22 Best Hotels in Namibia

Although it officially falls within the municipal area of Windhoek, this lodge is 40 km (25 miles) south of the city center, and while you can't explore the capital from here, you can unwind in the glorious surround of this 6,000-hectare (14,000-acre) reserve. Perched on top of a rocky hill, the lodge blends in with the surrounding countryside due to the use of natural elements in the building and decor. Glossy wooden chalets have thatched roofs and sunken baths that look out over the bush. Two waterholes are well-visited all day long by antelope and sometimes zebras. GocheGanas offers a unique wellness village with an indoor pool—set in a high-roofed cave-room—surrounded by loungers, a spa, and endless bush views. The 360-degree Toko Bar is a perfect spot to catch an African sunset before heading to a delicious Namibian dinner.

Windhoek's premier boutique hotel, the Olive Exclusive, with its seven large suites each decorated thematically according to each of Namibia's regions, is an upmarket treat either before or after your safari. As each suite is equipped with all the mod-cons—laptops, Wi-Fi, espresso machines, minibars, and satellite TV—it's the right kind of place to manage your transition from the solitude of the bush to the connectivity of the city and vice versa. The decor strikes an elegant balance between chic and African without overdoing the latter (as many lodges do) and while the premium suites have their own plunge pools, guests can also use the communal pool. The Olive Exclusive restaurant, with its playful menu that features great Namibian produce, is an intimate spot worth visiting even if you aren't a guest at the hotel.

Built from the old Lighthouse and Port Authority building, this completely unique lodge is as beautiful as it is stark. Positioned on the farthest point of Pelican Point, the remoteness of this lodge will give you your first taste of a Skeleton-Coast-type experience as the fog rolls in and isolates the property. A photographer's paradise, the flat colors of the surrounding beach, old ship artifacts, and rusting metal shapes will provide you with an endless canvas for images. The 10 comfortable suites, all with a view, are inspired by the textures of the beach and ocean, each with a unique location photograph as the focal point. Despite running on generator power, there is total silence and you will feel as though you can completely reset. Close proximity to the enormous seal colony allows you to walk around and view them at ease; or take a kayak trip with one of the guides to get some close-up photographs. There's a complimentary escort if you're in a 4x4; if you're driving a standard car, you'll have to make use of the transfer service and leave your car at the safe Protea Pelican Bay Hotel.

This large beachfront property is built on Mole Beach overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The 125-room hotel ticks all the boxes including personal consultant-style check-ins, elegant rooms with luxurious bathrooms, and priceless views. Ninety percent of the rooms have gorgeous ocean vistas and a handful have a view of the lovely park alongside. It’s worth staying here just to experience the breakfast offering at the in-house Farmhouse Deli (included in your B&B room rate). The other two restaurants—the Brewer and Butcher and the Ocean Cellar—are first-class but very popular, so be sure to book in advance.

At this family-friendly hotel within the 1901 Old Station Building, the huge, bustling lobby is a reminder of the building's previous incarnation as a railway station. Rooms, some of which look out onto the central courtyard, are comfortable, large, and kitted out with all the modern necessities. The hotel—owned by Legacy Hotels and Resorts—boasts numerous facilities and services, which make it ideal for traveling families; these include an adjacent cinema, casino, gym, child minding services; and the Victorian-style Platform One restaurant, which serves an a la carte menu and a buffet. The Whistle Stop Lounge and Bar is a popular stop, and the large pool, necklaced by a luscious garden, makes for an ideal place to relax on the loungers with a book or a bite and sundowner from the terrace menu.

Tucked away behind a clump of enormous granite boulders, this lodge is synonymous with the Erongo region of Namibia: quietly comfortable. Located inside the Erongo Mountain Nature Conservancy, on the edge of a 130-million-year-old volcano ruin, this area is worth a visit if you're traveling from Windhoek to Swakopmund, even if it's just to sit by the pool and watch the glowing African sun set over a grassy plain with Brandberg Mountain in the distance. While you're there, visit the many extraordinary rock painting sites with one of the lodge's knowledgeable guides, do a guided walking trail or nature drive, or go birding.

This comfortable and elegant hotel has all the conveniences of a large, smooth-running operation, with staff on hand at every corner to assist and pleasant rooms that characterize the property. Britain's Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip stayed here in 1990, the year of Namibia's independence. Ultimately it's the hotel's central location that makes it an attractive option, though the new rooftop ballroom restaurant, bar, and pool are a worthy spot for a sundowner.

As its name suggests, The Delight ticks all the boxes for a wonderful stay: modern decor, an excellent buffet breakfast, cheerful rooms, a funky bar, and a welcoming lounge. The interior is accentuated by bright bursts of color and photo-worthy elements, such as the lobby chandelier made of recycled plastic and upcycled driftwood, a large blue mural depicting the Namib Desert, and a giant map of Africa. The large seascape photo murals in the guest rooms provide a seaside feel and each room has a balcony or a patio (some of which look out onto the central courtyard). 

When you see the sunset reflecting off the Namib-Naukluft Mountains from this elegant hotel, you’ll understand why this safari shabby chic establishment is done up in accents of dusty pink. From its restaurant and food stations at meal times to the geometric fire-and-water feature at the entrance, Instagram-worthy bar and lounge (called ‘One Night in Namibia’), and collection of large portrait photographs of everyday Namibians, this place is very photogenic. Each airy room is tastefully thought out and has all the necessary mod cons, including a floor-to-ceiling sliding door that looks out onto the horizon. The exceptional service will make you feel right at home.

Set among the Dolomite hills in the previously off-limits western section of the park, this camp is for those looking for something unique and far from the madding crowd, with its sports bar, sunset deck, and infinity pool perfect for scoping out the scorched plains and hills while cooling off. Tented deluxe chalets with mesmerizing views are elegantly appointed and some have plunge pools. Having been untouched by tourists for almost 50 years, this section of the park has allowed animals like black rhino and black-faced impala to breed successfully. You may also be lucky enough to see roan antelope, Moneiro's hornbill, and Hartmann's zebra—species specific to the area.

With its vibrant sprawling gardens, this sophisticated, family-owned establishment will make you do a double take when you realize it’s on the outskirts of the capital city. Large trees wrapped in fairy lights add to the property's charm, while a private wine-cellar dining experience, a trendy restaurant, and a spa set Droombos apart from other properties in Windhoek. Rooms are on the small side but are elegantly decorated with all the modern conveniences you'd expect for a comfortable night's rest.

Located just 2 km (1 mile) from the busy Anderson Gate at Etosha National Park, this lodge is like a cool shady escape from the dusty roads and crowds of the park. The lodge with its three inviting swimming pools, open air restaurant, and bar, as well as spacious freestanding rooms, is built amid a leafy mopane forest. A combination of comfort, modern amenities, and attentive service makes this lodge a really good value-for-money choice. 

This hotel has one of the most spectacular views of the Walvis Bay Lagoon with its peaceful flamingos and idyllic sunsets. The hotel's fine dining restaurant and bar, which specializes in inventive cocktails, is also very popular with locals. They have thought of everything when it comes to standard hotel amenities. Touches of leather and marble with fluffy white bathrobes and crisp linen add a certain level of opulence to the suites. 

This old-world grand dame, which was established in 1905 a few years after the town was founded, gives guests a Belle Epoque–era feeling with its hushed solicitude, gleaming brass, and manicured garden. Standard rooms are comfortable and though some of their furnishings remain somewhat dated, the much larger suites are done up in historical decor which give them the kind of charm you'd expect of this very popular hotel. There are now also self-catering units available. Book a room that overlooks the central garden courtyard if possible. A warm atmosphere, central location, one of the town's best German-style restaurants (Hansa Hotel Main Restaurant), adjoining coffee shop (Bojos Café) and cozy bar complete the picture. Breakfast is great and it's well worth eating dinner here too.

This is your chance to stay in a turn-of-the-20th-century castle, a white fort with battlements set high on a hill and commissioned by a German count for his fiancée in 1914. The spacious interiors have a luxurious fairy-tale quality, with handmade furniture, mirrors, and chandeliers, and beautiful fabrics that transport you to a stylish bygone age perfectly mixed with state-of-the-art modern comforts. The hotel also has amazing views of the city, and offers an excellent breakfast on the gorgeous outdoor patio. The fine-dining food and wine at Leo's at the Castle are synonymous with the style of the hotel.  Book well in advance, as this is a sought-after hotel in the city.

Situated in a tall shady forest, this lodge stands on its tiptoes high up off the ground overlooking the lush floodplain below. In order to preserve the natural pathways of the elephants that pass through the area regularly, wooden walkways weave through the tops of the trees connecting roomy luxury tents and the main lodge area. You don’t have to go far here to spot game, as sometimes it may be passing right underneath you while you laze the day away on your treetop deck. Special touches like a delivery of coffee and biscuits in the early morning and star-lit dinners or conversations around the bonfire at the main lodge and a hot bath awaiting your return from an evening game drive make this lodge feel all the more personal. The area has abundant birdlife and the boat cruise is well worth it.

This small and friendly thatched camp is set in a beautiful natural forest within a nature reserve 10 km (6 miles) east of the Von Lindequist Gate—about a 30-minute drive from the park. After a hot, dusty day in Etosha (or exploring Onguma Nature Reserve which has more than 30 animal and 300 bird species), you can sip a cocktail on your mini-veranda or by the fire pit that faces the waterhole, while listening to the noises of the night. The owners emphasize excellent cuisine made with fresh, local produce that makes dining in the newly built boma quite the experience. The Dream Cruiser Sleep Out experience (a two-story structure built on top of a Land Cruiser with a full bathroom) can be booked in conjunction with a stay here.

This centrally located establishment is right on the water's edge and along the palm-lined promenade, which means you can look out onto the Walvis Bay Lagoon from all of the rooms (but the junior suite) and the restaurant. There is a short pier just in front of the hotel, which makes for a great spot to watch or photograph the resident flamingos and pelicans.

If you want to be on the spot when the park gates open at first light, this hotel (right at the Sesriem entrance) is the right choice for you. Its decor—in khaki shades and with wooden finishings—blends perfectly with the desert surroundings. After a hot, dusty day in the desert, it's wonderful to wallow in the swimming pool, which faces the dunes, and later gaze at the dazzling brilliance of the night skies while you dine in the large open-air restaurant. Book just about any desert activity from the excellent adventure center.

This pleasant and affordable lodge about 25 km (15½ miles) south of Etosha's Anderson Gate makes a great base for exploring the park. Experienced guides take you on the lodge's all-day drive in an open game vehicle with a great picnic included (six people max per vehicle). Cheerful well-appointed double rooms are set among green lawns and old mopane and seringa trees. The restaurant serves excellent house-cooked food and specializes in fine South African wines. Kids under six stay free with their parents.

In a dramatic locale in Damaraland's Valley of the Ugab Terraces, this lodge is set against the backdrop of a mighty stone finger pointing toward the sky. Take the time to listen to the silence on one of their walking trails or as you lounge by either of the two swimming pools. The 360-degree views from the Sundowner Terrace are magnificent. Bungalows cling to the side of a rocky hill and are clean, comfortable and air-conditioned, but it's the remarkable views that you'll always remember, especially if you stay in the Heaven's Gate room. 

Located on the magnificent rock terrace of the geological phenomenon known as the Waterberg Plateau, the chalets of this lodge are hidden from one another by bush and red sandstone boulders. The adequate rooms all have a rather grand view out over the Kalahari bushveld as well as their own mini plunge pool for cooling off on hot afternoons. The lodge is in the Waterberg Wilderness Private Nature Reserve, and although one cannot drive up onto the famous Waterberg Plateau, they do offer a wonderful rhino game drive and a number of hikes up to the top of the mountain. The reserve has two other camps: Wilderness Lodge under huge trees towards the top of the mountain, and Valley Lodge with lovely tented rooms.

This is a wonderful place for bird-watching and walking.