Black-faced Impala Guided Safari: Day-by-day

The Olive Exclusive combines understated luxury with contemporary amenities for a top-class small hotel close to the centre of Windhoek. If views over a tranquil olive grove from your own private courtyard sound appealing, read on.

For at the Olive Exclusive, just a few minutes’ drive from the centre of Windhoek, that vision is reality. With their subtle colours, natural materials and carefully chosen photographic artwork, four premier suites and three smaller but no less luxurious suites ooze a feeling of relaxation, as if the olive trees themselves have had a calming influence on the designers of this attractive boutique hotel.

As a place to recuperate after a long international flight, or to round off a self-drive trip around Namibia, it would be hard to beat. Ease away the stress of the journey with a hot bath, complete with candles, or slip off your shoes and wander outside, coffee or glass of sherry in hand, and settle down in the shade of a mature tree. In-suite facials and massages take indulgence to the next level, while a pool (or private plunge pool) offers a refreshing lift.

"Highly recommend!"

Ms & Mr PfromUSA

Arrived 5 Jun 2022, 1 night

When hunger calls, dine at the hotel’s equally exclusive restaurant, The Olive, which looks out over the twinkling lights of the city. Then wind up the day in the comfort and seclusion of your own personal oasis. See our full report on Olive Exclusive

Camp Sossus opened in April 2018. It is a tented camp in the Greater Sossusvlei-Namib area in the Neuhof Nature Reserve. With a firm focus on sustainability and quality guiding, it offers a unique experience in a private area close to one of Namibia's most iconic destinations.

"such a high level of service"

Ms BfromArizona

Arrived 27 Apr 2022, 3 nights

We pride ourselves in keeping up to date with as many as possible of Namibia's camps, new and old, in order to give you an impartial opinion based on personal experience. While we haven't yet had a chance to visit Camp Sossus, we expect it to be a top-quality, authentic option for your safari holiday. Once we have more information and/or one of our team has visited, we'll post more details here. See our full report on Camp Sossus

For location alone, with the Atlantic on three sides, it would be hard to better the Strand. Yet uninterrupted sea views from some of the 125 rooms and suites are just one of many attractions of this newly built hotel on The Mole, which shelters Swakopmund's small beach.

If the Strand is ideally placed for those wishing to dip a toe in the chilly waters of the Atlantic, rather more popular are its more hedonistic offerings.

Comfortable seating areas in the bright and airy foyer share the sea views through a huge glass wall, the tone softened by the sinuous trunks of potted trees. In the contemporary, air-conditioned (and heated!) rooms, soft grey-green walls are offset by chunky metal light fittings, while black-and-white pictures convey a sense of Swakopmund’s past.

Without setting a foot out of the hotel, you can work out in the gym, relax in the spa or make your way to the roof-top garden terrace. And that’s without Swakopmund’s wide range of attractions and activities.

"A lovely, modern, hotel in a very good central location.. Overall, excellent.."

Mr. & Mrs. EfromUK

Arrived 23 Oct 2023, 2 nights

Having worked up a thirst, or an appetite, stop for a coffee at the Farmhouse Deli, or a simple lunch at Café Mole. The Brewer and Butcher, with its own micro-brewery, needs no explanation. But for sheer seafood indulgence, it’s the Ocean Cellar that comes up trumps. See our full report on Strand Hotel

Small, intimate and firmly entrenched within the rugged terrain of Damaraland, Camp Doros revels in its simplicity. To stay here is to be immersed in the majesty of the surroundings, where massive boulders are scattered across vast plains, and ephemeral rivers add ribbons of green.

Spend your days in search of the rhino that roam these plains, or perhaps seeking out the ancient rock art that is secreted among the rocks. Explore on foot, or by vehicle, and marvel at this timeless landscape.

Back at camp, absorb the spectacle from the daybed on your private deck, or relish the cooling waters of the plunge pool after a day of discovery.

Subtly underpinning it all, Camp Doros boasts impressive environmental credentials.

Furniture is largely created from recycled materials, energy is 100% derived from solar power, and there's a sophisticated process of waste management.

With decent lighting and an open-air bathroom, there are creature comforts aplenty in the walk-in tents. So as you take in the views of this vast landscape from your comfortable bed, it's secure in the knowledge that the camp's footprint is really very small. See our full report on Camp Doros

A reinvention of the original camp, Andersson’s at Ongava invites travellers to expand the parameters of a Namibian safari. While the wildlife is more or less a given – in both the national park and on the Ongava Reserve – a sunken hide adds a whole new dimension, with eye-level access to the animals that frequent the waterhole. Discover more about wildlife at the on-site Ongava Research Centre, then turn your attention to the pantheon of stars that gild the Namibian night sky.

The new Andersson’s is itself something of a revelation, its nine suites emerging luxurious and exclusive from extensive renovations. You might expect air conditioning and WiFi, but to watch animals at the waterhole on your own smart TV is a real plus.

Of course, you can keep an eye on the waterhole from your own wraparound veranda too, or listen to the sounds of the bush in your outdoor shower.

"a great place to stay... Very close to Etosha"

Mr N.fromTeignmouth

Arrived 9 Sep 2023, 3 nights

With the whole lodge discreetly fenced, you can also wander around in relative safety – perhaps to the viewing deck, or to the firepit for a relaxed evening drink. Or cool off in the infinity pool where elephants drink alongside from their own trough. Now that deserves star billing. See our full report on Andersson's at Ongava

Shoot-the-lights-out luxury lodge in a private reserve near Windhoek airport that takes warm, safari-chic design very seriously. This turbo-luxury lodge from celebrity favourite Zannier Hotels manages to upstage a spectacular savannah backdrop. Get ready to blow the budget at Omaanda, set in a 9,000 hectare private reserve between Windhoek and the airport, which operates at the very highest level of safari chic.

This Zannier Hotels property ticks all the luxe boxes: glinting azure infinity pool, which sets off the surrounding orange-green savannah beautifully; cutesy thatched roof gin bar, repping plenty of local brands; and a sweeping beige, gunmetal-grey and aquamarine colour scheme peppered with wood and metal furnishings and plenty of glossy design magazines.

The reserve’s wildlife, spanning white rhino, a pride of lions, antelope of all kinds and warthogs, roam astonishing close to the smart 10 thatched roof stone huts. Sunrise and sunset game drives are offered to each guest to get up close and personal with them - with a cold glass of wine in your hand while you do it.

Add to Omaanda’s book a peaceful, all-natural spa and the finest food and wine in blockbuster surroundings and you’ve got one of the most rarefied lodge experiences in all of Namibia.

"All around fantastic lodge...Sorry we only stayed here one night"

M&AfromSan Diego

Arrived 6 Oct 2022, 1 night

Note: In our view, Omaanda is the place to end your trip, not start it... See our full report on Omaanda