Camelthorn Kalahari Lodge

Mignon chalet au pied des dunes rouges du Kalahari. Bonne literie. Bon repas. Personnel sympathique. Goûter à 15 h et safari dans le réserve privée pour découvrir les oryx les gnous bleus les autruches, girafes, les 2 rhinocéros. Apéritif sur une dune au coucher de soleil. Piscine trop froide en mai.

The lodge has a spectacular location set between red Kalahari dunes. The drive in from the road is beautiful. The welcome from Seth was very pleasant and the cocktails at the bar were most enjoyable. The view of the swimming pool, the lovely green trees and the tall grasses were wonderful. The unit itself was spacious but basic and lacked usual conveniences such as soap holders in the shower and a broom to sweep out the sand brought in on our shoes. It was a cloudy evening with thunder clouds all around but dinner was set up outside rather than upstairs under cover. The power went out, according to the staff a very common occurrence. There were only 6 kerosene lamps to give a dim light. Guests were getting food and wine when it began to rain. There was a mad scramble to move chairs, tables, food and wine into the bar area. Wine bottles were knocked over, chairs were very wet, it was very dark and the food got cold. All this could have been avoided by having dinner upstairs under cover. The food itself was served from 6 cast iron pots which had been brought fro the main camp. It was very difficult to see what the food was. The power stayed off. We had to make our own way back to our units in the dark no assistance was offered. In the unit there was one candle only. No hot water for showers. When we left at 9am the power was still off. It is disgraceful that there was no solar power or lights despite power failure being a regular occurrence.

Un lieu très sympathique au milieu d'une propriété immense de sable rouge, nous avons adoré ! Des animaux s'approchent très, très près des installations. Un zèbre apprivoisé se promène à la piscine ! L'accueil y est très chaleureux. Les chambres indépendantes sont charmantes et très bien équipées. La cuisine est un peu simple mais très correcte. Nous avons adoré !

We arrived at the Camelthorn Kalahari Lodge at around 18h00 the evening of the 16 January. We were greeted by one of the friendly Staff Members with a drink and refreshing cold face cloth. After check in we were shown our room. Sebastian, if I remember correctly helped us with our luggage. We had a spectacular view over the Dunes with the Camelthorn Trees. After a refreshing swim, it was time for Dinner. Dinner was served under the Stars.We enjoyed the complementary Bottle of Champagne with our meal whilst enjoying the view of the sky above. The 4 brightest Planets all visible at the same time, enjoying the beautiful evening weather. After a good night's sleep, we started our day with a refreshing swim an a hearty Breakfast upstairs in the Boma. On our way out, we were greeted by a couple of Giraffes that were leisurely grazing along the Edges of the Pan in the Reserve. Namibia has so many hidden Gems. We will certainly be back.

Our guide picked us up in Windhoek and we drove down to the Camelthorne lodge our first day. They had a lovely garden around a swimming pool and an open air restaurant. They also had a lovely fire pit and buffet for dinner. In the afternoon we had the option of going on a game drive in the afternoon so we did. They have a huge open area and have stocked it with a variety of animals, ostrich, giraffe, Bat Eared Fox, zebra, Oryx, wildebeast, 2 Rhinos and more. It was a fun drive going up and down the small sand dunes and sitting on one for sundowners. They have lovely large simple cottages that reflec the Namibian lifestyle. It was a lovely stay and a good start to our trip, thank you.

As we entered the lodge premises we knew this was going to be nice. You do need a 4x4 to drive through the loose sand, but it was beautiful. The huts are comfy, and you are in the middle of the red sand. The safari was nice, although you do see some areas where they feed the animals. We lost our keys and the manager went above and beyond. Dinner was decent for vegans.