sossus Dune Lodge into the nearby Sesriem Canyon, and there's a mountain behind the lodge that's worth exploring. It's a short drive to Elim Dune, which is very popular one to climb, and longer forays into Sossusvlei and the Naukluft Mountains are easy from here.
- See more of our suggestions of the best places for walking in Namibia
Children
Attitude towards children: Yes, children all ages welcome.
Sossus Dune Lodge review
We loved Sossus Dune lodge - the individual huts were very well decorated and very clean. The location also cannot be beat for being able to get to the dunes for sunrise.
The food was great and th...
Sossus Dune Lodge review
Great location and a good room but badly run: We experienced difficulty with:
1. Check in
2. Not having enough 4x4's for the morning activity and they ended up renting a small vehicle which h...
Sossus Dune Lodge review
Sossus Dune Lodge was better than I expected as it was a NWR property, even though it is their flagship lodge.
The chalets were huge and even had bathrobes, fridge and a hairdyer. The only thing mi...
We want you to understand more about Sossus Dune Lodge. We're also confident that a trip there with us cost you the same or less than booking it any other way, even directly. So follow the links below.
Lodge homepage Although just a short page on the NWR website - this is the lodge's homepage.
