Sossus Dune Lodge — Local services in Hardap

Cash STOLEN from room! We decided to stay within the gates in this wonderful location to enable us to get to Deadvlei at sunrise. This was the only lodge available at extremely high prices and we booked last minute, so we decided to go ahead. The rooms were very nice but everything was covered in sand. It was windy so maybe that’s normal. The services, restaurant, the staff, and everything else in this lodge is very low level. Thinking that we were in a high standard hotel when we went to Deadvlei (still a one hour drive from the lodge) with no services stores or anything else as we were told, we decided to leave a small bag which contained cash and credit cards and passports at the hotel not thinking that we need to put it in the safe we left it in the room. When we left the hotel on a five hour drive to our next destination on arriving at the hotel on the coast, I opened the bag only to find that there was a very large sum of cash missing from the bag that we had left in the room. The only time that bag was separated from us, as when we went to Deadvlei and the cleaners were the only people who had access to our room. I’ve subsequently found out that this is not a privately owned lodge and that the staff is employed by state from what I understand. When I called the lodge, explaing the situation and asking for a solution to this problem. They seemed disinterested and evasive, and also suggested that I drove back five hours to make a police report. I bitterly regret leaving valuables in this hotel, but I’ve never had problems staying in high level hotels around the world with cash or anything valuable going missing and obviously misjudged this particular hotel. A part from this rather unpleasant detail, I would definitely not recommend this place. If you want to get to Deadvlei early, it’s sufficient to get to the gate and drive there as the sun will not be creating beautiful light until an hour after sunset. As I said, there is no way that the service offered by this large is in line with the price that they charge, and I think they’re exploiting the fact that you are within the gates. I have waited three weeks to hear back from the hotel after making a complaint to them and as of yet I’ve...

Sossus Dune Lodge June 23-25 We arrived into the Sossus Dune Lodge mid afternoon prior to lunch. The lodge complex resides inside the Namib Naukluft park. One of the benefits of staying inside the park is the access you have to the dunes before sunrise or sundown. It was from here that we would explore the amazing dunes. Our small group was immediately greeted by lodge staff with a cool local beverage. Each of us were assigned a lodge. Porters delivered individual bags to each lodge. Individual lodges were designed to be eco-friendly made of wood, thatch, and canvas. Individual lodges were partitioned into three sections. The bathroom area with full plumbing that included a working toilet, shower, individual sinks complete with hot water. A large outdoor deck (the lodge is raised above ground) with comfortable chairs. It also served as an excellent clothes line to dry my washed clothes and a wildlife viewing deck. And finally a very comfortable large bed with sofa beds positioned in front of a large picture window. There was a small working fridge and plenty of power receptacles for charging. You must remember to have the appropriate receptacle adapter and insure your electronics can be charged using 220v. Front and deck doors locked and therefore belongings were safe while we were out.

We had several meals at the restaurant. Staff were attentive to our small group. Meals took more time than expected to be prepared. The restaurant served a variety of beverages ( hot and cold ) and also cocktails, beer and had a very appealing wine list for both reds and whites. The restaurant also catered a picnic breakfast for us onsite in Deadvlei which was amazing with hot coffee, juices and both cold and hot breakfast favorites including yoghurt, cereals, eggs, toast and bacon.

The location and excellent accomodation made a great impression. All staff were friendly and eager to serve. An outstanding place to spend trekking...

Stay at another place outside the gate. You will get way better value for money outside. Choose an accommodation around 20km from the gate. I know what most reviews on the internet say because I believed them and was disappointed. You get a bit of a timely advantage in the morning when staying inside the park. We were able to leave the lodge at 6.30 am whereas the main gate would only open at sunrise at 7.15 am. However, you will not get to see the sunrise on any dune because it takes you at least 40 minutes from the lodge to get to the dunes and at least 35 min to climb Big Daddy. Most people will be there in the morning, so the likelihood of you being the absolute first person that day is close to zero. The sunsets are just as nice outside the park, and again like with the sunrise, no sunsets on the dunes because you need to be at the lodge when it’s dark. The Sossus Dune Lodge is worn down and badly maintained. We did not feel comfortable here. There was only one accessible power outlet in the entire bungalow. The outside “walls” are made of fabric so you will need earplugs to sleep if you are sensitive to noises (like your neighbors moaning). The linen were made of polyester that makes you sweat even though you are freezing. You have to wear shoes in the bungalow because you will get several splinters in your feet if you don’t. It smelled like sewage in our bathroom. There are no curtains, so you will be forced to get up by sunrise. The internet is not included in the price of the room and even if you pay for it, it doesn’t work most of the time. It would have been better to get some chips and biscuits at the gas station and have that for dinner. The food is no good. The only good thing about this place is the nice personell but I guess that is due to the unbelieveable Namibian friendliness and not the Sossus Dune...