In the heart of the desert

摘要

Travelers who aren't afraid to go off the beaten track are flocking to Namibia in search of breathtaking landscapes and unexplored lands. In the south-west of the country the Namib, the oldest desert in the world (and second driest, after Chile's Atacama), is home to burnt-orange sand dunes, vast plains, dry riverbeds, fossilized trees and red granite and black limestone rocky mountains. The bushmen, who lived off sheep farming, abandoned these infertile lands a century ago, but evidence of their presence is still visible today, from cave drawings to ancient graves. In a flock of new openings in the area, one property stands out for its eco credentials. Completed at the end of 2019 following an extensive refurbishment, &Beyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge sits on a 31,400-acre private reserve right by the Namib-Naukluft National Park, a 90-minute charter flight from the capital, Windhoek. Johannesburg-based architect Jack Alexander and Fox Browne Creative were appointed to overhaul the existing structure while also dramatically reducing its carbon footprint.