Reviews of Wolwedans Dune Camp

"Loved our stay here. Gorgeous tent (with outside shower), beautifully prepared food (best croissants ever), and a truly excellent guide with very deep knowledge of the astonishing landscape and the wildlife (including their tracks). Thanks Benny! We also appreciated the very attentive service from Rose and Lisette.

Highly recommended!

As well as the wildlife listed below, we saw black backed jackals, a sidewinder snake, a wedge snouted gecko, springbok, steenbok, and klipspringer antelopes." See all these reviews: 25n in Namibia; 5n in South Africa

"Beautiful spot, lovely camp with terrific well appointed tents with awesome views. Guide Johannes excellent. Service v good, food good.

Only slight negative was a dirty & not v inviting plunge pool.

Otherwise highly recommended." See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia

"We had a wonderful time at Wolwedans and would thoroughly recommend it.

The views from the accommodation were simply breathtaking. The service and the food were very good. Our guide was very hospitable and knowledgable and we really enjoyed 2 private guided drives around the desert.

We also attended the hot air balloon ride over the Namibrand desert." See all these reviews: 13n in Namibia

"One of the highlights of our trip. The setting is spectacular and the rooms and common areas are beautiful. The drives through the magnificent landscapes were great - informative and very relaxing.
We enjoyed all the food and particularly the salads at lunch made with lovely fresh produce.

There’s quite a long access road which starts very bumpy but most of it is pretty good." See all these reviews: 23n in Namibia

"Upscale camp, very clean, well appointed, very private, great service, great guide, scenery fantastic, many animals compared to Kalula lodge, was very happy we stayed 2 nights" See all these reviews: 11n in Namibia

"Very, very long drive to get there from Otjimbondona - 9 hours, mostly on awful roads. Didn't get there until it was almost dark. Access road was appalling.

Breakfast and lunch were good but evening meals were disappointing - food was luke- warm and one evening they forgot Julia's food and commented that "well. you don't eat much anyway". They managed to put something together but it was cold. Our understanding is that the food was cooked at the main camp and transferred by jeep on a 15 minute journey.

The camp was in a beautiful setting and the drives and guide (Tabitha) were superb." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia

"The location was amazing, rooms fantastic, the guide incredible!

A real wow!" See all these reviews: 20n in Namibia

"Woolwedans was simply spectacular! After a long 8 hour drive across Namibia we received a really warm welcome and immediately felt at ease. We arrived at the time of a new moon and were treated to an outstanding night sky, the Milky Way very clear.
Our guide Jonathan took us on many tours across the desert and he was full of interesting information to help to bring the amazing landscape into context for us. Such a stunning array of colours and life in the desert and all flanked by the Great Escarpment of Namibia.
The room had an incredible vista, the food beautifully presented and the sustainability ethics of the farm made this a very impressive and unique place to visit. We stayed in Namibia for two weeks across many other resorts and Woolwedans stood out as one of the best." See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia

"We are staying in Wolwedans Dune Camp four nights. As stated in the Wolwedans Dune Camp's description on their homepage: ”Positioned on the edge of a 250-metre high dune, Dune Camp has the most extraordinary views across the Namibrand [Nature] reserve. The main areas are spread out across a series of interlocking decks ensuring that the lounge, dining area and tea room all enjoy views across the endless dune landscape to the mountains beyond."

Dune Camp is part of the exclusive Wolwerdans Collection of Camps. Or as they also write: "Wolwedans is more than a collection of camps. It is a collection of dreams. In this land of blue skies and endless plains you will find beauty to feed your soul, tranquility to clear the mind, and space for your imagination to fly. You may feel completely overwhelmed at first, but then quickly settle into a landscape and immersive experience which is ‘simply out of this world”.

There is some truth in that statement; the location on top of the red dunes with a view of the plain and mountains in the distance is absolutely enchanting. In all directions we see spectacular scenery!

However, it comes at a price (8200 NAD per person per day). E.g. some of the guests choose to arrive by private plane at the local airstrip. Others opt for butler and own staff.

We stay in the "tented room". The generous tented room is built on wooden platforms raised off the ground. It´s comfortable and spacious, with a kingsize bed as well as full indoor and outdoor bathrooms. There is no coffee station, but a thermos is provided every night.

Outside, we have a generous deck which allows for plenty of lounging around, but unfortunately, there is not a lot of privacy. You can easily watch your neighbours - and the other way around (!) Not perfect design and perhaps the most important minus regarding this camp.

On the very positive side, you have a “Wolwedans Chiller”, which is a water-filled silo to cool off during hot summer months. We enjoyed this feature very much.

Also, you have full board and activities included in the rate, e.g.: Morning and evening scenic drives, Wolwedans desert sundowners, "Heart and Home village tour" (visit to the Wolwedans Village), full day scenic safari, bushman walk, and E-biking.

We opt for the visit to the Wolwedans Village, where the owner Stephan explained the whole philosophy behind Wolwedans. Very impressive work and recommended tour. We also did the desert sundowner and a very fast bushman walk. However, most of the time, we just enjoyed the most extraordinary views across the Namibrand Nature reserve, from the main buildings and from our own wooden platform surrounding the tent.

Every night, we had nice (but quality wise not very extraordinary) dinners on the wooden main decks overlooking the desert and starry sky! Also, a overlooking a nearby water whole. Before dinner, always sunset + G&T around the fire together with other guests.

On the full day excursion, we went to the North-eastern corner of the nature reserve with our pleasant and knowledgably guide Jacks. We had a scenic drive over the vast plains to a quiver tree forest at the foot of Mt Nubib Berge, actually this uiver tree forest was much more impressive than the famous one near Keetmanshoop which we visited several years earlier (in 2009).

We had lunch at the most spectacular viewpoint “Vultures View” on a small stony mountain peak. What a perfect full day activity.

The last full day at Wolwedans, I decided to climb Mt. Losberg – but that is another interesting story...

In conclusion, Wolwedans was a pleasant acquaintance, and we would like to come back once more. However, given the high-end price tag, Wolwedans staff need to pay more attention to details; not the number of gadgets or fancy facilities, but e.g., make sure; tents/rooms are in perfect shape every day with clean towels (change dirty on the floor), full refrigerator, and hot warm water every morning (e.g., outside the tent) rather than the lukewarm water from the night before. It is also a annoyance that you are not properly shielded from other guests on the private terrace in front of your tent.

Also, the service was always friendly, but certainly not always of the same high quality (some inexperienced staff).

PRO's
- Fantastic and completely unique location in the desert
- Total relaxation and tranquility
- Focus on employee well-being and training in Wolwedans Village
- Focus on local raw materials and a sustainable strategy

CON's
- Tents not properly shielded from neighbours, who have free access to watch each other on the wooden sundeck
- A little too little attention to detail (read above) - given the high price tag
- Some variations in the quality of service provided by staff - given the high price tag
- But bottom-line, we would love to come back another time!" See all these reviews: 35n in Namibia

"I think it is impossible for a lodge to have a more spectacular setting. The tents were beyond luxurious, and the staff and guides were awesome. So many memories -- sunrises and sunsets; ebike rides and horseback riding." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia