Agama Lodge

The stay

Every chalet comes with its own roof

The sky terrace is what people remember. Every chalet at Agama, standard or deluxe, has a staircase up to a private 360-degree deck on its own roof. You can go up there with a drink at sunset and come straight back down to a proper bed — or you can have the bed itself moved up.

That sky bed is arranged for the night and comes set up with sparkling wine and a platter of snacks. It costs extra and has to be booked in advance, so mention it when you enquire rather than asking at reception on the day. Given what a sleep-out costs at the specialist camps along this road, it is the cheapest way in Namibia to end up sleeping under the Milky Way.

The rest of the lodge is unfussy and well run. Freestanding chalets with parking at the door, a pool looking out over the lodge’s own game reserve, and a restaurant that guests consistently rate above the other places on this stretch. Warthogs wander through the grounds and nobody minds.

What to do

Why stay at Agama Lodge?

Agama sits on the C19 between Solitaire and Sesriem, outside the park boundary. That means the gate opens at sunrise like everywhere else out here, and guests report about an hour’s drive to the vleis. If being on the dunes in the first light is the whole point of your trip, say so when you enquire — there are only a handful of beds inside the park and we will tell you straight what they cost.

What Agama offers instead is a sky terrace on every single chalet, not just on a premium few, and a rate that undercuts the specialist sleep-out camps along this road by a wide margin. If the idea of sleeping in the open is what drew you to this area, this is the cheapest way to do it.

The lodge backs onto its own private game reserve, so the nature drives, walking trails and scorpion walks all start from the property rather than a public road. The pool looks straight out over it.

The restaurant is worth a mention on its own. Guests coming off a week of lodge buffets consistently rate the food here above the other places on this stretch, and the bar prices are reasonable by Namibian lodge standards.

Before you book

• The sky bed must be arranged in advance — tell us when you enquire
• Rates are dinner, bed and breakfast
• Children 0–6 stay free sharing with parents; 7–12 pay a reduced rate
• Chalets have thin curtains and no blackout blinds, so light sleepers should pack an eye mask
• Wi-Fi is available but patchy — treat this as a place to disconnect

Activities

• Guided day trip to Sossusvlei and Deadvlei
• Sunrise nature drive in the lodge’s own reserve
• Scenic sundowner drive
• Scorpion and stargazing walk
• Guided quiver tree walk
• Guided walking trail
• Bush dinner under the stars
• Sky bed made up on your own roof terrace

Things to see

• Sossusvlei and Deadvlei
• Dune 45, Big Daddy, Big Mama and Elim Dune
• Sesriem Canyon
• The Tsauchab river bed
• Solitaire

Facilities

• The Desert Restaurant, serving local and international dishes
• Bar
• Swimming pool overlooking the reserve
• Private game reserve on the property
• Private parking beside every chalet
• Tyre and battery workshop on site

Getting there

• On the C19, between Solitaire and Sesriem
• Roughly an hour’s drive to Sossusvlei, per guests
• Gravel roads throughout — allow more time than the distance suggests