Reviews of Waterberg Plateau Lodge

"Lovely location - basic accommodation & poor food.

Rhino drive was disappointing - guide had very little knowledge when asked questions, and overall impression was he wanted to get it over and done with as quickly as he could.

Concern for the welfare of the rhino’s as many people were arriving at the same time and they were clearly agitated.
Guide was encouraging people to stand close to the rhino's to have their photographs taken which didn't seem quite right for the animals." See all these reviews: 18n in Namibia

"The chalet was spacious and comfortable with an exceptionally large bathroom.

The views were stunning and we had beautiful birds visiting our plunge pool on a regular basis.

The young chef cooked exceptionally delicious food for our evening meal (taking into account my wife doesn't eat game)." See all these reviews: 16n in Namibia

"Being up on the plateau with views over the vast plains below was stunning. Within the choices to stay at Waterberg, the campsite or the valley lodge, the plateau lodge costs more but offers a big treat. The view is stunning, the little individual plunge pool is a delight and the rock hyrax families that inhabit the boulders are cute, photogenic and posers.

Our rhino drive was fantastic... we never suspected that we could be safely on foot so close to wild rhinos.

We joined the morning hike to the top of the plateau and learned lots about the Herero people from our guide, Wesley. Thank you Wesley." See all these reviews: 24n in Namibia

"We got a bit lost finding the correct Lodge, no maps seem to be standardised. Although called Plateau, it isn't on the top as we had imagined, but rather a terrace half way up. Spectacular scenery of red cliffs though. Once we negotiated the very steep drive up we were in a cul de sac. No trails were available to walk.

The view was amazing from our chalets, right across the Kalahari. The plunge pool was a nice idea and ideal in hot summer but in mid-winter it was rather a hazard in the dark! Huge bathroom and pretty circular bedroom, a hot drinks tray with a flask but no kettle! Amazingly the staff kept the washing water hot by stoking individual log burners behind our rooms. Thanks very much for that! At night the dining-room staff gave us a hot-water bottle to take to bed. These would not pass health & safety in UK as they were just made of small plastic drinking water bottles in a velvet cover! Needs must!

The room inventory we were given to sign on arrival was a bit unwelcoming. We weren't told of any activities other than the one we had just missed by 5 minutes on arriving. As they knew 4 of us were coming and there were only 6 chalets of people staying it seemed rather churlish.

The staff were struggling to be friendly here, no-one seemed to be in charge. Maybe the owners were away? The dining room had limited rations at breakfast. We had to ask for fruit juice and the bread tasted of paraffin and was a bit stale. No toaster to help freshen it up. However it was out of season, we have to remember where we are and be grateful for food and hot water!

When I bring more friends we will stay in the lower, bigger, Waterberg Wilderness Lodge. From there you can walk the nature trails and birdwatch to your hearts content! The ambience was a little disappointing for our final night, although the views were stunning." See all these reviews: 13n in Namibia

"After a long drive down from Etosha National Park on excellent tarred roads, the last leg on the D2512 was awful. As soon as you turn on to it from the C22 you pass a 100kph speed sign so you think this dirt road is in good condition. It isn't. We soon hit ridges which, no doubt, were caused by water damage from rains earlier in the year. There was also a lot of soft sand on the road which impaired steering so our speed was down to just 40kph for much of the way.

The direction signs to Waterberg Plateau Lodge were not particularly clear and we ended up heading down the long driveway to Waterberg Wilderness reception, despite the lady gatekeeper at the entrance saying that we were heading the right way! We had to return to the D2512 road and carry on for another 8kms (passing through another gate en route) where the Plateau Lodge was signposted along an even more challenging dirt track! Having made it to reception we were welcomed with an orange juice and told to continue in first gear further up the track where staff would be waiting to show us our room.

The climb up was unbelievably steep yet our hatchback managed it fully loaded. Goodness knows how because you don't realise how steep this track really is until you go back down! At the top we were met by one of the restaurant staff who guided us to our chalet. Although it was 5 o'clock, we were invited back to the restaurant for coffee and cake which is usually served at half past three. It was thoughtfully left out for us so that we didn't miss out!

