Wolwedans All you need to know

Dunes Lodge

The Dunes Lodge is perched on top of a dune plateau, overlooking panoramic vistas in all directions and capturing the beauty of the desert in a most memorable way. Building style is a combination of wooden structures and canvas blinds, opening up to the desert beyond.

The lodge reflects the ambience of a tented camp, but provides the comfort and protection of a permanent building. Each of the nine spacious chalets with en-suite bathrooms sports a private verandah, which connects you to vast stretches of untouched sand. Sleeping with your canvas blinds open is just like sleeping under the stars.

The main complex - which has completely been rebuilt during 2003 - consists of two lounges, a number of sundowner decks, a fireplace, a tea deck, a library, the wine cellar and two dining rooms.

The lodge also has a swimming pool, which is suspended above the sand. All communal areas of the lodge open out onto decks with superb views. The variety of recreational space makes a visit both exciting and relaxing. To make the most of your visit we recommend you stay for three nights. Back

Mountain View Suite

With 200 square metres of deck rising above the dunes, the Mountain View Suite provides ample living space and adds a touch of luxury to the Wolwedans Collection. The Suite is located within walking distance from the Dunes Lodge, yet it is secluded, allowing guests to spend time in a homely and stylish atmosphere.

Consisting of a spacious en-suite bedroom with a king-size bed, the Suite enables guests to enjoy the view of their private dune valley to the fullest. A shaded patio provides an ideal venue for meals and relaxed hours lazing in a hammock. Add to this a spacious lounge, bar cabinet and dining area and you have a wonderful home away from home.

In the event that guests wish to enjoy their meals ‘entre-nous’, an open-plan kitchenette supports the preparation of meals at the Suite. An east-facing veranda and sundeck lead from the platform into the surrounding dunes. The main veranda has a ‘star-gazing’ bed, which provides a wonderful sleep-out venue during summer. Back

Dune Camp

Positioned on the edge of a 250-metre high dune, the Dune Camp sleeps a maximum of 12 guests in a totally unspoilt setting. Guests stay in comfortable tents, which are pitched on wooden platforms. A spacious deck, allowing for safe sleep-outs under the stars and a private bathroom make for a rather civilized camping experience.

The lapa is comprised of a lounge, dining area and an open-plan kitchen, which allows guests to chat to the chef while he prepares a sumptious dinner. The sundowner deck with its fireplace is the central meeting point of the camp, making for a cosy and relaxed ambience.

Whilst the lodge aims at accommodating those guests in need of relaxed comfort and space, the camp provides a more down-to-earth experience. Its rustic but unique atmosphere courts the young and more adventurous traveller.

The charm of the camp lies in its tranquil, intimate atmosphere, capturing the romance of a bygone era. Dune Camp requires a minimum stay of two nights and a day-safari with picnic lunch en-route is part of the package. Back

Private Camp

Situated in a quiet and idyllic valley, this splendid Suite caters for four guests exclusively. It is the perfect getaway for honeymooners or individuals seeking uncompromising privacy and solitude.

Private Camp offers two spacious en-suite bedrooms, a ‘Sala’ where one can laze away siestas, various decks and the central lounge, combining a study, living room, a dining area and a fully equipped kitchen. Its open-plan design allows uninterrupted views of the surrounding nature. The Private Camp is designed for those who enjoy the peace that utter silence can afford. Get away for a day or two and revel in the luxury of reading, reflecting or taking walks in one of the most enchanting landscapes in Africa. Guided activities such as scenic drives, scenic flights, hot-air ballooning and nature walks can be arranged either privately for you (at an extra charge) or to be shared with other lodge or camp guests.

Private Camp is your special home at Wolwedans. It demands nothing much of you, but to relax and gaze at the ever changing colours of the desert. Back

Boulders Camp

Initially planned as a satellite camp, Boulders Safari Camp probably turned out to be the most exclusive camp in the Wolwedans Collection, both with regards to room/tent size as well as location and the small number of beds. The camp is a real jewel and as ‘classic safari’ as it can get - stylish, timeless and very elegant. Already now it feels like the camp has been there for ages.

The location of Boulders, some 45 km’s south of Wolwedans (which is used as the entry point) requires this product to be sold the right way, similar to other off-the-beaten track camps (i.e. Rhino Camp and Etendeka in Damaraland). Albeit harder to reach, it just makes the experience more worthwhile. Back

Some facts:

Boulders Safari Camp forms part of the Wolwedans Collection as is owned and operated by
NamibRand Safaris (Pty) Ltd.
The camp is situated some 45 km’s south of Wolwedans on the farm Aandster in the deep South of NamibRand Nature Reserve.
In addition to the daily park fee, Boulders also pays an additional fixed concession fee to the
Aandster Trust (the landowner) and such monies are used for conservation of that area. This
additional fee is included in the rate.
The camp sleeps a maximum of eight guests plus a pilot/guide. We have three rooms with king size beds and one room with two Queen size beds, suited for singles and families.
The guide tent is smaller and sleeps one guide/pilot at a time, but comes at a fraction of the price.
We invested some NAD 1.800.000 into this small and exclusive eight-bedded camp. This is NAD
450.000 per tent, and a good indication that Boulders is a superior ‘sleeping under canvas’
experience.

