The 10 Best Lodges in Namibia in 2023

With the second-lowest population density in the world and endless wild landscapes, choosing the best lodges in Namibia can be tricky. However, as the World's Leading Safari Company, we know exactly where you should stay, how to get there, what to do, and more! As a country of juxtapositions, where the desert meets the ocean, a journey through its vast landscapes will feel almost surreal. From visiting the oldest desert in the world with its unique desert-adapted wildlife, a shipwreck graveyard, and glittering salt pans, it's an otherworldly wonderland. So, in no particular order, here are our top lodges in Namibia.

1. Ongava Lodge

Ongava Lodge is a well-established favourite among the best lodges in Namibia. It's also one of the best places to stay to experience a full-featured Etosha National Park safari. In a private reserve adjacent to Etosha, you have exclusive access to 30,000 hectares of the African wilderness. And you can see pretty much the entire reserve from your lofty vantage point! Furthermore, Ongava is one of the few places on Earth where you can track both white and black rhinos. Add a luxury lodge with warm hospitality and great food, and you've got yourself a first-class safari.

Who’s it for?

With a watering hole in the front and a complete range of safari activities, Ongava Lodge is an excellent choice for first-time safari goers, families, solo travellers and romantic celebrations. Photographers and birders will also love the ground-level hide.

Highlights

• Black and white rhino tracking on foot
• Ground-level photography hide at the watering hole
• Private game reserve for off-road traversing, walking and night safaris
• Excellent game reserve on the edge of Etosha with a research centre
• Lion, elephant, rhino and plains game, including black-faced impala

2. Anderssons at Ongava

Anderssons at Ongava is not only one of the best safari lodges in Namibia but also an important rhino and wildlife research centre. Like its sister lodge, Anderssons is inside the gigantic Ongava Private Game Reserve giving you the best of Etosha National Park combined with an exclusive safari and a fascinating interactive conservation experience. With a watering hole on your doorstep and views forever from everywhere, including your suite, Anderson's at Ongava offers both a tranquil haven and an exciting, inspirational wilderness adventure.

Who’s it for?

With an emphasis on its research centre and wildlife, Anderssons at Ongava is ideal for experienced safari-goers wanting to go deeper into the experience. The ground-level hide is excellent for wildlife close-ups, while the rhino tracking is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Highlights

• Interactive conservation and research centre
• Ground-level photographic hide at the lodge's watering hole
• Intimate and luxurious with air-conditioned suites facing the watering hole
• Species-rich game reserve on the edge of Etosha National Park
• Eco-friendly with solar power

3. Sossusvlei Desert Lodge

Out of the great andBeyond cannon of luxury camps and lodges, Sossusvlei Desert Lodge offers exceptional service, luxurious amenities and a sublime setting. Above all, it pays homage to one of the most peaceful and tranquil places on Earth. Explore the world's oldest desert, the Namib, by day and the spectacular celestial show by night. Located in Africa's only official Dark Sky Reserve, the state-of-the-art observatory and in-house astronomer will have you up all night. Explore the desert by air, on foot, on e-bikes, quad bikes or an open-top safari vehicle. Sossusvlei is a fascinating and serenely beautiful place to reconnect with yourself, your loved ones and nature. 

Who’s it for?

As one of the best safari lodges in Namibia, Sossusvlei Desert Lodge is ideal for honeymoons, milestone celebrations, transformative and wellness experiences, and luxury travel. It's also excellent for families with two connected suites and a range of fun, safe, family-friendly adventure activities.

Highlights

• Observatory and in-house astronomer in Africa's first Dark Sky Reserve
• Otherworldly views and architecture
• andBeyond's signature service, food, facilities and attention to detail
• Excellent guides and the full range of classic Sossusvlei desert activities
• Watch desert-adapted wildlife, including oryx, jackal and zebra

4. Doro Nawas

Pioneering community-based conservation with a gigantic 400,000-hectare conservancy, Doro Nawas offers stunning views. With effortless luxury atop a high rocky outcrop, it looks out across Damaraland and some of the oldest scenery on Earth. This luxury safari camp features classic Wilderness Safaris hospitality in a remote and rugged region of Namibia. The main lodge is a quirky fortress complete with a courtyard and rooftop seating, and the suites are enormous havens of luxury and privacy.

Who’s it for?

The ancient desert supports fascinating desert-adapted wildlife, most notably elephants and several endemic bird species. Furthermore, the geology is fascinating, and the scenery is astonishing. Therefore, Doro Nawas is great for self-drive adventurers, photographers, romantic celebrations, families and birders.

Highlights

• Elephants and other desert-adapted wildlife
• San rock art and ancient geological attractions
• Spectacular views of Damaraland’s scenery and night sky
• Enormous thatched chalets with the option to sleep out under the stars
• Pioneering ecotourism venture in a community-owned concession

5. Little Kulala

Little Kulala is an 11-suited desert camp in an enormous private reserve adjacent to Sossusvlei in the Namib-Naukluft National Park. Here, luxury and a sublime setting combine to create one of the best lodges in Namibia. The suites are generous with climate control, plunge pools and rooftop star beds. Furthermore, the service is excellent, and the food defies the impossibly remote location.

And then you start exploring the orange dunes. With an exclusive-use entrance to Sossusvlei, you get the jump on pretty much everyone else. Back in the 27,000-ha private reserve, you'll go on scenic guided outings to discover a surprising amount of wildlife. Then you can round off the experience with spa and wellness treatments, a sleep-out under the stars and total silence.

Who’s it for?

This intimate luxury safari lodge is ideal for couples and solo travellers wanting a transformative, wellness desert experience in total peace and tranquillity.

