The Namib desert. Slowly the colour of the sky is turning gradients of Indigo to golden. Unzipping the tent screen, for sure you can hear the magical, sounds of the sunrise outside. In absolute silence, you feel your soul singing. Almost as if you find your self like the angels in City of Angels on the beach, absorbing in the awe-inspiring feeling.
You plunge the french press that was waiting outside the tent and pour yourself a cup of freshly brewed coffee while taking a seat on the veranda.
All you senses fully aware of your surroundings. The aroma of coffee fills the air, sun rays start to tickle your face bringing it to life. In the distance, you hear the movement as the first Onyx making its way past your tent to the watering hole. All while the chirping sounds of the early birds start to escalate in a symphony.
Imagine waking up like that, this is Wolwedans in the mids of nowhere, the Namib desert.
Wolwedans Dunes Lodge
Situated on top of a plateau surrounded by vast plains of orange sand, acacia trees, and an abundance of wildlife. An enchanted place with fairy circles and conscious about minimizing their environmental impact.
Solitude in the desert
After leaving your car at the main office, you will be whisked away into the desert to your accommodation. This all-inclusive lodge features rustic canvas chalets overlooking the dunes, with beautiful en suite bathrooms and verandas. Imagine waking up each morning and seeing Onyx roaming outside your tent. All chalets are positioned so as not to be in each other view, creating a feeling of seclusion. The canvas shutters can be raised, opening the room so to feel as if you are immersed in the vast nature. The rooms have no wifi as well as no electrical sockets, which is perfect for a tech break. If you do need to charge your Kindle or phone the only area it’s possible in, is at one of the lounges. Feeling completely dislocated from the world, it felt like time moved slower and I could actually relax.
The facilities and in house activities
Facilities
Lounging around the resort you can either make yourself at home in the library or in one of the lounges which all open up to large verandas or relax by the outdoor pool. To the end of the day enjoy a sundowner around the fireplace overlooking the mountains. Or opt for a safari ride either on horseback or by jeep. Finishing off on top of a dune overlooking the Namib desert while your guide sets up a small bar and snacks table.
Food
Dinner can be enjoyed in the dining areas back at the base camp. All food prepared is locally sourced, organic, and freshly prepared from their garden by amazing chefs.  We explored the beautiful garden set in the desert, quite remarkable as to what they have achieved. Quite notable for me was their wine cellar, partly submerged under a dune keeping it at a steady temperature in the desert, housing top local wines as well as wines from neighbouring country South Africa.
Also see: Kolmanskop- Namibia’s own ghost town
I have to thank Wolwedans for making our honeymoon so special, on our second night the staff prepared a romantic table for us in the cellar which is hidden away below a dune.
Where is Wolwedans Dune lodge & how to get there
Remotely located in the NamibRand Nature Reserve and bordering the Nubib mountains. Wolwedans is roughly a 400km drive from Walvisbay and a 500km drive from Windhoek, driving down you will cross the Tropic of Capricorn. Windhoek is the capital city of Namibia and most probably where you would land travelling from abroad. Options range from air taxi or charter plane to NamibRand Nature Reserve which can be costly.
Best way to get there
Best and recommended would be to rent a vehicle and self-drive, as you can explore at your own pass and see a lot more of Namibia. We rented a car and from experience would recommend a 4-wheel driven (4×4) vehicle, especially if you are travelling to the NamibRand area. Most of the roads, up to 90% are gravel in Namibia, but luckily in good condition.
Other activities  (on & off-site)
On route or on departure from Wolwedans you can visit Sossusvlei and Solitaire which are about 60km away. Wolwedans itself offers several in house activities.
- Guided bushman walk
- Safari/game drives
- Sunset safari drive
- Horseback safari
- Hot-air balloon
- Wellness therapy – Massages, manicures, pedicures and facials
- You can also inquire about scenic flights over the Namib desert with NatureWings
Refer to their website for cost or to enquire regarding various activities.
Guided Bushmen walk
Rise early before the sun to go on a bushwalk with a bushman, who will point out animal activities from the previous night as well as how they track them, show you how they make fire with what you can find in the desert and you might just spot a few creatures still hopping around.
Game-drives
Enjoy a beautiful game-drive through an Acacia forest and fairy circles, with an abundance of Oryx roaming around. If you are lucky you might spot some giraffe. Finish of the evening with sundowners high up on the plateau overlooking the vast landscape. The sundowner drive is about 2 hours, the morning and afternoon drive are a bit longer 3-4 hours. You can also enquire about a day drive.
Horseback riding
For a different experience explore the Namib desert on a horseback (do take note, if you are looking to explore nature by horseback, contact them first as summer months are too hot for the horses and they may not offer it). For the sundowners ride, we finished the evening by meeting the ranger ontop the plateau with well-stocked drinks and snack table. After enjoying a glass of wine with the gorgeous sunset, the game vehicle will take you back to the camp.
Did you know you can adopt a fairy circle?
Across Wolwedans we spotted random patches of baren ground in almost perfect circles. These characteristic features are called fairy circles (I can imagine little fairies dancing around in them). Many scientists have tried to figure out what causes this phenomenon of baren circular patches, to no avail. Wolwedanse came up with an excellent idea of ‘adopt-a-fairy-circle’  to help raise funds for the NamibRand Conservation Foundation (NRCF). When you adopt a fairy circle a numbered disk will be placed in the selected circle and you will receive a certificate documenting the GPS location and donation confirmation.
NamibRand Conservation Foundation (NRCF)
NRCF divides funds received from fairy circle adoptions between NamibRand Desert Research and Awareness Centre (NRAC), the Namib Desert Environmental Education Trust (NaDEET) and other conservation programs across the Namib region.
We spend one night at the Dune Camp and the rest of our time at the Dunes Lodge, both I would recommend. Wolwedans has been a truly unforgettable experience.
xxx
*Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are my own
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