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How to sell it

One night at Boulders is a complete waste of time. The camp is simply too beautiful and the area to explore too vast to be abused for a one-night stop-over (it’s not a hotel,… but a place to arrive, to be and to unwind). The only exception will be if we are filling gaps, but this would only be done in conjunction with a night at one of the Wolwedans camps (see below).

The following rules of thumb apply:

The reception (or access point) for Boulders Camp is Wolwedans, and all guests (regardless selfdrive or fly-in) are transferred to Boulders by Landrover (game viewer).
The transfer is more like a scenic drive and substitutes the activity of the day. The return tour to Boulders basically covers the same route as our southern day-drives (where picnic lunch is served at HardRock Café close to Boulders), hence guests must be made aware that their ‘experience’ starts and ends at Wolwedans
If guests arrive late or are in a hurry to get back to Wolwedans (for ongoing travel arrangements, i.e. DuneHopper whch leaves at 09h00), the transfer can be done in 1h15, excluding photo-stops.
We are not allowed to do transfers during the night (as our lights would conflict with TokTokkie activities), so post sundown and pre-dawn transfers are not possible.
Boulders does not allow for visits to Sosssuvlei and ballooning is also out of the question (as this
would require not only a 2.5 hour transfer, but in the dark at that).
Like the Dune Camp, Boulders is a two-night package.
Fly-in’s can stay at Boulders for two nights, but should arrive at least 3 hours before sunset
Self-drive guests should ideally stay the first night at Wolwedans, and then move to Boulders the next day (for preferably two nights).
In the event that twosomes (i.e. a couple) can’t stay at Wolwedans for the first night, the transfer will be at 15h00 ex. Wolwedans. We need to ‘collect’ them or fill a Landrover as we cannot send a vehicle for every two guests arriving. This accounts for fly-in as well.
If said ‘twosomes’ arrive before lunch, they will be served lunch at either Dune Camp or Dunes
Lodge or at the reception.
If group size is 4, 5 or 6 pax, we are happy to make an exception (as they fill a vehicle)

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Activities at Boulders:

Boulders is surrounded by 45.000 ha of pristine wilderness, and we are the only operators in that

area. Hence the wildlife experience is exclusive and chances of seeing other vehicles are very limited. However, with the camp being so beautiful and spacious, we feel guests should really make some time in camp as well – instead of being too active.

To start with, the transfer to Boulders from Wolwedans is a scenic drive and the same applies for getting back, which will always be on a separate route. Hence, guest will hardly feel like another drive on day of arrival. This can be accommodated though, esp. for fly-in’s.
It is very important to sell the transfer as “the journey is the destination”.
The sundowner spot at Boulders itself is truly awesome and a wonderful introduction.
We will not conduct day-drives ex. Boulders, but do either two scenic drives (a.m and p.m) of 2-3 hours each into different directions, or, ideally, do a walk in the morning (2-3 hours) and a scenic drive in the afternoon (see more detail below)
Guest will be at Camp for lunch
Guest can do walking on their own, but only into the plains south of Boulders. Climbing around the rocks (and potentially breaking a leg or encountering a leopard) is strictly discouraged.

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Other aspects (as per our guest information in the camp)

Laundry: The Boulders concession does not allow for laundry service and Wolwedans is 45 km’s away by road. Whilst we’d love to offer this service, it just conflicts too much with conservation ethics and our very scarce water reserves. Hence we ask guests to keep their laundry until they reach “greener“ pastures. Back

Meals: All meals are served in the mess tent or, pending weather, under the stars on the open deck. During wintertime dinner is normally served earlier, whilst during summer, dinner can be as late as 21H00. Sometimes the Chef will do a barbeque, especially when guests stay for three nights. Back

Bar: The bar offers a wide selection of beverages and spirits, most of which are “on the house” as well as the house wines. Some imported beverages and the vintage wines are extras and will be charged for. A wine list as well as a list of drinks, which are not on the house, is available at the lounge and in the dining room. Back

Power supply: Solar energy feeding a battery is the source of electric power at the camp and all rooms are equipped with electric lights. At the mess tent camera batteries can be charged with 220V. Back