Spotlight on Beautiful Sossus Dune Lodge of Namibia

I’ve been smitten with Namibia ever since our visit last August. I’ve been so tempted to write about the boutique sustainable lodge we used in the Namib desert. But I’ve been resisting the urge to write about the Sossus Dune eco-lodge. After all, who writes about a hotel! More so, who writes about a government-owned and run lodge! But this one is special. It’s a destination and an experience in its own right. So, here it is for you to decide if it’s worthy of a blog post.

Sossus Dune Eco Lodge in Namibia is a fine example of sustainable tourism in gorgeous Sossusvlei. The architecture of Sossus Dune Lodge is inspired by an African village setting and is built with local materials like wood, thatch, canvas, and stones. Although Sossus Dune Lodge looks like an Afro-village from the outside and it fits naturally in the Namib-Naukluft National Park, it has all modern amenities for a traveler to experience the wonders of Namibia in leisurely comfort. In these ways, its similar to the Alpine Village set in the woods of Jasper in the Canadian Rockies.

We stayed in Sossus Dune Lodge as part of our 5-day trip to Namibia which was part of our 14-day trip through Southern Africa. The drive from Windhoek to Namib-Naukluft National Park was long and rough, but the friendly staff at the entrance made us smile. We couldn’t wait to go further into the national park.

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Read the 5 days in Namibia part of our 14 day trip in Southern Africa

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An Overview

Sossus Dune Lodge has 25 units, 13 on one side and 12 on the other side with a common area in the middle. The 25 units fill up months in advance, even in the off-season.

We stayed in one of the units on the far left. In the cold winter nights, it may have been more convenient to be closer to the restaurant. The units farthest from the center are the honeymoon suites with a few special arrangements.

The car parking is a bit far from the lodge. In the picture above, there is a small red hill on the extreme right. The car parking is to the right of that hill, while the lodge is to the left. The National Park staff is always at hand to give a ride (and carry luggage) between the lodge and the parking area. The drive is a good opportunity to chat with the locals.

The reception desk can answer questions, give directions and arrange for guided private tours in the national park. However, the staff lives outside the national park because there is no housing in the park. I loved the collection of books about Namibia in the little library. I wish I had more time to read them all.

Our Home in the Namib Desert

The Sossus dune lodge is built with utmost care and respect for nature. As you’ve noticed by now, the entire lodge is built on raised wooden platforms to allow for stones, water, animals and plants life to move and grow freely.

I watched the desert for hours as the light and colors changed with the sun.

The patio in every unit is perfect for soaking the winter sunshine, watching the desert sunset, or stargazing the desert sky. I had read that many monkeys visit the patio and can be a nuisance. We only say a wild dog at a distance and no wildlife came close to the rooms during our stay.

Enjoys this short video tour of the Sossue Dune Lodge –

Vegetarian Food in the Desert

Namib-Naukluft National Park as a whole has extremely few dining options, so we planned ahead and carried food from home that supplemented with fresh produce and bread from Windhoek.

At Sesriem entrance of the national park, we checked the few eating places for vegetarian options, but I didn’t see any half decent choices.

Sousse Dune Lodge offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the restaurant. The lodge kitchen prepares fresh meals in the structure behind the restaurant on the hill. The kitchen was able to customize our meals to a great extent.

Each morning, the kitchen prepares a full continental breakfast with traditional African additions. The buffet doesn’t have many vegan options but the chef created some hot dishes for me. The kitchen can also pack breakfast-to-go if you’re going for a sunrise hike. Breakfast was included but the other meals were not.

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We had lunches on our own from the ingredients we carried from home and from Windhoek so we didn’t really check the lunch options.

For dinner, the restaurant served a set-meal with multiple courses for about $35. They do a very good job with the food and the excellent service. They made a delicious vegetarian meal but didn’t have a vegan option for the main course.

Sunset in Sossus Dune Lodge

Here is a short video we took from the deck of our room. The hyperlapse of 1.5min represents the sunset that lasted over 30min.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some questions we had or wish we knew to ask. I’m sure you’ll find them useful.

Related Articles

• Our photo gallery from Namibia
• 5 days in Namibia’s Namib-Naukluft National Park
• 14-day itinerary of Southern Africa
• How SCP in Colorado Springs embraces Responsible Travel
• Alpine Village set in the woods of Jasper National Park
• 5 Sustainable hotels in Costa Rica
• Expert Africa review
• Namibian Wildlife Resorts 
• Villages in the Thar Desert
• Dunes of Rajasthan

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Have you visited Namibia? What was your experience?

Would you visit Sossus Dune Lodge? Is it worth it for you?