Zannier Omaanda

Set within a 9,000-hectare private reserve in the Khomas Region, Zannier Omaanda looks out over open savannah on the edge of Windhoek. The lodge takes its name from the Oshiwambo word for rhinoceros, a fitting reference given the tracking done on foot across the reserve. Fifteen round huts, thatched and built in the style of traditional Ovambo architecture, hold deep earth tones and antique African pieces inside. Two are two-bedroom huts suited to families. Each has a private terrace; interiors run to 60 square metres, with the larger huts at 120. A restaurant and bar overlook a heated infinity pool, and a boma gives guests a fire to sit around at night. It is a compact stay. Rangers and trackers lead drives at sunrise and dusk, when the plains are at their most active, along with dedicated outings to track rhino, elephant and carnivores. A spa with two treatment rooms rounds out the facilities. Children under six are not accepted, a detail worth knowing before booking a family trip. Just thirty minutes from Hosea Kutako International Airport, Omaanda works equally well as a first night's arrival or a last night's wind-down before flying out, close enough to the city to be convenient and remote enough to feel like the countryside.