Reviews of Eagle's Nest

"A bit of self catering in the middle of the safari was great fun.

I tried barbecuing oryx kebabs.

The absolutely spectacular views and the drive down to luderitz was also fantastic." See all these reviews: 21n in Namibia

"Last time we visited Klein Aus Vista was with our two children in 2009. At that time, we were absolutely stunned by the vast landscape, solitude, silence, and the extraordinary sunsets over the Namib Desert. Especially, by the special next door “Diamond Sperrgebiet”. We always hoped, we once would be able to return again one day and explore the area. What a privilege to be here again!

The next-door Diamond Sperrgebiet is a prohibited diamond-rich area in the most southern part of the Namib Desert. It stretches along the Atlantic coast from Oranjemund & Orange River in the south - all the way north - to about 72 km north of the coastal town Lüderitz. The area is approx. 97 km wide and 322 km long. From 1908 until the early 21st century, all access by unauthorized persons was rigidly prohibited. Even today, you cannot move around freely, but you are allowed to follow the marked trails.

In 2009, we stayed at the nice campsite. However, this time, we upgraded to the Eagle's Nest Chalets which is eight amazing individual rock chalets literally built into large granite boulders with a rugged granite-gneiss mountain as the backdrop.

The view from our terrace is amazing. Above, eagles soar, and in front, the expansive views take our breath away.

At night, we sleep without any curtains for the windows. Its full moon. A lizard plays on one of the windows and captured by the camera from our bed. It´s the most amazing sight (& picture): A lizard on the window in front of the full moon. From the end of our large double bed, which leans against a huge granite boulder, we have an undisturbed clear view of the Namib desert with mountains in the distance.

Just as we are about to sleep, we hear a strange sound?! It gradually gets louder and louder. It sounds like an engine? Is a car coming now? This late? At this remote place!? Or is it a helicopter? We see lights in the far distance. We realize it is the solitary train from moving slowly on its way to Lüderitz 120 km further vest, where it will pick up uranium. We fall back asleep relieved.

At night at two o'clock, my wife suddenly wakes up. She has a strange feeling that someone is watching us. And indeed, just outside our panoramic window, 3 wild desert horses are standing next to our braai pit (grill), which is still warm after we cooked game for dinner in the evening.

At last, we hear no more sounds this night. The lizards and voles don't bother us.

We want to stay here forever. Just relax, read books, and cook on the fire, and eat in our private “desert restaurant” while appreciating the spectacular boundless space.

PRO´s
- Very kind service at the Desert Horse Inn Lodge (reception)
- Amazing architecture and spectacular views from Eagles Nest
- Extraordinary fine cabins with everything you need available
- Fine well marked walking trails

CON´s
- In some places the nearby nature appears a little worn / overused
- Perhaps a bit busy at the lodge with many visitors
- Not a "posh" luxury place (but friendly)" See all these reviews: 35n in Namibia

"This was a bit of a mixed bag. We arrived after a tiring drive to be met by the manager waving a dead chameleon at us and asking us drive slowly so as not to run them over. I wasn't sure if he was accusing us of driving over the chameleon or if it happened earlier. Whilst I empathise with his concern for the chameleon, it was a Basil Fawlty style welcome.

We stayed in an Eagles Nest chalet, which is a 15 minute drive away from the main lodge and restaurant, so it involves driving back in for your evening meal. The benefit is great views and exclusion, but we'd have probably been as happy in one of the chalets near the main lodge and skipped the hassle of driving in and out.

There are some lovely looking walking trails around the lodge, but as we'd just had 3 days doing the Tok Tokkie trails we were a bit over trekked and decided instead to drive into Luderitz and Kolmanskop on our rest day whilst at Eagles Nest.

The food was a pretty average and on our second evening meal fell below average meaning we sent a dish back uneaten. We were still asked if we were enjoying our meal and charged for it anyway, which just felt a bit clunky." See all these reviews: 13n in Namibia

"We had the Mountain View chalet, which is the south-eastern-most of the set. The neighbouring chalet was unoccupied, so it really felt remote and lonely.

This really is a place to truly get away from it all. We didn’t see any wildlife other than birds, but the views were superb and the starry night sky without any light pollution whatsoever was very special indeed. Unfortunately the sky was overcast early in the morning when I intended to do some star photography, and we even had rain later that morning. Very unusual.

The chalet was well-appointed for self-catering, and we got ourselves a nice pack of groceries prepared for us at the main lodge to take along. The layout of the chalets interior with the huge boulder behind the beds oozed lots of special character. Lovely site.

Breakfast we had at the main lodge, which was buffet style and very good." See all these reviews: 21n in Namibia

"Long distance from lodge and any facilities makes it very remote.

Lovely cabin but we did not spend much time there due to remoteness." See all these reviews: 12n in Namibia; 2n in Botswana

"We stayed away from the main area in unique and quaint chalets.

The dark sky was perfect for night photography, and we took advantage of the location for some terrific milky way photographs. Our chalet was comfortable although quite warm. Dinner and breakfast were buffet but with lots of options, and adequate. We found the reception staff not particularly friendly on checkout, but overall enjoyed the stay.

A tub of ice, and a couple of free waters in the room would have been a great plus, as would a thinner sheet - the heavy comforter was too much given the already warm temp in the room." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia

"As soon as I read about Eagles Nest, I wanted to stay there and the reality exceeded expectations!

Our room, The Rock, is built literally around a rock and combines creative design with comfort. It is like being in a Western!

The Desert Inn provides excellent food with generous helpings, choice and friendly service. It is just 15 minutes drive from the famous wild horses and we saw a foal! It is a great location to visit Lüderitz/ Kolmanskop but we were sorry not to have longer at Eagles Nest itself to enjoy the location and do some of the walking trails on the property." See all these reviews: 11n in Namibia

"Great location wish we could have stayed another night" See all these reviews: 7n in South Africa; 5n in Namibia

"Our view: 7-8/10. Amazing cabin in the middle of nowhere. Our cabin had an amazing view, spacious enough, basic but well appointed. Bathroom is small, lighting a bit dim and...no a/c or hairdryer!! Good food at the main lodge, but don’t need 5 courses. Being 7klm/15 mins away is a bit of a pain, but the price of isolation. Average WiFi but only at reception." See all these reviews: 20n in Namibia

"Driving from Canyon Lodge, we drove straight to Luderitz and Kolmanskop, and spent the whole afternoon exploring the old mining town.

For this reason we didn't arrive at our accommodation until that evening. We were given a very warm welcome, and had a great night's stay in the chalet. Unfortunately, after a great breakfast, we moved on to our next lodge, so didn't do any activities whilst here.

N.B on wildlife - informed there are no cheetah in this area. On the road from Aus to Luderitz we saw Ostrich,Oryx, a Jackel and wild horses. We also saw a scorpion whilst driving to our chalet in the headlights after dinner!" See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia; 6n in South Africa