Zannier Hotels Omaanda

Windhoek East, Windhoek & Environs, Namibia
Book from GBP Book from £616 per night

Zannier Hotels Omaanda

Windhoek East, Windhoek & Environs, Namibia

Magnificent safari lodge with great drives, amazing views and tailored activities: perfect spot to chill

Magnificent safari lodge with great drives, amazing views and tailored activities: perfect spot to chill

Just 45 minutes drive from Windhoek this offering from the Habitas stable is a doddle to reach yet feels as remote as it is beautiful. 12 solid tent structures are set upon hillock so you look down across an endless vista of savannah and bush. Inside, you feel as safe as houses and give you a cooling sanctuary from the daytime heat. There’s every chance of experiencing big five wildlife but what we liked was their aim to tailor your stays just for you. Apart from game drives you can opt for yoga, painting, treatments, gin tasting, medicinal walks to learn about the secrets of the bush, or simply kick back for movie nights beneath the heavens. Delicious food was well balanced and avoids you feeling over stuffed. All our guides were charming and we enjoyed sundowners, bush dinners even drumming lessons on the bongos. Some people spend many days here simply to unwind and who can blame them. You’re mesmerised by the vista by day and the stars by night. In the afternoon our minds would just go blank as we cooled off by the pool – lying there agog at the distant dust devils spinning across the vast plains below.

Highs

  • The stunning location. So easy to get here but so far away
  • Beautifully designed rooms with exceptional views
  • Very relaxing pool area and restaurant - ideal to unwind for days on end
  • Delicious food and well judged menus - not overly frilled but struck the perfect note
  • Excellent guides, wonderful game drives and flexibility to tailor your stay with many varied activities from morning yoga to evening bush dinners, gin tasting and drumming

Lows

  • In winter season it can get windy, nights can get cold but rooms are cosy enough to keep you warm
  • The view is so mesmerising you can lose track of days
  • Don't expect drives to be teaming with game. The reserve is not overstocked but you can see "Big 5' and the encounters we had were very rewarding

Best time to go

June to July are the driest months with the biggest drop in temperature at night, while Jan to March has the highest rainfall - but it never rains for long and average daily temperatures always range from 20-35C. You'll be very unlucky to miss a day because of rain. We visited in February - it was stunning and we didn't see a drop.

Our top tips

Try and stay for as long as possible. Even without the excursions, we thought Omaanda was the perfect "fly-and-flop". Don't miss the unique experiences on offer, especially the neighbouring Shiloh animal sanctuary. It's unforgettable.

Great for...

Foodie
Great Outdoors
Romantic
  • Safari Lodge
  • 10 huts (for 2-4)
  • Full-board or All-inclusive stays
  • 6-12 year olds welcome
  • Open all year
  • Heated Pool
  • Spa Treatments
  • Beach Nearby
  • Pet Friendly
  • Disabled Access
  • Car not necessary
  • Parking
  • Restaurants Nearby
  • WiFi
  • Air Conditioning
  • Guest Lounge
  • Terrace
  • Garden
  • Gym
  • Concierge Service
Room:

Rooms

The 10 huts stretch out along a walkway raised above the ground and lit at night. Not much separates the rooms apart from layout: the Two-Bedroom Huts are ideal for families; the One-Bedroom Huts perfect for couples. All are thatched in traditional Namibian Ovamba style, and well sealed. Rooms are definitely on the luxe scale but understatedly so - rounded corners, earthy tones, warm colours. Each is built using natural clay over sand sacks in keeping with ancestral methods. The polished floors curve up to blend into the walls, so it avoids you worrying about anything lurking in the corners.

You'll find African knick-knacks, antiques, carpets, and if it gets chilly at night, there's a cosy fireplace. You get bags of living space plus your own private viewing terrace for gazing out to the distant hills.

Other touches we liked included the dark bathroom taps, taupe bathrobes and ample wardrobe space. All rooms are well-equipped with top gear, from torches and Nespresso machines to soundbars and fully integrated TVs. As for the beds, ours was wonderfully comfy, and not much help for those early morning game drives. In fact, our only niggle with these beautiful rooms was not having enough time to be in them.

Features include:

  • Bathrobes
  • Hairdryer
  • In-room treatments available
  • Minibar
  • Safe box
  • WiFi

Eating

Eating at Omaanda is a real delight. The gorgeous open air restaurant offers healthy, delicious and perfectly judged dishes served with great charm.

For breakfast they'll hit you with a zingy fresh health shot (maybe ginger, pineapple, kiwi or moranga) then a selection of plates to order, all served on rustic ceramic. Pastries, waffles and Milet Pati (a local semolina staple) are melt-in-your-mouth moorish.

Lunches are perfect for the midday heat. We had an outstanding set of Mezze dishes ranging from sesame tuna, guacamole, trout, lamb ball kefla, carrots in cumin and freshly made falafels and flatbread rotis.

Dinner is generally a 3-course affair with simple yet delicious starters (think roasted tomato soup with pesto and croutons) and a choice of fish, meat or vegetarian mains that change daily. Our filet of Orynx was the tenderest imaginable and its accompanying mushroom risotto was superb. But it was the "chocolate pie" that stole the show, a cross between a meringue and a brownie. Utterly outstanding.

Features include:

  • All meals included
  • Bar
  • Restaurant
  • Vegetarian options
Eating:
Activity:

Activities

  • Savannah sunrise and sunset game drives: as a young reserve they're finding the right balance of flora and fauna. You'll never get stuck in traffic but don't expect a 'Big 5' experience at every turn. You'll have to track and spot the bigger game but what we saw was awesome (from rhino to adorable meerkats and much in between). Sundowners were unforgettable.
  • Their partnership with N/a’an ku sê means conservation is at the heart of what they do. You can take in experiences with trusted guides, such as walking with cheetahs (over 12s), feeding carnivores, learning bushcraft from the local San tribe, and getting to know all about their vital anti-poaching work.
  • Visit the animal sanctuary to get close to the most adorable creatures - many of them orphans
  • Lounge by the best swimming pool in Namibia, read in the shade, or simply gaze out to the Savannah - all day long
  • Take a pew in the picturesque gin shack for your nightly aperitif. It was the best G&T experience of our lives.
  • Luxuriate then exfoliate: the professional spa teatments will send you into a state of bliss

Kids

6-12 year olds welcome.

Family friendly accommodation:

The Two-Bedroom huts have 2 kingsize/twin beds, each with an ensuite bathroom (shower and tub), and shared living area with fireplace.

Families Should Know:

On-foot activities such as tracking are not suitable for children under 16

Kid Friendly:

Location

Omaanda is set on the 9,000-hectare private Zannier Reserve, on the Ondekaremba land east of Windhoek.

By Air:
Fly into Windhoek Hosea Kutako airport (international and domestic flights) or Windhoek Eros airport (domestic flights only). From the former it's a 30-minute drive to the lodge, from the latter it's 1 hour). Transfers are included to/from the international airport if you're staying on an All-Inclusive basis; if not, or if you wish to be collected from Eros airport, ask for a transfer or hire a car.

Detailed directions will be sent when you book through i-escape.

Airports:

  • Windhoek Hosea Kutako 31.0 km WDH
  • Windhoek Hosea Kutako 51.0 km ERS

Other:

  • Beach 400.0 km
  • Shops 40.0 km
  • Restaurant 40.0 km

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