Reviews of Eagle's Nest

"Excellent place for activities with well-marked hiking paths, bike tracks etc.

However, some of the chalets at Eagles Nest seem to have a "mice problem" (since a while, to judge from the entries in the guest book).
Not "dangerous" of course, but even if all and any food is stowed away, night rest is somewhat difficult (mice "eating" on the curtains, your shoes, any plastic etc..)." See all these reviews: 14n in South Africa; 4n in Namibia

"We loved the story of the development of this lodge, the owners have worked long and hard to achieve a really comfortable place. The Wall was a unique chalet built into rocks and was fabulous.

Would have loved to use the pool but too cold, hope next time they’ve managed to use solar to heat it slightly?

We used our stay, like most others, to visit Luderitz and Kolmanskop which were fascinating but ensure you go to Kol on the way as it’s closed in the afternoons.

The road is perfect so it’s an easy trip.

Saw lots of wild horses, ostrich and oryx on the way to/from Luderitz but just a couple of ostrich near the lodge." See all these reviews: 22n in Namibia; 3n in South Africa; 2n in Zimbabwe

"We rated Eagles Nest good vs. Excellent due to the reception area and some of the service. The receptionist was pushy to sell tours and did not tell us about options for dinner outside of the buffet. Since the lodge was 7KM from our chalet we did not want to go back there after dark. I had read that the lodge offered meals to take to the chalet. Our chalet itself, was gorgeous. Set into the mountain itself with huge rocks for the back wall. It was set up for cooking. We did a great hike and returned to the lodge. The next receptionist offered us the menu for making meals in our chalet. We ended up getting charcuterie, sandwiches and wine. It was a cool night so we lit a fire and watched the sun set over the dessert. Did all work out!" See all these reviews: 19n in Namibia; 4n in South Africa

"A lovely location, we enjoyed our remote cabin built into a rock, and especially enjoyed the fireplace since we had not heat and it was exceptionally cold at night.

The location and landscape made it very special. We enjoyed hiking around the property.

The lodge itself was fine, but the food was very average served as a buffet in the evening and at breakfast and the items on the breakfast buffet especially, could have been of better quality.

Being quite large, it had a different feel (mainly at meal times and around the lodge itself) than the previous lodges we had stayed at, but that was fine. Staff were helpful if a bit brusk at times." See all these reviews: 20n in Namibia

"On the road:
Canyon Lodge to Ai-Ais
We were delayed at Canyon Lodge for one afternoon waiting for the replacement tyre and couldn’t drive to Ai-Ais as planned. So instead, on our day of departure we took a longer route to Klein Aus via Ai-Ais and Rosh Pinah.

Lovely drive through the mountains, with beautiful rows of stones next to the road. 70kms to
Ai-Ais Hot Springs Spa where the water from the spring is genuinely hot (65 degrees). We were expecting a pool of spring water to swim in but in fact the spring is just a trickle of water in a covered pool about the size of a fish pond. There is an excellent petrol station. The Spa resort was almost deserted although there are bungalows and a lot of space for campers which probably fill up in high season. It reminded me of one of those government run lodges in Zimbabwe, lots of concrete and endless empty depressing adjoining rooms. A classic camping lodge shop with lots of empty shelves but out of support we bought some lemon cream biscuits and the most expensive mug ever seen - costing N$160!!

Ai-Ais to Klein Aus
C37 & D278 to Aussenkehr - huge flat plain with mountains in the distance, felt like a wasteland with almost no vegetation at all. Saw 2 cars in 3 hours. An unexpected and brief bit of tar road by the vineyard (also unexpected) outside Aussenkehr.
C13 to Rosh Pinah - along Fish River (which has water in it) suddenly very lush and green. Small areas of mining, herds of goats. Absolutely beautiful.
Rosh Pinah - Skorpion zinc mining. Lots of smart new housing, lovely shopping mall with a supermarket and ice cream shop. We wondered where Skorpion’s employees lived and then came across Tutungeni township, so it very much feels like a town of two halves.

Klein Aus Vista, Eagles View
Upsides: stunning remote location; beautifully equipped simple chalet; nice family run establishment; very friendly staff; Hansa on tap; excellent food; did our own day trip to Luderitz (Essenzeit restaurant at the waterfront recommended for having a drink and watching the boats); wild horses at a watering hole just west of Klein Aus.

Downsides: a 10km drive along a bumpy track to your chalet, fine as long as that is what you are expecting.
Ceiling fan not really adequate for keeping cool during the day. You are instructed to keep windows closed because of the baboons which means you return to a very hot chalet. However with everything open all night, it does cool down and is bearable. The bed was made up with a duvet and blanket, neither of which were required!" See all these reviews: 20n in Namibia

"Very atmospheric accommodation with huge rocks protruding into the room.

Amazingly peaceful spot with great views out into the Namib. (Apart from the resident mouse!)

We stayed in the last lodge (Eagles View right at the end of the track.)

