Kwessi Dunes

Kwessi Dunes is located deep in Namibia’s striking NamibRand Nature Reserve, a vast desert wilderness of over 200,000 hectares. With its rolling desert plains and backdrop of craggy mountains and iconic red dunes, this is a place where time seems to stand still and the space is never-ending. Here, it’s not about chasing big game but rather soaking up the beauty of the colorful landscape, admiring the antelope that scatter the sand, and gazing at the stars that light up the night sky.

At Kwessi Dune lodge, you’ll find 12 cool and comfortable (and air-conditioned) chalets- 10 x twin/ double and 2 x family chalets all with canvas walls and thatched roofs. Each bedroom has a separate ‘star gazer’ room, completely open to the sky, and the perfect spot from which to watch the celestial theatre show above. Views from the rooms, the main area and the swimming pool are of the vast, desert vistas and when you can bear to tear your eyes away, enjoy quad biking, scenic drives and walks, hot air ballooning, helicopter flights, horse riding and day trips to Sossusvlei.

Kwessi Dunes Family (2 rooms)

En-suite bathrooms with indoor showers and outdoor showers.

Separate open-air ‘star gazer’ room in each chalet.

Kwessi Dunes Twin/Double (10 rooms)

En-suite bathrooms with indoor showers and outdoor showers. Separate open-air ‘stargazer’ room in each chalet. Twin beds can be converted to double bed with mattress converters. A child can sleep on the sofa bed.

Kwessi Dunes is open all year round. The hyper-arid desert terrain is amazing in all seasons (and the air-conditioned rooms will always keep you cool!), but the winter and summer months offer different experiences in terms of activities and weather.

April to October is Namibia’s dry, winter season. Temperatures are pleasant during the day but it can get cold in the early mornings and evenings – nothing a good jumper and jacket can’t handle, however! This is the time of year to witness the desert in its iconic, dry state and capture the now-famous photos of the inky trees silhouetted against the blood-red dunes and the grey mountains shimmering in the background.

In November, the temperatures start to heat up and at the beginning of the year in particular, you can witness incredible thunder and lightning storms made even more dramatic by the striking terrain. This is an excellent time of year to spot some of the migratory birds that arrive in the desert.

Things to do:

Morning and afternoon scenic drives in the striking NamibRand Nature Reserve

Nature walks

Skybeds experience and star gazing

Quad biking

Day trips to the dunes of Sossusvlei (at an extra cost)

Hot air ballooning (at an extra cost)

Horse riding (at an extra cost)

Scenic helicopter flights (at an extra cost)

Spa treatments (at an extra cost)

For more info on Kwessi Dunes, click HERE