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Kulala Desert Lodge
Kulala Desert Lodge
Kulala Desert Lodge
Kulala Desert Lodge
Kulala Desert Lodge
Kulala Desert Lodge
Kulala Desert Lodge
Kulala Desert Lodge
Kulala Desert Lodge
Kulala Desert Lodge
Kulala Desert Lodge
Kulala Desert Lodge

Reviews of Kulala Desert Lodge

Wildlife sightings and reviews

353 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Kulala Desert Lodge and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa

Wildlife sightings by our travellers
Starting in May-2018, 63 of our travellers have recorded their wildlife sightings at Kulala Desert Lodge.
Leopard

0% success

Cheetah

0% success

Oryx

95% success

Zebra

22% success

Brown Hyena

13% success

Wildebeest

13% success

Spotted Hyena

7% success

Giraffe

4% success

Meerkat

2% success

Aardvark

0% success

Pangolin

0% success

Showing 141-150 of 353
Duration
Arrival date
Mr DN
NW London

"Good Lodge for the Namib Desert"

2 nights Arrived 26 Feb 2016
"The lodge has it's own gate into the Namib Desert National Park, allowing you to enter straight from there at sunrise, which is useful compared to all other lodges that are outside the park (there is only one that is inside the park at the moment).

The little chalet rooms have recently been extended and are very cute, all offering a great view of the dunes in the distance. They also have a flat roof space, where you can request a mattress to be laid out and sleep literally under the stars - of which there are so many visible, it's incredible! This aspect of the lodge is really cool!

We did the Namib Desert tour, but really disappointed at our guide: we left 25minutes and stopped at a non-spectacular point (Dune 1) to view sunrise and a talk about the wildlife, when you should actually make sure to get to the photogenic dunes as quickly as possible to view the amazing color changes there at sunrise. The guide didn't understand this - he didn't even stop at more interesting dunes on the way to Sossusvlei. Given the namib desert and deadvlei were the main reason we went to Namibia, this was quite a disappointment. We even sat down with the tour guide the night before and stated that we wanted to leave as early as possible and he confirmed departure times with us. We then ended up leaving 25 minutes later than we should have - partly because we were waiting for other guests - something I have no understanding for when it's meant to be a sunrise experience.

In addition, there was a school class of 35 staying at the lodge while we were there, which we were surprised the lodge or Expert Afria (if known) didn't tell us in advance as they knew we were celebrating our honeymoon. Knowing this we might have opted to upgrade to Little Kuala - or as a gesture the lodge could have upgraded us when they saw our disappointment.

The staff were friendly, but not that attentive. E.g.-
1) they set out a twin mattress on our honeymoon
2) the same waitresses would need reminding about our dietary requirements even after serving us every meal.
3) needing to repeatedly remind staff to put out the mattresses in the evening.
However, the Food & Beverage Manager Brodwin really made our stay! He went extremely out of his way to cater for our dietary requirements - something none of the other lodges had done to this extent and was really touching!

Having said all this - the own gate really does make a difference (with the right guide) if you don't want to stay in the government run lodge within the park. So staying at one of the two Kuala lodges is definitely recommended - we will probably opt for the more luxurious little kuala next time." See all these reviews: 9n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Average
Activities:
Poor
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
The Ys
London

"Highlight of our trip - Kulala Desert Lodge"

2 nights Arrived 12 Feb 2016
"Beautiful situation. A really "well-oiled" establishment with very personal service.

Our guided trip to the dunes with Stephanus was magnificent. He stopped wherever we wanted for photos and took us on a wonderful trek up Big Mama Dune and walking in both Sossusvlei and Dead Vlei. The tour was personalised for the 2 of us and included a stop for refreshments after the main climbing and walking. Steph was well informed and took us also on an evening nature guided tour, with sundowner drinks and snacks.

The staff at Kulala all seem to be happily working as a team and infuse a delightful atmosphere. They put on a 30 minute singing and dancing show at dinner - far removed from usual touristy shows - it seemed to be an expression of THEIR enjoyment.

Steph said that Wilderness Safaris are very good employers and there does seem to be good training and career progression." See all these reviews: 7n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs W
Singapore

"Great Eco-Friendly Lodge with Private Access"

2 nights Arrived 4 Feb 2016
"Kulala Desert Lodge is a comfortable lodge with wonderful amenities for the traveller while remaining environmentally friendly (ie, no air-conditioning). What really makes it great is the level of service, the friendly staff, the delicious food, and the amazing panoramic view of the dunes from the dining room. An added perk is the private entrance to the park - which means a quicker arrival to the dunes before the other tourists.

If we returned during cooler weather, we would stay here again. If not, we may try Little Kulala only because 12pm - 4.30pm resting time was so uncomfortable. The private shaded pool at Little Kulala sounds like a great way to get through the heat of the day!

Tip: ask for your bed to be made up on the rooftop of your chalet, because it is an amazing way to see the stars!

Suggestion: It would be great if there was one cool area to escape to within the lodge during the midday heat. Presumably that would be the pool, but it was under the blazing hot sun so did not feel very tempting in 40 degree weather! This may only be an issue if you travel during the rainy season as we did." See all these reviews: 10n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Mr Nelson
Baar

"Kulala Desert Lodge review"

2 nights Arrived 1 Feb 2016
"Wonderful location.

