KWESSI DUNES – NAMIBRAND NATURE RESERVE

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.

Kwessi Dunes has just 12 cool and comfortable air-conditioned chalets all with canvas walls and thatched roofs. Each bedroom has a separate ‘star gazer’ room which is 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

There is lots to do with activities including quad biking, scenic drives and walks, hot air ballooning, helicopter flights, horse riding and day trips to Sossusvlei.

LOCATION

Kwessi Dunes is set in the heart of the NambRand Nature Reserve close to Sossusvlei in southern Namibia.

Access via Windhoek is by light aircraft to the lodge’s airstrip in the NamibRand. Alternatively you can self-drive – the lodge is between 5 and 6 hours’ drive from Swakopmund or 4 and 5 hours’ drive from Windhoek.

LODGE

Kwessi Dunes has 12 thatch-and-canvas rooms – 10 twin/doubles and 2 family units. All the rooms are air conditioned and have ensuite bathrooms with an indoor and outdoor shower and a shaded veranda at the front.

The rooms have a separate ‘star gazer’ room at the back which is completely open to the skies for the ultimate celestial experience.

The family units have two bedrooms with 1 king size bed and 2 single beds and bedrooms in each family unit share a bathroom.

At the heart of the lodge is a cool and comfortable main area with high thatched ceilings, a well-stocked bar, a small library area and plenty of sofas and armchairs making it the perfect spot to relax at any time of day. Outside, there is a shaded veranda with more seating and a large fire pit area and a swimming pool – ideal for cooling off in the Namibian heat.

The lodge is 100% solar powared and the tents have 24 hour electricity. WIFI and charging facilites are availabe.

ACTIVITIES AND WILDLIFE

At more than 200,000 hectares in size, the NamibRand Nature Reserve is one of the largest private reserves in southern Africa. It was established in the 1980s when Albi Bruckner integrated several livestock farms into a protected wilderness area and today it’s a model of conservation success. There are strict rules about the number of lodges and rooms built in the area making it a totally private and entirely exclusive adventure.

Photographs may show the craggy, mauve mountains of the NamibRand, the infamous red dunes and the enormous swathes of desert but nothing prepares for you the moment you see it for yourself. The space is humbling, the sense of peace is spiritual and it’s one of the most striking, stirring places out there. The fairy circles that dot the ground are particularly intriguing. Over the years, the theories behind them have been hotly debated (they are a result of poisonous fungi, termites, or even meteor showers), however no one really knows for certain why they are here. Just another reason to visit this extraordinary place.

You might not find the Big Five wandering around the harsh desert of the NamibRand, but the dunes are home to a variety of wildlife that has adapted in many fascinating ways in order to survive. Take for example the gemsbok with their white bellies that reflect the heat of the sand and their sophisticated vascular system that cools the blood around the brain. Or the bat-eared fox – those giant ears aren’t just for comic value but help to amplify the sound of their predators approaching.

What you’ll probably see most of are antelope. From gemsbok to springbok, kudu to steenbok, they can be found in most corners of the reserve, silhouetted against the red sand. You may also spot Burchell’s zebra amid the dunes as well as the more unusual black-backed jackals, aardwolves and African wild cats, which can be surprisingly easy to find compared to other reserves on the continent. Leopard and cheetah are rare but there are small numbers of both.

Morning and afternoon scenic drives – in the striking NamibRand Nature Reserve

Nature walks – see the area from a different perspective

Skybeds experience and star gazing – enjoy the night sky from your Skybed in your room and watch the stars around the firepit in the evening.

Quad biking – explore the dunes and the area around camp on quad bikes

Day trips to the dunes of Sossusvlei – at extra cost

Hot air ballooning – at extra cost

Horse riding in the Desert – at extra cost

Scenic helicopter flights – at an extra cost

Spa treatments – at an extra cost

GIVING BACK

At Natural Selection, conservation is at the heart of everything we do. The loss of any natural habitat, in Africa or other, is a sobering loss for us all, and we want to do something about it. We want to make a difference. To start with, we ensure that 1.5% of your stay in our lodges goes to wildlife conservation. The donations are built into our business model and based on your stay with us. We are wholeheartedly embracing our commitment to Africa’s wildlife.

In addition to this, we partner with the local communities, governments and conservation organisations in the areas where we operate to help protect (and sometimes even expand) these important conservation areas, and to create long-term benefits. We build camps that best suit the area, working with the environments and habitats that we find there. Camps and lodges shouldn’t be obvious; they should blend perfectly into their surroundings.

Lastly, we intend to keep our guests abreast of Africa’s triumphs, losses and continued challenges, with the hope that we will inspire other wildlife-lovers to make a change. While it’s perhaps only a drop in the bucket of what is required, it’s a drop that we hope will make a difference.

A working example in Namibia is the The Khomas Environmental Education Programme which inspires children to become environmentally responsible members of local and global communities. Few projects are more exciting than those that open up the world of conservation to eager young minds, and this one does exactly that.

This children’s programme, established by the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, addresses the need to connect urban children of Namibia to nature and build their interests in the environment, inspiring them to become responsible members of local and global communities.

Integrated with the national school curriculum, the programme also includes hands on experience in the bush for primary schools within impoverished areas, allowing their homeland to really capture their imaginations. In its three years this programme reached over 6600 students and 200 teachers. The impact and excitement from young participants is almost tangible.

KWESSI DUNES IS OPEN ALL YEAR ROUND

THE LODGE WELCOMES FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN OF ALL AGES