Reviews of Kalahari Red Dunes

"This is a nice lodge with large, rustic rooms overlooking a water hole which encourages some resident wildlife to make an appearance, plenty of bird life too. The rooms really are large, ours had 2 inside showers AND an outside one too ! Very comfortable with aircon which is essential given the large glass windows.

We did the Trans-Kalahari trek. This sounds a grand affair but its really a Trek around the (10,000 acre) property in a kind of zigzag direction to make the mileage. It does give you a nice insight into the terrain and we did see some wildlife. Our guide, Phillomon (Sp ?) was very good in pointing out all sorts of desert flora and insects etc. There were many yellow flowers out too and it was nice to walk in the cool of the morning, though this does give way to extreme heat approaching the middle of the day.

We did +/- 18 km, it finished at the bush camp, which is very comfortable, even with a plunge pool which is v cold. The guide and a cook put together a really nice braai and it was fabulous to eat out in this way. Both guys talked about the bush and Namibia and we all enjoyed their company.

The rooms were very comfortable, but they were very, very hot ! the blanket/duvet is completely unnecessary, only really needs a cotton sheet. There isn't aircon or a ceiling fan, I opened some windows slightly to encourage a draught, but it was only any good when I cracked open the door a bit, which the next morning I learned I should NOT have done, as some insects/reptiles may want to come in and join us ! SO this IS a problem here. It was too hot for us to sleep properly, despite being tired after our trek. If you can't open the door and / or windows (later in the night I killed 3 or 4 mozzies so that was frustrating too) the camp owners need to consider how to make this work more efficiently. The windows need a fine gauze to allow a draught but to keep out even the smallest of insects. Not sure about how to modify the doors, but they need a large gauze panel with perhaps a drop down flap secured by velcro, again to keep out unwanted insects and reptiles but to allow the lovely breeze in, that does indeed blow at night and would have transformed our experience. Its all doo-able, Ive seen it in other camps. Kulala do it well in the Namib in their rooms.

In short, we loved the whole thing except the hot room. If we did it again, we'd just stay in our nice cool room ( # 5 Springbok) and get up early for an early morning walk and forget the sleep over in the bush camp. BUT, if they made the mods, this would be even better and quite special, please consider it Red Dune Lodge owners.......

I put 'Good' on the room grade which really doesn't take into account our pretty much sleepless night in the bush camp.
Food was ok, no choice, and no vegetarian option, given the increasing amount of people moving away from meat, this should be
a consideration, even if the dish is the same, just without the meat !" See all these reviews: 7n in Namibia

"A surprising accommodation out in the dessert - lovely and comfortable. We loved having the option of the outdoor shower.

There were plenty of animals that visited the waterhole, it was wonderful to see them from our room/the dining area/pool etcetera. We enjoyed the friendly service and delicious meals. When my husband said that he was not keen on duck, the staff offered game meat. When I heard that it was oryx, I inquired whether I could have that also, they were very obliging. The food was excellent - well presented and tasty. The portions were great - not too large.

It was handy having the Curio shop there for those last minute souvenirs." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia

"This is a beautiful place. Our rooms were unique, attractive, comfortable and well laid out. We enjoyed the friendly staff, and took a sundowner drive for wildlife viewing and a beautiful sunset location. Dinner and breakfast were very good, and the wait staff did well with our individual particular selections.

** We had vehicle issues on our way to the airport and the Mgment send a vehicle and driver to rescue us - enabling us to get to the airport without missing our flights. A Huge thank you to Chaimberlain, and to the Management at Red Dunes - we very much appreciate the extra efforts provided to us, and will highly recommend the lodge for such great customer service!" See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia

"Chalets are very comfortable, particularly as we were upgraded to the "honeymoon suite". This comes with its own private pool, which caused us some angst considering the prevalent drought conditions, but not enough to stop us enjoying it. The chalets are well spaced, which gives good privacy, but be prepared for quite a long walk to the central dining area.

When we arrived we were told that the evening drives were already full. This wasn't really an issue for us, but corroborates EA comments on the site. Instead, we chose to follow the 1 hour ("Red Dam") walk, where we saw Wildebeest, Zebra and Oryx at the dam. In places the trail was not well marked, and we ended up navigating by dead reckoning.

The staff are very pleasant, but slightly less personal than at some of the smaller lodges we stayed at later. Food was very good, with a good wine list. Overall, a pleasant place to spend a night, but with a rather artificial feel, not a lodge that we would want to stay longer at." See all these reviews: 20n in Namibia

"Amazing room.

The restaurant was average but adequate. Generally good service" See all these reviews: 17n in Namibia

"Nice individual chalet with an outdoor sitting place. comfortable and well run." See all these reviews: 12n in Namibia

"Wonderful place, luxurious rooms and amenities." See all these reviews: 22n in Namibia; 2n in Zimbabwe

"Excellent and spacious room, like all the lodges we stayed in the lighting in the bathroom was very poor.

Good food with the fire lit in the evening. We arrived just 10 mins prior to the departure of the sundowner, but we were able to join.

Our gluten free diet was respected." See all these reviews: 13n in Namibia

"A very enjoyable stay with very comfortable accommodation in a private reserve with many antelope. The 16 km walk feels like an achievement across the desert and is worth it for the lovely Dunes camp overnight but the game viewing on the walk is modest.

We did see our first Aardwolf on the evening drive! Like many Namibian lodges, the main course tends to be red meat/ game and there is no choice. We asked for an alternative but didn’t get a response at the table, so beware, you need to request the dinner menu at check in." See all these reviews: 11n in Namibia

"We were blown away by the tented lodges at Kalahari Red Dunes lodge.

The attention to detail was evident. The staff were very friendly and helpful too.

The free mountain bikes and trails were much enjoyed by my husband and kids." See all these reviews: 11n in Namibia