Corona Guest Farm: Our full report

Corona Guest Farm is in a fairly remote and mountainous spot, equidistant from Windhoek and Walvis Bay, and ...

... is a fairly traditional Namibian guest farm – notable for some great scenery and opportunities for serious mountain hiking.

Corona lies far to the north of the Sesriem area; it's no use as a base to see the dunes. In fact it's just east of the north-east corner of the park, fairly close to the famous 'Gamsberg Pass'. It's near to the foot of the Gamsberg Mountain – Namibia's fourth highest mountain, which is sometimes known locally as 'table top mountain' for its flat-topped profile.

The original guest farm burnt to the ground shortly after it opened in 1995, and the present Corona Guest Farm has been rebuilt on the exact same spot. The 18km drive from the main C26 turn-off to the guest farm remains very bumpy, but is scenic with game often seen grazing long side the road.

Driving up to the guest farm's under shade guest parking, it all looks very peaceful and quiet. The small gate into the front garden leads you through a beautifully shaded area, filled with beautiful colorful flowers and tall shady trees.

On entering the main area of the guest farm it is pleasantly cool, with high ceilings but it does feel quite cluttered, like a collector's house. There are lots of old antiques and a variety of mementos collected on one of the owner's trips to foreign and exotic places. Expect a fair number of rugs, various animal skins and an assortment of carvings from across the globe.

Amidst this stuff, there's an open-plan dining area and a lounge which both share one large room, and are adjacent to a small bar. If there are only a few guests, then everyone is likely to eat together.

Corona Guest Farm has ten rooms in and around its main farmhouse.

Within the main farmhouse there are four 'deluxe family-size suites' – each of whist is named: there's a Zebra Suite, an Elephant Suite, a Leopard Suite and an Oryx Suite. These are the first rooms to be used when Corona receives bookings – only when these are full will the farm's 'standard rooms' be used.

Each of the suites is reached from a door off the main lounge/dining room area, and all are very big. These are adorned with a variety of books and ornaments – like a private room at someone's home. There's a mini-bar/fridge here – stocked with water when you arrive – and a full bookshelf, although most of the books are in German, as befitting the native tongue of the owners!

These suites are all split-level. A lounge area incorporates a sofa and a coffee table and a writing desk, from where steps lead up to the bedroom itself. The double bed is dotted with cushions and lot to the floor – and most of them are decorated with some form of fabric or print mirroring the name of the room. (Eg: A zebra print on the bed in the 'Zebra Suite'.)

Each suite has an en suite bathroom with relatively busy, colourful décor; ours had purple-patterned tiles! There's a flush toilet here, several mirrors, constant hot water, and an interesting design for a shower which requires one to step through the bath to reach it!

A glass door leads from the lounge-area of these suites to its own private outside veranda, from where steps lead into the communal areas of the garden. There, set in grass and away from the main house, is a lovely, large modern swimming pool.

Outside the main farmhouse, through the garden, are the farm's six 'standard rooms'. These bright, cheerful rooms are quite different from the suites in the farmhouse – as although they're smaller … they are more modern and less cluttered than the suites.

All these rooms have double beds, with bed-side table and lights, as well as a chair and a writing desk. Each has a separate en suite bathroom, with a shower, but no bath. Outside these rooms is a long, shaded veranda – shared between them.

Well away from the main farmhouse area, they also have four en-suite tents; there's also a mountain hut that can be rented out for minimum of five nights; there's also a nearby farmhouse, called Piccadilly, which has three double rooms which can be rented out – but when we last saw this, it required some modernization before we could recommend it.

Corona Guest Farm is a place for activities, and it does attract some very serious hikers. With advanced notice, the farm's manager can also organize horse-riding trips. Given the rugged nature of the landscape, we'd only recommend this to experienced riders. (We haven't the specialist riding knowledge to assess the tack, horses or riding guides here with any certainty, so it's always important that travellers satisfy themselves about the safety of the riding here.) Scenic drives and nature walks are also available.

Our view

When we visited Corona in 2010, we found a very traditional guest farm that offers good (quite serious) hiking. There was some game there – including plenty of kudu, steenbok, oryx and lots of Hartmann's mountain zebra. It's a great place for scenery and serious hiking, as long as you're happy with the feeling that you're staying in someone's own home.

Chris McIntyre

Namibia expert

Geographics

Location: Namib-Naukluft National Park, Namibia
Ideal length of stay: 2 -3 nights, but keen hikers may want a little longer.
Directions: Corona Guest Farm lies about 18km south of the long, gravel C14/C26 road which is the southern-most link between Windhoek and Walvis Bay. The 18km drive from the main C26 turn-off to the guest farm is a bit bumpy but is scenic with game often seen grazing long side the road. It's also possible to charter a light aircraft o fly into the Rooisand airstrip, nearby.
Accessible by: Self-drive or Fly-and-Transfer

Food & drink

Usual board basis: Half Board
Food quality: The food here was of a high standard on our last visit. There was sumptuous breakfast spread including hot and cold dishes, and fresh flowers. Dinner was eaten to the sounds of passing zebras.
Dining style: Group Meals
Dining locations: Indoor and Outdoor Dining
Further dining info, including room service: Yes, but not usually requested.
Drinks included: No drinks are included; they are charged as an extra here.

Children

Attitude towards children: Children are welcome
Property’s age restrictions: There are no age restrictions at Corona.
Special activities & services: None
Equipment: Cots can be provided.
Generally recommended for children: Yes
Notes: Children must be supervised at all times by their parents.

Communications

Communications: There is a public phone where guests can make calls using pre-paid (Flexi-call cards) which can be purchased at the farm.

In cases of great urgency travellers can check their e-mails using the office landline. There is no mobile reception.
TV & radio: There is a television and radio which can be brought into the lounge on request.

Health & safety

Malarial protection recommended: No
Medical care: The nearest doctor is in Windhoek or Walvis Bay and depending on the seriousness of the situation, guests can either be driven to hospital or air lifted there
Dangerous animals: Low Risk
Security measures: The farm is in a very remote, rural area – where we wouldn't usually expect a place to have much security.
Fire safety: There are fire extinguishers in the main building. Given that the original guest farm burnt down 13 years ago, the present owners are very fire-aware, and have educated their staff in measures to prevent and to deal with fires.

Activities

4WD Safari
Self-guided walking

Extras

Disabled access: On Request
Laundry facilities: Full Laundry Service - Extra Charge
Accepted payment on location: All major credit cards are accepted. Traveller's cheques are not accepted.