Had the breakfast pack for both mornings which was excellent. It would have been crazy to go to the 7km to the hotel for breakfast!

Had the dinner pack which we cooked on the braai one night which was fun.

Wonderful place to stay for at least a couple of nights." See all these reviews: 23n in Namibia

"A bit of self catering in the middle of the safari was great fun.

I tried barbecuing oryx kebabs.

The absolutely spectacular views and the drive down to luderitz was also fantastic." See all these reviews: 21n in Namibia

"Last time we visited Klein Aus Vista was with our two children in 2009. At that time, we were absolutely stunned by the vast landscape, solitude, silence, and the extraordinary sunsets over the Namib Desert. Especially, by the special next door “Diamond Sperrgebiet”. We always hoped, we once would be able to return again one day and explore the area. What a privilege to be here again!

The next-door Diamond Sperrgebiet is a prohibited diamond-rich area in the most southern part of the Namib Desert. It stretches along the Atlantic coast from Oranjemund & Orange River in the south - all the way north - to about 72 km north of the coastal town Lüderitz. The area is approx. 97 km wide and 322 km long. From 1908 until the early 21st century, all access by unauthorized persons was rigidly prohibited. Even today, you cannot move around freely, but you are allowed to follow the marked trails.

In 2009, we stayed at the nice campsite. However, this time, we upgraded to the Eagle's Nest Chalets which is eight amazing individual rock chalets literally built into large granite boulders with a rugged granite-gneiss mountain as the backdrop.

The view from our terrace is amazing. Above, eagles soar, and in front, the expansive views take our breath away.

At night, we sleep without any curtains for the windows. Its full moon. A lizard plays on one of the windows and captured by the camera from our bed. It´s the most amazing sight (& picture): A lizard on the window in front of the full moon. From the end of our large double bed, which leans against a huge granite boulder, we have an undisturbed clear view of the Namib desert with mountains in the distance.

Just as we are about to sleep, we hear a strange sound?! It gradually gets louder and louder. It sounds like an engine? Is a car coming now? This late? At this remote place!? Or is it a helicopter? We see lights in the far distance. We realize it is the solitary train from moving slowly on its way to Lüderitz 120 km further vest, where it will pick up uranium. We fall back asleep relieved.

At night at two o'clock, my wife suddenly wakes up. She has a strange feeling that someone is watching us. And indeed, just outside our panoramic window, 3 wild desert horses are standing next to our braai pit (grill), which is still warm after we cooked game for dinner in the evening.

At last, we hear no more sounds this night. The lizards and voles don't bother us.

We want to stay here forever. Just relax, read books, and cook on the fire, and eat in our private “desert restaurant” while appreciating the spectacular boundless space.

PRO´s
- Very kind service at the Desert Horse Inn Lodge (reception)
- Amazing architecture and spectacular views from Eagles Nest
- Extraordinary fine cabins with everything you need available
- Fine well marked walking trails

CON´s
- In some places the nearby nature appears a little worn / overused
- Perhaps a bit busy at the lodge with many visitors
- Not a "posh" luxury place (but friendly)" See all these reviews: 35n in Namibia

"This was a bit of a mixed bag. We arrived after a tiring drive to be met by the manager waving a dead chameleon at us and asking us drive slowly so as not to run them over. I wasn't sure if he was accusing us of driving over the chameleon or if it happened earlier. Whilst I empathise with his concern for the chameleon, it was a Basil Fawlty style welcome.

We stayed in an Eagles Nest chalet, which is a 15 minute drive away from the main lodge and restaurant, so it involves driving back in for your evening meal. The benefit is great views and exclusion, but we'd have probably been as happy in one of the chalets near the main lodge and skipped the hassle of driving in and out.

There are some lovely looking walking trails around the lodge, but as we'd just had 3 days doing the Tok Tokkie trails we were a bit over trekked and decided instead to drive into Luderitz and Kolmanskop on our rest day whilst at Eagles Nest.

The food was a pretty average and on our second evening meal fell below average meaning we sent a dish back uneaten. We were still asked if we were enjoying our meal and charged for it anyway, which just felt a bit clunky." See all these reviews: 13n in Namibia

"We had the Mountain View chalet, which is the south-eastern-most of the set. The neighbouring chalet was unoccupied, so it really felt remote and lonely.

This really is a place to truly get away from it all. We didn’t see any wildlife other than birds, but the views were superb and the starry night sky without any light pollution whatsoever was very special indeed. Unfortunately the sky was overcast early in the morning when I intended to do some star photography, and we even had rain later that morning. Very unusual.

The chalet was well-appointed for self-catering, and we got ourselves a nice pack of groceries prepared for us at the main lodge to take along. The layout of the chalets interior with the huge boulder behind the beds oozed lots of special character. Lovely site.

Breakfast we had at the main lodge, which was buffet style and very good." See all these reviews: 21n in Namibia