Big Sky Lodges News Archive 2006
December 2006
Elephants in the Erongos. 3 bull elephants recently paid a 2 week visit to the Erongo Mountains, staying mostly in the Erongo riverbed. This is an area the desert elephant frequented long before commercial farming developed. Local farmers and conservancy members drafted a letter to MET requesting that the animals be left alone and were causing no damage, this is a very positive response in a region dominated by commercial farms.
October 2006
Leg room measured in days not millimeters. Erongo Wilderness Lodge has a multitude of ways to charm a guest. The staff are attentive, happy and confident in their surroundings. The food is excellent, partly thanks to the cross-pollination of culinary thinking with the chefs at Erongo's sister property the Olive Grove Guesthouse in Windhoek. The tents offer fantastic views and are surrounded by curious dassies, cautious klipspringers and amazingly bold monitor lizards. The scenery (in every direction) is mind-blowing and quite unique to the region.
The rates include unlimited (ie without end) guided walks, if that sounds like radically good value for money, I can confirm that it is. How much walking can you actually do in two days anyway? The answer to that is simple, you will run out of time long before you run out of walking trails. The guides will have you discussing medicinal uses for local flora, interpreting ancient rock art (hint: the character I confidently explained was a pioneering Kalahari swimmer, turned out to be someone playing the flute...) and just enjoying yourself clambering over massive granite rock formations.
But the thing that I love the most about Erongo Wilderness Lodge, is that you can grab a trail map, a bottle of water and just go bush (or rock), ambling along grassland trails and hiking up dramatic granite cliffs - safe, solitary and stunning. You will not meet another person and because of that, you will feel like the first person to have explored that particular mountain.
Standing alone on top of the Eagle Trail, watching a Rock Kestrel drifting on the warm morning breeze while very far below, lovebirds chattered along the cliffs, I had something pretty close to a perfect wilderness moment. After a ten hour flight from the UK, the Erongo Mountains delivered all the leg room you could ever want. Take my advice, this is the best introduction to Namibia on foot that you can get.
September 06
A hidden gem right in the middle of Namibia. A geological wonderland home to priceless rock art, the confluence of desert, grassland and mountain eco-systems, somewhere left to explore a wealth of natural and cultural history. Casual luxury and breathtaking views with just 10 tented chalets, situated in Namibia’s spectacular Erongo Mountains, midway between the game rich north and the dune swept south. Walking is the best way to experience the beauty of the region. The lodge guides will share their knowledge of the local fauna, flora, and folklore on walks over granite domes and through rich valleys.
June 06
Olive Grove is Windhoek’s classic upmarket guesthouse offering simple elegance, creative dining, a welcoming bar, service that only an owner run guesthouse can offer and all set in a peaceful location within easy reach of the city centre. In fact, with a plunge pool and spa bath included, there is not much motivation to leave the guesthouse.
Erongo Wilderness Lodge is located just outside the pretty and interesting town of Omaruru in the stunning volcanic scenery of the Erongo mountains. The ten luxury tented chalets are hidden amongst giant granite boulders in a secluded valley overlooking some of Namibia’s most breathtaking views. This is a lodge that has been built into the landscape with bathrooms created around natural rocks and trees.
Aside from the unique scenery, Erongo is famed as a birding hotspot and a number of rare species make this their home including Black and Booted Eagle, Damara Rockrunner and Violet-eared Waxbill. Other activities include guided game drives, visits to nearby Bushman rock art sites and some truly wonderful walking trails, which is the best way to experience this area.