Reviews of Bagatelle Game Ranch

"We stayed 1 night at Bagatelle on our way to Sesriem, and Bagatelle was our least favorite lodge of our trip through Namibia. This is a good, non-luxury stop if you are transiting through the area but wouldn't recommend it for more than one night maximum.

The chalet rooms have great deck views overlooking the red Kalahari dunes and a small manmade watering hole. The atmosphere is very casual and relaxed. However the room interiors are very basically equipped and in need of renovation (e.g., mosquito nets do not cover the bed, shower tile grout is almost black with age, window screens had holes).

The main building and attached boma/breakfast patio is very nicely decorated and it is easy to walk unaccompanied between the main building and chalet rooms at all hours of the day. Golf carts are available if needed. Hand sanitizer stations were positioned through the main building during our stay in April 2021, but Covid protocols were very relaxed and not enforced despite "wear masks inside" signs being posted on lobby doors. Most guests ignored any mask-wearing or social distancing guidelines. Dinner was plated and average-to-good quality, served at isolated tables in the main building's boma. Breakfast was buffet with optional hot menu options (eggs, sausage, etc) to order. For those needing to stay connected: there is spotty MTC mobile connectivity in the rooms but no wifi. Wifi is available but extremely slow in the main building only.

The staff and family/owners were all exceptionally friendly and accommodating. The ranch is a family-run establishment and while it houses a lot of different animals (horses, cheetah, 2 white rhino, sable antelope, wildebeest, oryx, giraffe, eland), the ranch feels more like a petting zoo than a conservation reserve. We paid the separate charge upon arrival for a sunset game, which was a shared vehicle with another couple. Most of it was spent driving around the fenced property with the guide calling out the prices paid for each animal. Enjoyable for sundowners but felt like a zoo, which was disappointing.

Overall we did not find Bagatelle to be a good value. It underwhelmed in many areas (room interiors, food, zoo atmosphere) to justify the room rates compared to other lodges throughout Namibia. Will look to stay elsewhere if we return to the area." See all these reviews: 13n in Namibia

"This is an old favourite and hopefully a future destination to.

It gives a real introduction to a trip, there is plenty of wildlife to see and the guides and staff are very friendly.

Hope to return again soon." See all these reviews: 19n in Namibia

"Great location, great views, great Safari!" See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia

"A lovely ranch. Nice reception, dining area. Highlight was the dinner which was excellent.

Rooms were fine, somewhat basic but suited us grand and the four of us were accommodated in the one chalet.

Staff friendly and helpful.

Good that kids were half price on activities." See all these reviews: 16n in Namibia

"Good welcome and great pool for tired youngsters after our car hire experience." See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia

"Great view of the dunes and wildlife from the boma, and boma very comfortable. However not a feeling of 'immersed in nature' as guide book states: peacock very noisy; donkey in the bar; 4-wheeler and horse noises/smells make if feel more like a farm. Restaurant staff not well-trained nor particularly friendly. No automatic porter service; needed to be requested.

strongly recommend the northern route to lodge if coming from Windhoek: this is marked on the brown highway signs, it gives a great view of the dunes, and best examples of social weaver bird nests we saw in Namibia.

Oryx for supper was badly overcooked though asked for rare (also over spiced). No complimentary wine as listed in guide book." See all these reviews: 6n in Namibia

"Animals not quite as wild as in previous locations, supplementary feeding taking place.

A bit concerned about the number of dead animals we saw.

Our game drive was in pouring rain - in the Kalahari desert!" See all these reviews: 12n in Namibia; 3n in Zimbabwe; 2n in South Africa

"We had great game drives at Bagatelle. We saw all the wildlife we had hoped to see and on the night drive we saw 5 aardvarks!!

Also lots of other unusual wildlife such as spring hares, aardwolf, bat-eared fox and zorillas." See all these reviews: 16n in Namibia

"We stayed here just one night which just wasn’t enough, this is a lovely hotel and has so much wildlife close by including the troupe of meerkats who live there. Views were incredible and the game drive was good with an opportunity to get out of the vehicle close to a group of giraffes. The cheetah reserve seemed well run and the dedication of the staff was obvious." See all these reviews: 10n in Namibia

"Very welcoming. Good food. Nice chalet overlooking the waterhole. Night drive is well worth doing." See all these reviews: 19n in Namibia