Wilderness Little Kulala

Little Kulala occupies a private reserve on the eastern edge of the Namib-Naukluft, and its chief practical advantage is a private access gate that puts guests among the dunes well before the day visitors arrive from Sesriem. The eleven villas were stripped back and rebuilt in a pale, pared-down style, each with a plunge pool and a rooftop sleep-out platform.

The dune excursion is the headline: Sossusvlei's apricot ridges and the cracked white floor of Deadvlei with its blackened camelthorn skeletons. Beyond that there are nature drives on the reserve, guided walks across gravel plains, e-bikes and, for those willing to pay extra, a hot-air balloon flight over the sand sea at dawn.

Evenings run to open-air dinners and the rooftop beds, which are the thing most guests remember. The desert cools fast after sunset, so the staff pile on blankets and leave you to the Milky Way.