This fairly new lodge is up to standards and well situated in a beautiful area, close to Windhoek (50 min. drive). Easy to reach and not much more than a 30 minute drive from the airport (fairly priced transfers available). Restaurant, lodges and villas are beautiful and comfortable. Quality of the food is good (the breakfast buffet is one of the best I had in Namibia). Bar prices are reasonable and they sell their self produced red wines that definitely can compete with the better South African wines. Note: their (also self produced) Brandy is just world class. Childfriendly and as well the lodges as the available villas have a stunning view with a large group of baboons to be seen daily roaming around the lodge for a wildlife experience. Just don’t feed them!! The area is safe and ideal for (guided) hiking or biking. Gamedrives and walks available. Sustainability and ecofriendliness are valued. Part of the revenues go to wildlifeprotection, also to be visited at the ‘farm’ close by. Staff is friendly and helpful. Suitable to visit for couples, families as well as groups…
I visited almost five years ago (May 2017), so please understand the caveat that some aspects of this review may refer to facilities and/or activities that are no longer available. (I thought I’d left a contemporaneous review here, but cannot see that I did…?) I’ve been fortunate enough to have traveled far and wide, and honestly can say that my visit to Na’an ku se was a highlight of my travels. Whilst I have a love of all animals in the wild, I have a particular affinity for elephants, apes and monkeys. My three baboon walks during my stay were wonderful, and have led me to considering a stint as a residential volunteer. My villa (shared with many other friends), the food, and the small-but-beautiful pool were all delightful. Even more importantly, the staff were exceptionally friendly and accommodating. If you have the chance to, I encourage you to visit!…
I was volunteering with Naankuse and chose a couple of nights at the Lodge at the end of my placement. It was an absolute treat and highly recommended if you want an upgrade from the volunteer centre.
My wife and i liked the tranquility and quietness around the place - just what we needed at that time. The villa (AIKO) was so clean and because the villas are far from each other, it just makes it extra special for some of us who are older. The distance from Windhoek is only 1 hour and that is what we needed so that we did not have to drive long hours after the end of our holiday. We would certainly recommend this destination.
Naankuse does such amazing work to care for animals in need. They have their own reserve where animals who can be released back into wild will live and be protected and monitored. For those animals who cannot, they live at the sanctuary and are well cared for. Naankuse offers some amazing lifetime experiences to see how the animals are d for and to directly interact with them. We cannot recommend more highly the behind the scenes tour, cheetah walk, baboon walk, and caracal walk. The caracal walk is especially overlooked. What an amazing experience that was. We were told most people choose the cheetah walk over it, but if you really want to interact with an animal, this is it. Misty the caracal would rub against your leg and purr. They have a volunteer program which I wish we had time for. You do pay to volunteer, but it’s not much, and they give you room and board. It is a way to really help and interact with the animals under their care as well as with local people in their life clinic program. Naankuse was one of the most memorable parts and highlights of our tour in Namibia, South Africa, and Tanzania — more so than the game drives we went on. I am so glad we went here. Stay at least 2-3 days. We would definitely would like to return and volunteer.…
The best conclusion of a trip in a wonderful country with family and friends. Everything was perfect: the style, the hospitality, the food, the activities proposed (we choosen animals feeding) and the the philosophy behind the project.
Our last stop on our Namibian tour! Lodge is off the road to Hosea airport, nicely isolated to give you all the rest and peace needed. Villa was nicely put together, clean, spacious …shower in the middle of it is quite an interesting design concept! My kid enjoyed it a lot! Beds were comfy. Villa had all amenities (coffee/tea etc…). There was a nice pool on site but too cold for us to try! Food was good. Staff were friendly and well trained. Plenty of activities, at very affordable prices, available for booking with the lodge. My kid tried horse riding for the 1st time and the joy & excitement was immense! Finally, and not the least, pre-travel Covid tests can be booked with the lodge, the doc comes to you (such convenience does have a high price though!😉), nonetheless very handy! Results are very fast too (next day). All in all, I enjoyed our stay and do highly recommend the place!…
We love this place! It is our second time there, it is a small village with self catering homes, close by to Windhoek and airport. Lodge offers lovely activities and interaction with animals, peaceful and endless ...We will go back there again.
My husband and I visited Naankuse as day visitors and partook in both the carnivore feeding tour one afternoon, and the cheetah walk the next morning. We had a great time on both! We ended up as the only people on the carnivore feeding tour, during which you are driven to the enclosures of five species that unfortunately are unable to be released back into the wild for one reason or another. We found the guide to be very informative, and seeing the animals so up close was incredible. You visit cheetahs, a caracal, baboons, leopards, and lions. The leopards and lions in particular were amazing, as you can feel their incredible presence and power, and the fact that they could take you out in an instant. As for the cheetah walk, we also enjoyed this, though highly recommend wearing good hiking (non-mesh) shoes and pants that don't attract little stickers and prickers from plants. Our shoes, socks, and pants, were full of little spiky prickers by the end of the walk, during which you basically just follow the cheetah wherever he wants to go, and therefore are tromping through the bush. But overall we had a great time and wouldn't hesitate to recommend either of these activities at Naankuse.…
Naankuse Lodge and its foundation have a surprising and convincing concept aiming at co-existence of wildlife and farming, thus researching and resolving conflicts between wild animals and human. In addition the foundation supports local communities. Tourism is part of enabling all of this. Staff at Naankuse Lodge were very helpful and friendly. E. g., we could do our Covid-tests directly at the lodge and did'nt have to drive to town and queue up. The villa we got for our family of four was very spacious and just a few steps away from the main building. Food was excellent too. The rates for activities are quite high compared to other places in Namibia. But we considered this as part of our support to the foundation. Overall a very pleasant stay we definitely recommend and which we did'nt want to miss.…
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