Charming Cottages at the Foot of Gondwana Canyon Boulders

Our next destination was Gondwana Canyon Park, a private reserve with a landscape dominated by plateaus and intercepted by granite hills and dolerite dykes. I can’t even describe how beautiful this was!

We were to stay at the Gondwana Canyon Village, set among the granite boulders in the middle of the vast plain east of the Fish River Canyon (which we were scheduled to visit the following day).

As we approached the property, I glimpsed numerous stone-and-thatch chalets spread in and among the giant boulders in a horseshoe formation. Dotting the landscape were young quiver trees and, in the centre, a sprawling central building bedecked with bougainvillea bushes bursting with bright pink and white blooms.

On the driveway, I spotted a wooden cart drawn by a team of mules whose job was to deliver luggage to the chalets. Beside the entrance, there was a stone and wooden shed for more mules, which at that time, were contentedly cooling off with water from their wooden troughs. It looked like a movie set. I couldn’t believe this place was real and that we were actually spending the night there!

We went inside, and again, I was mesmerized. The reception building boasted of high ceilings and chalk white walls, a huge brick-and-stone fireplace, and more rocks and boulders in the corners.

The reception area featured a giant colourful mural that illustrates the golden years of the missions in Namibia. In the corner was a small shrine shaped like a stone wishing well in honour of the ancient Nama deity, Haitsi Aebeb, where travellers can request a blessing before they leave the property for a safe travel ahead.

The spacious restaurant featured long wooden tables and, on its walls, the history of southern Namibia and its original inhabitants, the Nama people, is depicted in murals. At the buffet area, one could find an ox wagon with hundreds of years of history ingrained in its woods, as well as a well-preserved ancient horse cart. The cozy bar was also made of wood and stone, and behind the restaurant was a lounge area with a metal fireplace and black leather chairs nestled under natural boulders.

I stepped outside and found an outdoor dining space consisting of a thatched bar area, long wooden tables with umbrellas, and wooden chairs surrounding a stone fireplace where bonfires could also be lit at night.

While our guide checked us in, we checked out the small souvenir shop beside the reception table selling local handicrafts and products – knitted wear, hats, shirts, beaded jewelry, scarves, paintings, kitchenware, etc. The friendly staff were all wearing the traditional patchwork dress with matching headdress.

As I had hoped, we were treated to a short wooden cart ride to our chalet. By this time, it was dusk, and I was enthralled by the scene before me – quaint Cape Dutch-style huts against the backdrop of a cragged canyon scenery that is illuminated by the changing hues of the setting sun. I felt like one of those early settlers trudging home to their mission houses on mule-drawn carts after a day in town. And even though we were in Africa, I felt like a character in a Western film scene and that cowboys were about to come out anytime from one of the chalets.

The magical spell didn’t end there, for when we entered our chalet, I was in awe. The room was simple, with wooden furniture decorated in red and orange hues, reflecting the colours of the canyon and its magnificent sunsets. There was really nothing extraordinary about its amenities, but the rustic feel, and the fact that we were in the middle of the canyon made the whole experience of sleeping here special.

We had a relaxing buffet dinner at the restaurant and enjoyed a quiet evening walk under the moonlight before we turned in.

The next morning was even more awesome. I got up early to go out and watch the sunrise before heading to the restaurant for breakfast. The play of colours in the sky as dawn turned into day was simply a painter’s dream, if I could only paint.

Photo Credits:

store.gondwana-collection.com, Gondwana Collection Namibia