Vingerklip Lodge

Nothing prepares you for the dramatic location which only reveals itself a couple of kilometres away. A stunning location and a very attractively designed lodge. The room (5A) was on two levels and could sleep 4. The bed was very comfortable. There is air conditioning but we didn't need it. The only minor issue was that the shower was feeble. Sundowners up on the ridge were fun. The Eagle's Nest restaurant up there also looked fun but is small and was fully-booked. Not an issue though because going back down the lodge was maybe best done before rather than after supper, and the food in the lodge was excellent. Perfectly cooked fillet of oryx. The bar is in a nice location and you can also sit in a number of different spots each with a lovely view. We did the short walk to and from the Vinger itself which took just under an hour in total.

Wonderful accommodation with stunning views from the bedroom and balcony. Gardens full of cacti with sunbirds and the cute daisies rats occasionally popping up. We were lucky and had one of our dinners served outside at the fire pit, which was amazing, and the other lovely meal was up at the Eagles nest. A very generous breakfast is served. Walking to the Vingerklip is probably about 20 mins. Will return..

We were very confused by all the good reviews of this lodge as unfortunately it was easily the most disappointing of our trip. Our room felt tired and dated with bulky and mismatched furniture that made the room feel very small. There were lots of paint chips on the walls and furniture and our shower tap had not been properly attached and fell off. It was one of the only places we stayed where there wasn’t a mini fridge in the room (including lodges in equally remote locations). I gather from the lodge's replies to other reviews that they are in the process of updating the rooms, however ours had certainly not been updated. It would have been helpful to have some information provided in a booklet in our rooms (meal times etc) like all the other lodges we stayed in. On the plus side, the room had good air con, a safe and a nice terrace. The main lodge buildings were well designed with two pools and lots of sitting areas, however again they were very tired with mismatched lounger pillows that didn't fit properly, some with cigarette burns in them. There was an odd "fitness area" with exercise machines that clearly haven't worked in years. Everything just felt quite tired and listless. Dinner at the Eagle's Nest was fun and the food and service was excellent there. Food in the main lodge was good, but the service was listless and unfriendly at times. There was not a huge amount to see or do in the area past the walk to Vingerklip - if they manage to bring the lodge up to a higher standard it would potentially be worth a one night stay to break the journey to Etosha, but two nights are wasted here. Unfortunately this lodge has a lot of work to do to bring it up to the standard of other places we stayed on our trip, which charged a similar price.