Bagatelle Kalahari Game Ranch

We stopped off here for one night whilst travelling from Windhoek to Fish River Canyon, as its a short 3hrs 45 min journey to start your trip down to the far south. Easily signed posted from the main road and a stunning drive through the red sand. You are met at reception with a welcome drink and a warm smile. After checking in you leave your car in the parking area and a member of staff takes you and your bags in a golf cart up to your accommodation . They are lovely chalets well spaced out and private from each other and overlooks the beautiful red sand dunes .Our chalet overlooked the illuminated water hole and the rooms are spacious , bright and airy , a lovely comfy bed with mosquito nest and an en suite bathrooms. As with most other lodges they had a lovely deep roll top bath but low water pressure meant it would take forever to try and fill it, so it looks good but not much more. There is a nice bar lounge area at the main lodge , a curio shop, an observatory and a swimming pool. We had pre-booked two activities with the lodge: an afternoon drive and sundowners and a night drive. We walked back down to the reception to meet our guide and joined a full safari vehicle. The drive is around the whole estate which is vast, and you get stunning views of the red dunes and plains and the wildlife found there. However it did feel a little staged for us , they trip felt more like a fun drive out rather than wildlife watching . The guide didn't appear to actually have to look for any of the animals they seemed to be on the set route he followed . All of the animals had been bought in by the owners and even the rhinos would come when called. The most impressive thing we saw was a Cape Cobra trying to enter a weavers bird nest ( we were impressed that the guide found it but later found out that another guide had seen it earlier and told him it was there) What spoilt the trip for us was a group of Austrian teenagers on the vehicle who spent the whole trip playing Tik Tok videos on their phones, laughing and joking about what they were watching , constantly asking when we were going to stop for sundowners and then for 20 minutes singing pop songs at the top of their voices . We stopped in a nice dune location where we met with another vehicle from the camp to watch the sunset and the drinks and snacks were very good. We then returned to camp for dinner in the open sided restaurant near the pool area. You had a choice of two starters which were served to you , you then choose your main courses and sides from a buffet and then had a choice of two desserts again served to your table. All the food was good and well cooked. We then went out on a night drive where we were the only guests. This guide seemed far more knowledgeable and also allowed my husband to use his own lamp . Although we didn't see a lot of wildlife it was good fun and the guide was very informative , and we had an exciting fast ride home as a thunderstorm hit with torrential rain. Be

This is a beautiful ranch. The campsites are spacious and private. Each campsite has its own private ablutions, with an under roof section. They offered a wide range of activities including horse riding safari’sThey were nice enough to offer free coffee/tea and cake at 15:00 everyday. The staff were friendly and always ready to help. They have a nice curio shop and restaurant and bar facilities on site.

This is a high end lodge, with high standards, great atmosphere, exceptional service and offering a beautiful Kalahari experience. Our lodge was luxurious with a small plunge pool looking directly out to the Kalahari. We enjoyed the wildlife tours and saw a very good range of different animals in natural settings. I thoroughly recommend it as part of your Namibia visit.

Perfect lodge in the Kalahari desert with a combination of unique activités, relaxation and great food.

This was supposed to be the highlight of our trip, but we were very disappointed in our room.Partly my mistake as I thought we were getting a Dune-view chalet, but the Sunrise chalet really does not have a view at all. As Namibian farmers, we found ourselves looking down on the "farmyard" of Bagatelle... not what we had in mind. The room and lodge felt old. Dinner was great. Breakfast was average. We won't be going again.

The dune chalet view is beautiful, but it needs renovation to justify the price. Staff do not seem happy, rather bored especially at reception. We asked for a night drive but were told not possible to do for under four guests (at 150 usd per person). Food was good and our waitress was very friendly. Overall a pretentious, mass tourism feel place.