Zebra River Lodge

The stay

A canyon, and nine ways to walk it

Zebra River Lodge stands on the slopes of the Zebra River Canyon, deep in the Tsaris Mountains, on a private farm of 12,600 hectares. It has been taking guests for more than twenty-five years, and keeps the character of the original farmhouse alongside proper lodge standards.

The appeal here is what is outside the door. Endless plateaus and deep canyons, nine named hiking trails, seven of them also ridden on mountain bikes, and a landscape that draws geologists, archaeologists and palaeontologists as much as walkers.

A waterhole near the lodge terraces has become a permanent water source, bringing in zebra, kudu and a steady stream of birds. Accommodation runs from standard rooms through rock chalets to campsites on the riverbank and one wild camp seven kilometres out.

What to do

Why stay at Zebra River Lodge?

Because you can walk out of the door and keep going. There are nine named hiking trails on the farm — Gail’s Cave and its loop, the Quiver Tree, Ridgeway, Sabuta, Kudu Loop, Scenic Drive, Kudu Spring and Klipspringer Spring — and seven of them are open to mountain bikes as well. Almost nowhere else in this part of Namibia offers that.

The canyon is a draw in its own right. Zebra River is a known spot for geology, archaeology and fossils, and the lodge runs pages on each because guests keep asking. Birders do well here too, and mountain zebra watch the ridges.

A waterhole near the terraces has become a permanent source, so zebra, kudu and a steady stream of birds come to you between walks.

The honest part: this is the Tsaris Mountains, not Sesriem. Sossusvlei is a drive, and if the dunes at first light are the whole point of the trip, Sossus Dune Lodge is inside the gate and we will say so. Come here for the canyon and the walking.

Before you book

• This is a walking and cycling destination first — Sossusvlei is a day trip from here
• Breakfast is included with the rooms, chalets and suite
• Some standard rooms are nearer the main lodge — ask if walking is difficult
• The Wild Camp at Kudu Spring is exclusive to one party and 7 km from the lodge
• All rooms are non-smoking
• The lodge is next to the D850 in the Hardap District
• Park entry fees for Sossusvlei are payable at the gate

The hiking trails

• Gail’s Cave Trail and Gail’s Cave Loop
• Quiver Tree Trail
• Ridgeway Trail
• Sabuta Trail
• Kudu Loop Trail
• Scenic Drive Trail
• Kudu Spring and Klipspringer Spring trails
• Seven of the nine are also ridden on mountain bikes

Activities

• Hiking over the plateaus and into the canyons
• Mountain biking on seven of the trails
• Birding — the canyon holds an abundance of species
• Geology and fossil hunting in the canyon
• 4x4 scenic driving on the farm
• Game viewing at the waterhole from the terrace
• Day trips to Sossusvlei

Things to see

• The Zebra River Canyon
• Hartmann’s mountain zebra on the ridges
• Kudu and other antelope at the waterhole
• Fossils and rock formations in the canyon
• Sunset turning the Tsaris Mountains gold
• Sossusvlei and Deadvlei, as a day trip

Facilities

• Restaurant and bar in the original farmhouse
• Swimming pool, with the garden around it
• Terraces overlooking the waterhole
• Laundry service
• Parking

Getting there

• Next to the D850, in the Tsaris Mountains, Hardap District
• On a 12,600 ha private farm on the slopes of the Zebra River Canyon
• Gravel roads — allow more time than the distance suggests