(16 rooms) African Extravaganza, PO Box 22028, Windhoek; tel: 061 263082/3/6/7; fax: 061 215356; email: afex@afex.com.na; web: www.natron.net/afex
On the C36, south of Solitaire and just a few kilometres from the Namib Restcamp, the Namib-Naukluft Lodge is outwardly uninspiring, despite being designed by a well-known Namibian architect. However, it is plush inside, and if you are looking for 'normal' rooms, rather than trendy tents, perhaps this is the place for you.

Its modern rooms are built in line. Through sliding glass doors, leading on to a veranda, they face a huge desert plain. Each has adjacent twin beds, en-suite toilet and (powerful) shower. By reception is a large lounge-bar and a dining room, though meals are often eaten on the veranda facing the desert.

Behind the lodge, in the shade of a large kopje, is a braai area for moonlit dining, while at the far end of the row of rooms is a small (popular) swimming pool and a shaded area for relaxing. If you don't have a car whilst here, you can take short walks on the lodge's own land, and reserve a seat on their daily 4WD trips into Sossusvlei (N$300 per person).

The lodge is owned by a large company, African Extravaganza, and thus conveniently links up with a shuttle-service to/from Windhoek and Swakopmund. This departs from both towns at 14.00 (13.00 June–Sept), arriving at the lodge just before sunset.