Location:
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Sossusvlei Mountain Lodge is situated in
the echoing foothills of the NamibRand Nature Reserve, a vast reserve spanning 184,000
hectares of pristine Namib Desert, painstakingly reclaimed for conservation to become the
largest private nature reserve in Southern Africa. The Namib is a world of immense
solitude, of far horizons, arid desertscapes and jagged mountain heights, hauntingly
beautiful in its stark emptiness, unforgiving in the extremes of its climate and
mesmerizing in these vast, ever-changing sunlit spaces of the worlds oldest desert. Indeed the desert has many
faces and watching it sprawl below the flickering shadow of your
aircraft is an unforgettable experience. It is a sea of sand, of
massive regimented, twisting, shifting dunes - some of them a full
30 km. long and nearly 250 meters high, salt pans and mud flats,
relics of rivers that failed to make their way to the ocean. Underground
streams cross the wasteland, their secret course marked by the
incongruous mantle of greenery creeping through the fiery colors of
the ancient sands. They reach towards the far-off ghostly
shores of the Skeleton Coast, a graveyard of a thousand ships and named for the mariners
who survived the wrecks only to perish in the desert wastes...Yet, the Namib is also known as the
"Living Desert". Despite scarcity of rain, sea mists are borne by winds
whispering in from the icy Atlantic Ocean and the precious drops of dew and condensation
created by this phenomenon are the lifeblood of an intriguing myriad of desert-adapted
creatures and plants. |
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Accommodations:
| At last this secret and beautiful land
of the Namib can offer discerning travelers a destination of exceptional elegance and
comfort from which to explore the gifts of the desert. Yet this far-flung retreat is
easily accessible by light aircraft or road from either Swakopmund, Walvis
Bay or
Windhoek. Cradled against the ancient mountains, Sossusvlei Mountain Lodge offers a highly
sophisticated desert experience which echoes and embraces the haunting beauty of its
environment. From our warm yet unobtrusive service to the aesthetics of the lodge, we will
introduce you to a world of discovery and a place of rest for the soul.
Just 10 stone and glass desert suites are
scattered along the curve of the escarpment, each affording absolute
privacy and a sense of seclusion unsurpassed in the region.
The luxurious rooms are carefully designed
to capture the earthy beauty and solitude of the desert by offering panoramic views and
even an expansive star-viewing window above the bed for enjoying the Southern skies at
night. Each spacious air-conditioned suite - decorated in muted hues of ochre, umber and
ivory - boasts its own shaded deck, split level lounge area with fireplace for winter
evenings, sunny lawn, en-suite glass-encased bathroom and outdoor shower for starlit
bathing. |
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The rooms are equipped with all the creature for your retreat:- Fully stocked
mini bars, personal compact telescopes for game spotting, service intercom to the main
lodge, and even discreet CD systems for enhancing your peace with smoothing music from the
lodge's library.
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Facilities:
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The main lodge
is an ensemble of glass and stone curves, where walls have become windows or fold away
completely, welcoming inside the magic of the desert.
The lodge offers guests quiet
hideaways and viewing decks as well as the chance to share experiences with other guests
at the fire-lit bar or in the airy dining room where a first-class Namibian chef prepares
meals, combining classic elegance with African flair, complimented with a fine selection
of wines from our walk-in wine cellar. |
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Game
Viewing / Activities:
| Within this
realm of wind-sculptured dunes and 700 million year old mountains that etch the horizon,
the NamibRand Nature Reserve hosts animal-life unlike that found anywhere else on earth.
Mammals include Springbok, Hartman's Zebra, Ostrich, Baboon, Grant's Golden Mole and that
sentinel of the dunes, face painted clown-like, the Oryx (Gemsbok). And with a treasury of
busy, often burrowing insects such as the Tok-Tokkies, Geckoes and
Sunspiders, predators
are also present. These include Leopard, Spotted Hyaena, Cheetah, Jackal, Cape and
Bat-Eared Foxes, Aardwolf and African Wildcat. Over 115 species of birds occur in the
area:-Lappet faced Vultures, Black Eagles, Booted eagles and Martial Eagles command the
skies whilst Sociable Weavers are the haphazard architects of the largest birds' nests in
the world.
With mornings and evenings being the
time at which most of the desert excursions take place, from exploratory walks to sunset
dune rides on ATV's, most guests relish the midday hours as a time of blissful
relaxation.... and there is a unique extravagance about a swim in the desert! Below the
main lodge guests can enjoy a revitalizing dip in the pool, fed by water from an
underground spring, whilst gazing out over the desert that stretches into the distance.
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But at last, when night falls, nature
puts on her grand finale and dons her glittering finery of stars. The crisp, dry air of
the desert provides an unparalleled opportunity to stare into our galaxy and so Sossusvlei
Mountain Lodge has built its own observatory, boasting the most powerful electronic
telescope in Namibia, outside of the National Observatory. Digitally-aided, guests can
accurately traverse the Southern skies whilst field guides share their knowledge of the
cosmos, adding yet another dimension to your journey of discovery. |
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Rates:
Please contact us for a suggested
itinerary and quote
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