Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
We've been to many many lodges in this beautiful country but there are very few that offered such a perfect and immaculate service as Hoodia did.
From the warm welcome with chilled towels and a drink, over the introduction to the rooms & lodge to the food - everything was five star! The tasteful decor invites to stay a bit longer in this jewel in the middle of the desert, the pool is crystal clear and the staff extremely attentive and genuinely friendly.
The sundowner is a "must do" and was above our expectations, like everything at Hoodia.
While most other lodges try to cut costs during this pandemic, you will still get the full package of amenities at Hoodia. The bottled water, cookies and rusks in the rooms are getting refilled daily. There's filter coffee in the rooms, two showers to choose from (the outdoor shower is just awesome), the furniture and decor are all of extremely high quality and everything is clean as a whistle.
The dinner was excellent, perfectly laid tables, freshly baked bread rolls & butter - all served by perfectly trained staff members and the chef in the kitchen creates very tasty and also healthy dishes for the guests.
From our point of view is Hoodia one of the best managed lodges in the country, the owner Thomasz and his wife are excellent host who are always around and keep an eye on the wellbeing of their guests.
Thank you so much for an unforgettable weekend and we will be back!
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Date of stay: February 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This beautifully presented and maintained lodge is exceptional superlative value for money . The service was impeccable , the staff can’t do enough for you , the food was fabulous ( and I am vegetarian - a tough call in the desert ). Lovely atmosphere and music, log fires, swimming pool . Our room was so comfortable and the attention to detail faultless. Outdoor bath and shower attached to our stand alone unit. Tasteful decor everywhere .We had an extremely special sundowner excursion and a Sossusvlei excursion which we highly recommend. Lunch at a white cloth set table with a wash basin , chilled wine , all the details - unforgettable . The owners are attentive and pedantic about detail and quality and it shows everywhere. We will be back for certain ! Highly highly Recommended
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Date of stay: May 2021Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Leana Marais, Marketing at Hoodia Desert Lodge
Responded 23 May 2021
Hi Thank you so much for the beautiful words. We really appreciate every one of them. We will constantly keep striving to only the best for our guests. We hope to see you soon.
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Our group of 5 stayed in 3 chalets for 3 nights while on a self-drive tour of Namibia. Before we even stopped the car, Thomas was opening his arms, smiling and waving us in from the front porch to welcome us! There were cool cloths, refreshing drinks and a well appointed comfortable lodge inside where we cooled off and planned our stay in great detail. This is an extremely well run lodge in a beautiful location. Thomas, his wife Reece and the entire lodge and guiding staff were friendly and always looking to be helpful in any way they could. We were spoiled! The chalets were very comfortable. There were both indoor and outdoor showers, comfortable beds and ample desk, sitting, and luggage space. The wilderness views and the nighttime stars in this private location are highlights of the stay. The food was excellent with options for the meat lovers and the vegetarians in our group. Dinners included starters such as delicious soups, main course choices such as kudu kebabs, delicious desserts of all sorts and lots of great drink options. Breakfast was an ample buffet including eggs cooked to order. Lunch also was superb with several options such as smoked salmon and eggs on salad of beautiful greens and veggies or oryx lasagna. Our activities included a day hiking and touring Sossusvlei area, a hot air balloon ride and an evening sundowner in a picturesque location. Big shout out to our guide, Lukas. He is knowledgeable, joyful, and went above and beyond to make sure we saw and did everything we wanted to do. When not out exploring, we enjoyed the back patio and pool areas. The lodge setting is on a large dry river with a rocky mountain beyond. It is stunning! We enjoyed watching baboons and birds and also just cooling off in the pool after a day in the heat. We had to leave in a hurry to catch a flight and discovered after leaving that we had left crucial items in our chalets. The staff zoomed around to retrieve our items and hand them off to us in the car with all of us waving and wishing each other well. Overall, a wonderful stay and we were sorry to leave.
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Date of stay: October 2022
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Leana Marais, Marketing at Hoodia Desert Lodge
Responded 06 Nov 2022
Good day Thank you so much for your detailed review. We are glad you enjoyed everything that was on offer from the lodge. :-) It is our passion to show you the true beauty of our area We wish you well and hope the rest of your trip was just as nice.
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May 2022. Excellent stay at Hoodia for our Sossusvlei visit. Lodge is short drive to park entrance but far enough away for secluded privacy. Owners are friendly and welcoming - we felt very comfortable from the moment we arrived. Tented room was very clean and comfortable with much attention to detail. Main lodge building was perfect to enjoy pre dinner cocktail by the fireplace and enjoy the art work and decor. Service was superb and the dining set a high quality standard for comparison to the many other lodges we visited during a month long self drive. Our package included the day tour of Sossusvlei dunes, hiking to Deadvlei, Sesrium Canyon, and a marvelous bush picnic lunch. Plus an absolutely amazing romantic sundowner experience in a remote hilltop area on the lodge property! Nothing but positive thoughts for this property and the couple who operate the lodge. An absolute pleasure for us and l highly recommend Hoodia Desert Lodge.
