Reviews of Canyon Lodge

"Canyon Lodge is beautifully situated and its location is impressive and the facillities overall are of a good quality. The location of the swimming pool looking out over the desert is spectacular. However the rooms are looking a little tired - holes in the mosquito nets etc - and could benefit from some refurbishment.

The lodge clearly caters to the German market which is reflected in the food which is plentiful and one gets the impression they are trying a little too hard with some of the combinations which are to say the least eclectic.

We also found the service a little too formal and even perfunctory at times. Certainly compared with Bagatelle and especially Desert Homestead.

One concern we had was the abundant notices telling us to conserve water while they continually watered a verdant garden at the front of the lodge and outside our rooms the sprinklers were on regularly trying to coax life from a large expanse of soil. Maybe they should concentrate on planting more succulents!" See all these reviews: 7n in Namibia

"We received a very friendly welcome upon arrival, with a welcome drink and comprehensive introduction to the facilities. Our room was small, but comfortable.

The swimming pool at the resort is spectacular with views over the surrounding countryside. We found the staff very friendly and welcoming. The resort is favoured by coach parties and serves the main course at dinner buffet style - although they seem to manage this very efficiently, without the congestion around the buffet that we experienced at other resorts.

We had excellent lunches at Canyon Roadhouse en route and on the day that we visited Fish River Canyon itself. Canyon Roadhouse also has an excellent giftshop." See all these reviews: 18n in Namibia

"The lady who was managing was absolutely on top of everything ad very charming with it. I thought this place had improved since I was last here - better service and better food.

Bed linen and towels were faded and need replacing - not pleasant to use.

Sundowner walk was informative - guides did really well. They should pack wine as well as beer though because not everyone likes beer but would have enjoyed a wine - and given we had to pay think they should have had wine with them!" See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia

"We really enjoyed our stay here. All staff very friendly. All very good but we probably prefer slightly smaller places." See all these reviews: 18n in Namibia; 6n in Zimbabwe

"A friendly and efficient welcome. We were in room 25, one of the furthest from the main building but close to a service road. Despite some initial concerns this was not a problem as all we saw was one vehicle, four horses and the lad bringing our laundry back.

Beds were comfy, towels fluffy and showers hot. The swimming pool area is lovely but not particularly warm if the breeze is blowing – even Martin only braved the water for a few seconds. Breakfast and dinner were fine though there was a limited choice of vegetables. The main meat option each evening was a game meat. The best meal we had, however, was an impromptu lunch of hake after returning from the canyon – absolutely delicious! There is no set lunch menu – you get whatever the chef has and feels like cooking.

Staff were all professional and friendly – special mention for Symon – guide, barman, waiter, host, anything that needs doing!
We opted to drive ourselves to the canyon rather than taking the organised trip from the lodge. This saved us quite a lot of N$ and the guided tour visited no more viewpoints than we did independently. We were the only people at the Sulphur Springs viewpoint for a while until another car appeared in the distance wanting to look at 'our' canyon." See all these reviews: 10n in Namibia; 4n in Botswana; 3n in South Africa

"Quite a challenging drive there but completely worth it. Knock out views, 360 degree vistas.

Chalets spread out amongst rock formations. I have never stayed in such an amazing room. It was built into the rocks, our shower was a cave in the rock hillside. I will never forget standing out on our balcony in the evening with the rocks behind us , and the view in front.
We were invited to a sundowner up on a rock; not keen to share the sunset with 10 other people but found it really worth doing. Lovely views, very peaceful.

Very friendly staff, all quite lively. Food absolutely excellent, though like all these lodges we found that you ate in the near darkness.
We didnt take a tour, we walked 6 km to their home farm where they grow all their own veg. Though we hadnt said we were going, one of the farm workers very proudly showed us all their growing areas, and explained how they farmed in such an arid area. Fascinating.
Swimming pool setting was superb, all by itself perched on the edge of the rocks. Completely WOW." See all these reviews: 13n in Namibia

"A really unique location with rooms built around the living rock. This does involve a fair amount of walking and climbing between the main facilities and the rooms, so make sure you let them know in advance if this is a problem. It wasn't for us and we loved it.

Went on the sundowner walk on our first night which was good, and free, including the sundowner drink. All of the food was buffets and the selection small, however the food was well cooked and tasty so this caused us no problems. The bar prices were reasonable considering that they had a captive audience." See all these reviews: 12n in Namibia; 6n in South Africa

"A lovely lodge in a beautiful setting. Although our room was small there was heating which we needed in the morinings. Unfortunately it was too cold to use that amazing pool! An ideal base to explore Fish River Canyon." See all these reviews: 25n in Namibia

"Everything you could wish for if you were running the lodge yourself, service was spot on.

Could do with some better sign posting on the access roads to the lodge" See all these reviews: 16n in Namibia

"The lodge is wonderful and the staff (especially Madolyn and Selma) delightful.

The road in was horrendous - our first stretch of gravel road, 137 km long and (we later learned) in uncharacteristically poor condition. It was very badly corrugated for most of the way and had us wishing that we'd stayed at home. But rounding the final bends to see the lodge was a very pleasant surprise and we had a great two days here.

We were in the furthest of the bungalows (23) which felt wonderfully isolated, with beautiful views from the terrace - and another upmarket cave for a bathroom. Loved the way they had built into and around the rocks without compromising on comfort. The guided drive to the canyon was interesting and enjoyable - we particularly enjoyed stretching our legs on the walk to the hikers viewpoint." See all these reviews: 17n in Namibia