Zannier Omaanda

It would be misleading to claim that Omaanda, with its privileged access to Namibia’s N/a’an Ku Sê wildlife sanctuary, is more luxurious than its sister hotel, Sonop, in the Namib Desert. Both scale such dizzying heights that the experience is impossible to quantify. What’s fair to say, though, is that Omaanda’s huts are a bit more substantial than Sonop’s canvas tents — and that if it’s a classic high-end safari experience you’re after, Omaanda is the place. The ten huts, with their clay walls and thatched roofs, are inspired by traditional Namibian houses — but their vast picture windows, their walk-in rain showers, their freestanding tubs, and their Nespresso machines clearly mark them as belonging to the modern luxury-hotel tradition as well. As spectacular as they are, you’re not here for the accommodations. The star of the show is the nature reserve, and the animals that call the savannah home. Along with sunrise and sunset game drives, Omaanda offers excursions focusing on rhinos, elephants, big cats, and even meerkats, if you like them small. And back at the lodge you can expect spa treatments, al fresco three-course dinners, an infinity pool, and all the rest and relaxation you can handle.