We missed airconditioning as it is still very warm even during the night. Food was average.

The staff was very friendly and, in particular the guide was very good." See all these reviews: 11n in Namibia; 3n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Good
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Average
Facilities:
Good
PG Wales
UK

"Kuala Desert Lodge review"

2 nights Arrived 6 Nov 2015
"Amazing location, wonderful young woman guide, Suama.

Climbing the Dunes and going down into the gorge at Sessriem was a wonderful day. We also enjoyed a nature walk with Suama learning about the trees and plants and their uses.

The food was good and the camp choir really sang and danced with great skill." See all these reviews: 13n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Good
Mr D & Ms P
Dursley

"Amazing location"

2 nights Arrived 24 Oct 2015
"This really is a spectacular setting and so convenient for access to the Namib-Naukluft dunes.

Staff are lovely and helpful. The food was excellent." See all these reviews: 11n in Namibia; 4n in South Africa
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr A
Washington DC

"Kulala - Sossusvlei!"

2 nights Arrived 24 Oct 2015
"Anything this close to Sossusvlei is going to be excellent, and it was. This was a very nice camp, with attractive accommodations, and fantastic views of the desert. Sunsets over the dunes were wonderful and watching the balloons float over the horizon was also very nice in the early morning.

First rate, food and service - typical of Wilderness Safari camps. The guided trip to Sossusvlei - breathtaking - was well worth it. The guides know how to navigate the deeps sands and had interesting information to share. It is easy to see why Sossusvlei is one of the crown jewels of Nambian travel.

The only downside was the wind and ensuing sandstorm. But that's mother nature and part of the Nambian package." See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Ms J & Mr J
Reading

"Great friendly desert camp - really helpful."

2 nights Arrived 24 Oct 2015
"A wonderful location with excellent facilities. Good tent.
Best of all - outstanding friendly and helpful staff. A really good atmosphere in the Lodge - the staff were all well trained and it felt a really nice place to be. We got a puncture on the approach to Kualala - the manager immediately took care of the vehicle and asked a colleague to change the tyre and mend the puncture for us. All effortless and no formal charge (thank you!).

Our guide up the dunes was very good, well informed and competent.

Very very good service all round - thank you. One small comment - I think I undertook climbing Big Daddy too lightly. I got up there but thought maybe visitors might be warned that it is quite challenging climbing up in the heat (obvious I know!)" See all these reviews: 10n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
I&C
UK

"Kulala Desert Lodge review"

2 nights Arrived 19 Oct 2015
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Good
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Mr & Mrs Y
Cricklewoo

"Kulala Desert Lodge review"

2 nights Arrived 1 Oct 2015
"Beautiful location. Good food and service. You can spend some of the night on the roof of the chalet (the staff make a bed for you if you ask).

Regarding the activities, we could see no reason to take their rather expensive trip to Sossusvlei since we had our own vehicle (if you go with them you get to Sesriem through a private exit from the lodge; we had to drive an extra 25km). The sundowner trip also seemed expensive and pointless." See all these reviews: 16n in Namibia; 3n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Good
Activities:
Poor
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Showing 141-150 of 353
92%
353 reviews of Kulala Desert Lodge by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
237
95
16
5
0
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Other lodges in Namib-Naukluft National Park

Alternative places to stay in this same area.


Hoodia Desert Lodge

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The owner-run Hoodia Desert Lodge offers a high standard of accommodation, delicious food and excellent service in a stunning, peaceful setting just 22km from Sesriem.


97% (201 reviews)
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Desert Homestead

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With great-value accommodation in a lovely setting, Desert Homestead is a great base for exploring Sossusvlei.


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Zebra River Lodge

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Little Kulala

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Rostock Ritz

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Barkhan Dune Retreat

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Sossusvlei Lodge

Sossusvlei Lodge

Sossusvlei Lodge is one of the larger options in this area. However, it occupies a convenient location next to the Sesriem gate into the Namib-Naukluft Park.


92% (34 reviews)
Namib Outpost

Namib Outpost

About 30km from the gate to Sossusveli, Namib Outpost is a great base for exploring the dunes and surrounding attractions.


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Dead Valley Lodge

Dead Valley Lodge

Dead Valley Lodge is inside the Namib-Naukluft National Park, affording guests almost unprecedented access to the dunes.


88% (17 reviews)
Desert Camp

Desert Camp

Desert Camp is an economical option for independent travellers who want to self-cater, and is well situated for access to Sossusvlei.


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Desert Quiver Camp

Desert Quiver Camp

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Corona Guest Farm

Corona Guest Farm

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Namib Desert Lodge

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100% (2 reviews)
Le Mirage Lodge

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Solitaire Country Lodge

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Desert Hills Glamping Camp

Desert Hills Camp

Conveniently located for the renowned dunes of Sossusvlei Desert Hills Glamping Camp offers a simple but comfortable tents in picturesque surroundings.


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Desert Grace

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Camp Sossus

Camp Sossus

Camp Sossus is a offers top notch guiding in a remote wilderness area of the Naukluft Mountains with easy access to the famous dunes of Sossusvlei.


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The Nest at Sossus

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Designed to emulate the appearance of a sociable weaver nest the opulent Nest at Sossus is arguably the most exclusive private property in the Sossuvlei area.


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