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Date of stay: May 2022Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Every place we stayed on our tour excelled in one area or another. Hoodia was the top-to-bottom best. I loved everything about this place.
Upon arrival, we were greeted by Thomas (owner) and Andreas (bartender/waiter extraordinaire) wit cool, refreshing towels and champagne. Thomas gave us a tour of the lodge then sat down with us and discussed food preferences and suggested itinerary for our stay. We had the fully inclusive package here, so tours were included as well. We arrived too late for any activities that day, so we were shown to our villa, we freshened up and went back to the lodge for dinner. Our first night there was only one other couple there, so we were seated at two tables by the fire inside the lodge rather than the full dining room. It was intimate and lovely, and the food was excellent.
The next morning we had breakfast and set out with our guide, Daniel, to Sesreim and Sossusvlei.
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Date of stay: July 2021
Room Tip:I can't imagine any of the chalets having a bad view. You can't go wrong here!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There's a very good reason why Hoodia Desert Lodge has received over 400 "Excellent" ratings on Trip Advisor-- they are richly deserved! The lodge itself is just lovely and it is located in an absolutely stunning location. The individual rooms (mini-lodges, actually) are beautifully appointed and very comfortable, and the meals were just delicious. Our host, Thomas Becker, could not have been more welcoming and hospitable, as was true of the rest of his staff. Because we were traveling with our own guide, the only activity that was arranged for us by the Lodge was a "sundowner" on our last night there, but it was truly special. The spectacular setting was carefully chosen for optimal sunset views, and the drinks and hors d'oeuvres were excellent. I have included a few photos which hopefully will not get lost in the gallery of more than 600 photos that other guests have posted. We highly recommend this lovely facility!
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Date of stay: April 2022
Value
Rooms
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Leana Marais, Marketing at Hoodia Desert Lodge
Responded 15 May 2022
Hi Rob Thank you so much for taking the time to write your review with so much consideration to all aspects. We are truely sorry you missed the Sossusvlei Excursion with the lodge as that is really a highlight... :-) But we are glad you enjoyed the sundowner excursion. We trust the rest of your tour through Namibia will also be really stunning.
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We had a fantastic trip throughout Namibia. Though the level of our accommodations varied from spartan to posh, we found the personal service to be warm and friendly with great attention to detail. The food quality was excellent everywhere.
Unfortunately, the exception to our lodgings was Hoodia Desert Lodge. While the food was tasty and plentiful, the entire staff seemingly cared only about their own convenience and blatantly disregarded our concerns for safe and comfortable housing. No point in going into numerous details other than to say serious improvements are required here. To make matters worse, we left a day early due to their lodging problems yet were still charged for the full stay.
Their attitude towards their clients is inexcusable as there are numerous available options in the area. We would never stay here again and suggest others look elsewhere.
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Date of stay: August 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Leana Marais, Marketing at Hoodia Desert Lodge
Responded 13 Aug 2023
Dear Alan Thank you for taking the time to review our place and please allow us to reflect on it as follows; Sadly you and your wife have been at Hoodia Desert Lodge during a “once in a lifetime’’ weather event with extreme winds reaching 110 – 120 km/h – 4 arctic cold front following each other over a period of 6 days. During this period we were fully booked and all our thatched roofed rooms (you find in the Maldives and other rather exotic parts of the world) occupied by other unfortunate guests! On your first night you addressed security concerns as the wind created loud noise in your room and the partially canvassed structure did flap in the wind. Our team did accommodate your concerns and allowed you to sleep in the main building as you perceived it safer! All our other 20 guests slept in their rooms (we operate only with 11 rooms) and none of them had safety concerns. It was indeed loud at night as the terrible winds did not die down! The next day you addressed towards our guide on your guided excursion to the red sand dunes of SSV that you would feel unsecure in our excursion 4x4 vehicle (closed converted V6 Toyota Landcruiser). Here again you have been the only party to perceive your presence in a closed and heavy duty 4x4 vehicle as too dangerous. Arriving at the lodge you have been greeted by the owner whom you accused of not caring about their safety! The owner contacted your travel agency and recommended to remove you from the lodge as you were not comfortable. Your agency stressed that there would be no other place safer than ours in our area and send you their reply on email communicating with the owner. Now you say you left one day earlier, which we wished you would, but the second and last night of your booking with us you slept in your room! You can trust us that we all at Hoodia felt terrible about the wind and were all sorry that all guests had to encounter such terrible weather during a Namibian winter, which obviously overshadowed the experience of all our guests! You could clearly witness that the entire team was tirelessly cleaning the place from dust and sand and tried everything to create a more hospitable environment. A task which is only possible if one understand each other and does not shift the blame for bad weather to honest and hardworking Namibian people! Kind Regards Thomas & Henreza Becker
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This beautifully presented and maintained lodge is exceptional superlative value for money . The service was impeccable , the staff can’t do enough for you , the food was fabulous ( and I am vegetarian - a tough call in the desert ). Lovely atmosphere and music, log fires, swimming pool . Our room was so comfortable and the attention to detail faultless. Outdoor bath and shower attached to our stand alone unit. Tasteful decor everywhere .We had an extremely special sundowner excursion and a Sossusvlei excursion which we highly recommend. Lunch at a white cloth set table with a wash basin , chilled wine , all the details - unforgettable . The owners are attentive and pedantic about detail and quality and it shows everywhere. We will be back for certain ! Highly highly Recommended
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Date of stay: October 2023Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Leana Marais, Marketing at Hoodia Desert Lodge
Responded 21 Mar 2024
Hi Thank you so much for your beautiful review. We are really happy that you had a great stay with us. :-) It is always for us great to know that guests enjoyed their stay. We really look forward to have you wiht us again soon. ;-)
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I love the lobby! It's inviting, comfortable and a great place to work, hang out or just chat with friends. The music they play is fantastic and just adds to the overall ambiance. You fell welcomed and cared for the minute you get to the lodge, the staff are absolutely fantastic!! I just love the layout and the view, absolutely spectacular.
