Reviews of Hoodia Desert Lodge

"Lovely atmosphere - very friendly and relaxed.

The owner is extremely present and helpful. The staff are excellent.

The outing to Sossusvlei was wonderful." See all these reviews: 8n in South Africa; 5n in Namibia

"From the moment we arrived and were greeted by John Mwaendanawa, we were delighted.

The lodge is beautifully designed and the rooms are well-appointed. Excellent service.

John was a very well-informed and engaged guide who made sure that we got the most out of our trip to Sossusvlei and Sesriem. (Only one suggestion: please make sure that the Lodge has reference books for birds, plants and geology.)" See all these reviews: 12n in Namibia

"Top class, and a great stepping off place for Sussevlei." See all these reviews: 20n in Namibia

"Stunning location, convenient for visiting the desert - very peaceful and relaxing although plenty of activities on offer - very personable host and lovely staff - beautiful rooms with amazing outdoor showers" See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia

"What a wonderful place and certainly a lodge to thoroughly recommend.

Wonderful trip at dawn to the Sossusvlei reserve and a really knowledgeable guide who also turned host at lunchtime serving us a great picnic on a white linen table cloth in the shade of a thorn tree! Ridiculous but wonderful at the same time!

Super pool and probably the best cooking we enjoyed on our trip." See all these reviews: 20n in Namibia

"We really loved the Hoodia Lodge every aspect was excellent.

Would certainly recommend to others." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia

"Met personally by our host, Thomas. Very high quality food with excellent service.

Our chalet was lovely, you would never know that it was a canvas structure. We would love to have had time to use the pool and to test out the outside shower and bath!

Full day desert tour with our guide and driver 'KK'. This included: walking on and in the dunes, the Dead Vrei complete with petrified trees, picnic feast complete with tablecloths and all the trimmings and drinks, and then finally to the Sesreim Canyon. It was an excellent day out, made more so by KK with his helpfulness, friendliness and excellent knowledge (a pity some of the others failed to show their appreciation).

In our absence, our host Thomas had tried to have our boot lock catch welded but it was by now beyond repair. He had tried to obtain a spare for us but parts have to come direct from RSA. When we got back he kindly made many phone calls (some via RSA) and eventually made a firm appointment with the rental agency at our next stop (this resulted in the car being exchanged without any fuss). Thomas also organised for members of his staff to help us to temporarily rope up the boot lid for the drive next day.

What an excellent place to stay. All the staff were so friendly and helpful, and once again our thanks to Thomas and all." See all these reviews: 21n in Namibia; 2n in Zimbabwe

"A very comfortable lodge, and an excellent base for exploring the desert.

The food was very good, and our full-day trip to Sossusvlei, with a very well-informed and interesting guide, and a fine lunch, was most enjoyable." See all these reviews: 16n in Namibia; 3n in South Africa

"The best accommodation in every respect on our tour of Namibia! Thorough information about activities available on arrival, exceptionally helpful and pleasant staff, spacious well-equipped rooms with, good food, all topped off by a hot water bottle in bed!

We had planned to drive ourselves to Sossusvlei but decided to go on Hoodia's tour when we got there and did not regret it. We learnt much more about the area than we would have done on our own and didn't get stuck driving in the sand unlike some other travellers. A very good sit-down lunch was provided, not a packed lunch as on most activities elsewhere.

Be aware that the map at the start of chapter 12 of the Bradt guide shows Hoodia in the wrong place. It is approached from the C19 not the D854. The map of Sesreim and Sossusvlei later in the chapter shows the correct position." See all these reviews: 17n in Namibia

"Hoodia is a luxurious oasis off the main highway leading to Sossusvlei, 22 kms north of the lodge to the gate at Sesriem. Its location means that they have mains power, though only intermittent cell phone and very slow internet connections. The lodge and the 11 chalets are very attractive and sumptuously furnished. The setting is spectacular, with mountains rising steeply just across a usually dry riverbed behind the lodge, and in the front, plains stretching into infinity. There's a water tank out front, rather distant but you can spot larger animals such as giraffes getting a drink. The water tank should have been much nearer to the lodge so guests could enjoy seeing the animals closer.

The highlight of any trip to this area is Sossusvlei, and the lodge offers a full day excursion, which we took. Our guide was Jonathan, who was intimately acquainted with the area and willingly shared his knowledge with us. He stopped along the road through the park where the best photos could be taken, took us out to the dunes and areas of dead trees, and explained the geology, botany and biology of the area. He dug out sand dwelling critters, spiders, lizards, scorpions and the like, to demonstrate how they survived in such a harsh environment.

Jonathon also took us up the crest of a dune, and we followed an untraveled route to the fascinating Deadvlei. In the early afternoon Jonathon prepared our picnic lunch, a full setup including tablecloth, china ware, and real silver, not plastic or paper. We stopped briefly at Sesriem on our return to the lodge, but it’s nothing special and could easily be skipped.

Sossusvlei is truly a destination worth a special visit, and Jonathon made sure we enjoyed it fully.

Back at the lodge, it was hard to meet and chat with other guests, as meals were served when you wanted, restaurant style with individual tables. We would have preferred family style. Our chalet, and presumably all the rest of them, only had one useful electrical outlet, inconveniently located on the baseboard; another was located on the wall near the bed, for a hair dryer. Lighting also was rather dim. Given mains electricity, they could have done better in both these matters.

The vehicles were fully enclosed with only one door for the 2nd & 3rd rows of seats. Windows were relatively small and slid back rather than rolling down, limiting photo ops. It was very difficult for persons not next to the window to take pictures. They should have limited the number of passengers to the number of windows, but instead crowded people into the middle rows.

The vehicles were the worst part of the excursion, although we realize the lodge obviously had opted for air conditioned comfort rather than wind and dust. Since the photo subjects were stationary dunes rather than moving animals, for the most part, we had time for everyone to climb out without missing the picture. We had booked a private vehicle but the lodge cancelled this option; they ought to consider reinstating it, which certainly would reduce the crowding inside and improve photo ops.

The owners were not present during our stay. Money could not be exchanged without one of them to handle the transaction. Fortunately, we could pay by credit card.

Overall, our stay here was satisfactory but not excellent, for reasons noted above. However, our guide, Jonathon, more than made up for any lodge shortcomings, and he made sure our visit to Sossusvlei was truly memorable." See all these reviews: 8n in Namibia; 8n in Botswana; 1n in South Africa