Highlights

• Exclusive-use, early-bird entrance to the dunes in Sossusvlei
• Solar-powered eco-lodge in a large private nature reserve
• Air-conditioning, private plunge pools and rooftop star beds
• Excellent guided activities including walking, e-biking and quad biking
• Take to the skies and admire the desert from a hot air balloon

6. Damaraland Camp

Damaraland Camp is a shining example of community development and conservation through tourism. As one of Namibia's best safari lodges, Damaraland Camp sustains a 350,000-hectare community-owned conservancy. Remote and scenically spectacular, this stark and arid land supports a surprising diversity of wildlife. Moreover, the cultural, historical and geographical elements add depth and meaning to an already fascinating and moving wilderness experience. As far as luxury safari camps go, Damaraland Camp has the essentials covered, making sure you experience many "wow" moments in the wilderness.

Who’s it for?

Its remote tranquillity in a unique setting is ideal for romantic celebrations, couples, families and solo travellers. Anyone will enjoy the specialist desert-adapted wildlife tracking, photography, culture, and historical and geological wonders.

Highlights

• Tracking desert-adapted elephants and black rhino
• Remote, peaceful and very scenic setting
• Friendly, attentive service with your menu rendered in song
• Successful ecotourism venture with most of the staff hailing from the local community
• A mecca for birdwatching

7. Mowani Mountain Camp

Mowani Mountain Camp is built into giant boulders deep in the Damaraland wilderness. As a result, the view of this achingly beautiful land is something spectacular. Mowani is another community-owned conservancy success story and one of the best lodges in Namibia. Dome-shaped suites built of thatch, wood and stone gaze out over the endless expanse of Namibia's glorious landscape. Therefore, this is the perfect place to unwind. Discover desert-adapted wildlife, including the elephant, black rhino, zebra, giraffe, oryx, springbok, elusive predators and birdlife a-plenty. Furthermore, you're a scenic hour's drive from San rock art, a petrified forest and fascinating geology.

Who’s it for?

Mowani Mountain Camp has honeymoon and romance written all over its gloriously private suites. It's also a great place to relax and recharge your batteries.

Highlights

• A beautiful setting among huge boulders with spellbinding sunsets 
• Chalets are well spaced for maximum privacy, including plunge pools
• Excellent service and food
• Desert-adapted elephants, rhinos and other wildlife
• Guided and self-guided walks, game drives and cultural-historic outings

8. Shipwreck Lodge

For its spectacular dune location alone, Shipwreck Lodge has to be one of the best lodges in Namibia. Add exceptional service, fantastic food, comfortable cabins with a delightful design, and you've got a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Way up the Skeleton Coast and a gazillion miles from civilisation, the landscapes are both eerie and serene, beautiful and savagely rugged. Furthermore, the fascinating desert activities make the whole experience deeply rewarding.

Who’s it for?

Shipwreck Lodge is an exciting and utterly unique destination lodge straddling the wild Atlantic Ocean and the desolate Namib Desert. Couples, families and solo travellers will be blown away by the raw beauty and fascinating desert-adapted wildlife of the Skeleton Coast.

Highlights

• A very remote location on the Skeleton Coast
• Exciting activities, from quad biking to sandboarding 
• Wonderful team at your beck and call 
• Excellent food and level of comfort
• State-of-the-art architecture 

9. Chobe Water Villas

After exploring Namibia's beautiful, arid, desolate desert scenery, Chobe Water Villas offers a refreshing change of mood. Your luxury villa hovers over the water, and the tranquil atmosphere makes Chobe Water Villas one of our best lodges in Namibia. Huge herds of elephants and buffalo frequent the island and shoreline, and guided boat cruises take you even closer to the action. Dinner is a lavish five-course spread, and the facilities and amenities are impressive for such a remote and glorious location.

Who’s it for?

The combination of exciting river safaris, relaxing waterside ambience, and fine dining makes Chobe Water Villas an excellent stop on your self-drive tour of Namibia's incredible attractions.

Highlights

• Beautiful and tranquil setting where the Chobe and Zambezi Rivers meet
• River safaris with reliable sightings of elephant, hippo, buffalo, crocodile and birdlife
• Day trips to Victoria Falls and Chobe National Park
• Delightful five-course fine dining experience in the lush wilderness
• Large comfortable villas with magnificent views of the Chobe River

10. Strand Hotel Swakopmund

Occupying most of the pier that shelters Swakopmund's main beach area, the Strand Hotel is one of the best places to stay in this delightfully quirky town. With four restaurants, an onsite brewery, an in-house wellness spa and warm, friendly service, Strand Hotel is a destination in its own right. Rooms are smart, well-fitted and luxurious. The full-service spa is an excellent addition, and the hotel is well positioned to explore the town on foot and enjoy the cool, fresh sea breeze.

Who’s it for?

Great location, a variety of dining options and polished service make the Strand Hotel an excellent choice for groups, families, solo travellers and couples on their Namibia journey.

Highlights

• Ideal setting along a pier jutting into the Atlantic Ocean
• Excellent service and a variety of eating and drinking options onsite
• Wellness spa with steam rooms, rain showers, sauna and gym
• Activity planning and booking centre
• Adventurous activities await you on the dunes

Are You As Excited As We Are to Start Planning Your Namibia Journey?

The best lodges in Namibia offer an extraordinary range of experiences and settings. From rivers and dunes to boulder-strewn mountains and stark coastlines, your journey to this ancient land will be phenomenal. As the World's Leading Safari Company, we have in-depth knowledge and first-hand experience of this beautiful country. Contact one of our Travel Experts and start planning a luxury safari itinerary that's just right for you.

Featured Image Credit: &Beyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge