Camp Gecko Safari Lodge

Camp Gecko was built as a private nature reserve on land beneath Spreetshoogte Pass, not far from Solitaire, on the route between Windhoek, Sossusvlei and Swakopmund. The reserve runs to 6,000 hectares of savannah and mountain, and the camp draws its own power from a photovoltaic system installed at the end of 2019, with drinking water pulled from boreholes fed by rainfall filtering down through the mountain. It is a small, owner-run operation. Seven tents, spaced some 30 m apart, look over a waterhole on the plain where guests can sometimes spot game from their own terrace. The two-storey Hide-Away tents have an open lower floor for shade and airflow and a sleeping deck upstairs with its own view; family tents, added in 2023, sleep up to four on one level. Three campsites sit higher on the hill, each with private ablutions, a barbecue area and shade, looking down over the same valley and waterholes. None of the tented or camping pitches carries mains electricity, though cooler batteries and a charging point at the farmhouse are on offer. Breakfast and grill packs are prepared to order and served at a lapa on a rise above camp, with a wide view over the valley. The nearest fuel stop is at Solitaire.