The rooms are separate little cabins with a regular shower and an outdoor shower. Both well done and really cool. They really went out of their way to make sure people are comfortable including a little outdoor sitting area at each cabin.
I loved their Sundowner, they set it up with candles and chairs and drinks. Probably the best sundowner experience of a three week trip, they know what they are doing! The food was amazing and they catered to each persons dietary issues. Each meal was presented so well and was incredibly tasty - great chef there.
One of the best lodges we stayed in! I'd go back in a minute.
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Date of stay: June 2022
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Leana Marais, Marketing at Hoodia Desert Lodge
Responded 30 Jun 2022
Hi Thank you so much for your review. We are really glad you enjoyed your stay. Our guests are our first priority and we always appreciate feedback to know how to improve in any way. We hope to see you in Namibia again soon.
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This is a small (12 rooms) boutique lodge in a wonderful setting where the staff could not have been more friendly, welcoming and helpful. The rooms are very African in style fitting perfectly in the setting.
We opted for the Sossusvlei Excursion with exclusive “Out of Africa” Dune Picnic Lunch - absolutely amazing and definitely worth the very early start. Our guide was super knowledgeable pointing out wildlife that as tourists we would have missed. Our geography ‘lesson’ with map drawing on the sands was really quite something and explained a lot about why Namibia is as it is. It is defined worth going up the dune known as Big Daddy - the views are spectacular and it is reasonably hard work as your feet are slipping on the sand but if you are reasonably fit you will be fine. The salt pan setting is quite remarkable. What really rounded off the trip was the lunch under a tree - beautifully set up with table cloth, carpet and proper set table. The food like all the food at the lodge was fabulous. This trip is a must.
As is the sundowner trip which we did the following evening. More fabulous scenery and dressed table with great wines. - no attention to detail is lost.
I cannot recommend this place enough - all the staff seem to really enjoy what they do and want you to have a wonderful time. We certainly did and it will stay long in the memory.
Thanks to all for making it so special.
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Date of stay: October 2024Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Good Day
There is no testing facility close to Hoodia Desert Lodge that is reliable. Maltahohe is the closest clinic that tests and they only test on certain days and then send the tests to Windhoek in any case. So depending on where you will be travelling to after Hoodia (Hosea Kutako for an outbound flight or South Africa by Road) it will be best to rather just book an additional day in Windhoek to make sure your tests are done and you receive them in time.
Unfortunately with the remoteness of Sossusvlei there are no practitioners there doing testing and also we do not have scheduled flights. So if you want to fly one in - this will mean you will have to privately charter the aircraft only for the docter to do the test.
If you have any further questions - please mail us directly
London, United Kingdom10 contributions3 helpful votes
We paid about £120 a head for a fantastic private guided tour of Sossuvlei including climbing 'Big Daddy' with our very knowledgeable guide, a splendid lunch near the dunes (with chilled white wine, china and tablecloths!), followed by a tour of the Sesriem Canyon. It was expensive, but visiting the dunes was one of the main reasons we went to Namibia. It's definitely worth e mailing the lodge both to arrange it in advance and also to ask the price of the tour you're thinking of which is a different one from the one we did.
West Haddon, United Kingdom120 contributions51 helpful votes
It depends how long you're going to be at Hoodia for. You don't say how long. If you're only there for 2 nights it's a difficult decision. We didn't do the hot air balloon, but I think it would be amazing being up there. The lodge runs a day excursion with an early start, which is a full day with lunch in the shade. The guides are very good, and you will love that excursion as well. If you've got 3 nights then you can do both excursions. I'm afraid the choice is still yours. Enjoy, whatever you do.
Somerset West, South Africa204 contributions76 helpful votes
Glad you already have an answer as we went on an all inclusive trip without hotel prices. Whatever it costs I recommend you go there as it will provide a totally unique experience tracking black rhino in the stony/rocky desert and excellent accommodation.
There are more places to choose from in the Sesriem area.
PRICE RANGE
R 16,703 - R 17,234 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
hoodia desert hotel sesriem
LOCATION
NamibiaHardap RegionSesriem
NUMBER OF ROOMS
11
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect average nightly room rates, including taxes and fees that are fixed, known to our partners, and due at time of booking. Please see our partners for more details.
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