Our chalet was one of eight positioned amongst the trees in a secluded location and with a tremendous view. There was a small patio with deck chairs and a plunge pool. The chalet itself was very spacious with an enormous bathroom (much of it taken up with the shower area) however our hairdryer would not fit the adaptor socket provided so we had to borrow one. Tea and coffee was provided but the hot water was supplied by the restaurant in a flask. There was no fridge. We found that the chalet was poorly lit, the roof being very high and the small spotlights being insufficient (although there were table lamps). The area off to the side leading to the bathroom was not lit at all.

Meals were taken in the large, circular restaurant which was nicely laid out. Dinner was served at 7.30 with candle-lit tables already set for the number of guests staying. The cold starter course had already been placed on the tables to welcome guests as they arrived. We were invited to help ourselves from the salad bar before the main course was served. On our first night this was spiced beef patties with sultanas accompanied by cauliflower, broccoli and rice. I found the meal quite tastey but my wife didn't enjoy it. The dessert was a rather too sweet orange custard slice. We were disappointed that coffee was not offered at the end of the meal.

On our second night the meal was very good. Rolled beef with ham accompanied with runner beans and peppered mash. Dessert was a delicious home made dark chocolate mousse. Mindful of the lack of coffee we asked for a flask of hot water and a small jug of milk to take back to our chalet, which was not a problem. We wished we had thought of that before!

Breakfasts were the usual help-yourself selections, with hot food cooked to order which was very good. There was no toaster and the bread was a little disappointing, being of a cake-like consistency which disintregrated when trying to spread fridge cold butter on it!

There are a number of activities on offer at Waterberg including self-guided hiking trails but after several days spent driving through the incredible Etosha National Park it was great to be able to just chill out and relax for a while and simply enjoy the peace and tranquility. One of the restaurant staff noticed we were not going anywhere and thoughtfully brought us a fresh flask of hot water at coffee time! However, we were not going to miss out on the afternoon's safari drive and that was time well spent. Being taken to see the Lodge's two resident white rhinos at close quarters (we were allowed off the land rover!) was well worth the very reasonable cost alone.

Overall, we enjoyed our stay. Waterberg is ideally situated in a stunning location and breaks up the long drive from Windhoek to Etosha. There is much to do here and although we chose to do very little we would come back to appreciate what is on offer more fully." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia

"The Plateau Lodge was just finishing a new restaurant, which will be stunning. It is perched up on the rocks with views across the plain. It means that people staying there would no longer need to go to the main Wilderness Lodge to eat, but it would be a pity to miss out on going to see the main lodge as the setting is stunning and the short walks around the head of the valley are lovely.

We were dissapointed that the access to the plateau was no better than from the government's resort camp. we would like to find a way to go camping across the plateau for a few nights without having to take a whole lot of gear out with us." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia; 7n in Mozambique

"As our first visit to a refubished NWR it was a pleasant surprise,the bush chalet (4 bed) was indeed very spacious and comfortable.If you are not fond of baboons perhaps this is not the place for you,they do wander about the lodge area but there is plenty of warnings about keeping doors etc closed.

A great place for birders,other animals included families of banded mongoose.The restaurant and choice of food was fine,staff atttentive and curteous.Would have stayed another day.Did not go on any organised drives." See all these reviews: 12n in Namibia

"This was the least satisfactory place we stayed.

The Plateau Lodge is in a glorious situation, but you are very much on your own. There are limited facilities on the Plateau, and no staff or managers around to answer questions or solve problems. Our sense of being ignored was accentuated by being told that all we needed to know was set out in the Waterberg Wilderness Lodge booklet, which was available only in German and which even the helpful receptionist could not read. Our Game Drive was also in German.

We were irritated to find that the cost of the afternoon game drive had gone up by 40% from the price quoted on their website for late 2008. [In contrast, we did not find any other lodge charging different prices for extra meals or extra activities from those shown on its website.]

We were reasonably happy there because it gave us our first encounter with the landscape and with wildlife - but I would not stay there again, and would not recommend a friend to do so." See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia

"Very remote location particuarly for anybody arriving in darkness as we did!

Dinner excellent but breakfast only average with the staff being somewhat brusque." See all these reviews: 11n in Namibia; 6n in Botswana; 1n in Zambia

"We stayed only one night but enjoyed the game drive in particular. Our host went to great lenghths to find the rhino - successfully. The room had spectacular views." See all these reviews: 12n in Namibia