Huab Lodge

The best of conversation and conservation at an award-winning lodge, with family-friendly bungalows, in the Huab Private Reserve

Jan Van de Reep is a leading light in Namibia's nascent conservation movement. He lived and worked in the Etosha Park for two decades before helping to create the 8,000 hectare Huab Nature Reserve. Three farms were linked, fences removed and game introduced, thus creating a buffer zone at the edge of Damaraland. And in doing so, its best known residents - the so-called 'desert' elephants - were given a big new slice of Lebensraum.

Jan and his wife Suzi and the lodge's friendly staff welcome you as part of their extended family to the high, thatch-and-pole lodge which remains their home nestled along the river bank. You eat with them at one table, are accompanied by them on game drives and get to learn a whole lot about Namibian wildlife and the threats that it faces. Hot springs rise just yards from the lodge, cool off in the swimming pool overlooking the Huab River. Experience the Huab Sound of Silence: nature undisturbed by artificial noise as here there's no TV, radio, mobile phone reception, nor white noise from refrigeration (these run on paraffin or gas). We felt privileged to stay at a place with an inclusive (rather than exclusive) ethos: if eco has become the buzzword amongst lodges, in this part of the world Huab remains the pioneer and the one whose ethical commitments run deepest.

Highs

• The 'one table, one family' ethic means you get the chance to eat with your hosts and learn all about the creation of Huab and its goals
• There's plenty of opportunity to relax between game viewing - you can soak away your aches beneath a star-filled sky in the hot springs or have a massge in one of the treatment rooms
• There's a small pool - keep an eye out for passing wildlife as you laze on a lounger
• Both the lodge and its large guest bungalows are homely and comfy
• Huab's eco commitment runs deep (electricity comes from solar panels) and profits are ploughed back into conservation projects; Huab has won three flowers from the prestigious EcoAwards
• The wonderfully friendly staff can't do enough for you

Lows

• Jan and Suzi are amongst the country's top guides and are occasionally away leading tours; try and time your visit to coincide with them
• Be prepared to share all meals with Huab's resident staff as well as with your fellow guests; a big plus for us
• Bear in mind you'll have 32kms of (increasingly scenic) dirt track to negotiate en route to the lodge, which although easy to drive on with a 2WD means the journey will take longer