Ai Aiba - the Rock Painting Lodge

This lodge is remote and offers a lot of memorable experiences, even to the most seasoned traveller. - You can meet and greet San people, who until this day live as hunter-gatherers - you can admire superb rock paintings - you can see rare species like Hartmann's Mountain Zebras or Damara Dik-Diks, endemic only to this area. - or you can just marvel at the stunning scenery and breath-taking sunsets. We had chosen this lodge to break up the long journey from Swakopmund to Etosha and we are glad we did. We arrived around midday. I really wanted to meet the San people in the nearby Living Museum, whereas my family was hot and couldn't wait to get into the swimming pool at the lodge. As a compromise we chose the short demonstration tour of 30 minutes. It is an exhilirating experience, yet it has its fair share of awkwardness. While the San were very nice and welcoming and demontrated how they make fire and ropes, the short time we spend there wasn't enough to make us feel less like being intruders and more like guests. That being said, I would highly recommend it - just that next time I will come earlier and do a whole tour of 2 hours. On to the lodge. Nice, yet the place felt a bit old-fashioned and the swimming pool was suprisingly cold. The resident grazing warthog was an amusement for the kids, though. We did the well signed walk above the lodge, which had stunning views and magnificent rock art. Probably the best one-hour long "free activity" of any lodge in the whole of Namibia (see pictures). We also joined a sundowner Rock Art/Game drive in which we were unlucky in terms of animal sightings - we barely saw any wildlife. Ronny, our guide, was an awesome companion, though. He showed us some more rock art and nice rock formations, so the whole drive turned out to be very memorable. However, we saw a lot of wildlife when we left the property (giraffes, Damara Dik-Diks, Mountain Zebra and other antilopes - you just cannot predict nature! Food was good, so was the overall service. In a nutshell, this place has something going on, with a few refurbishments this place will be an absolute winner.

Excellent Hotel Lovely location with excellent room facilities..The water hole attracts a lot of animals which were a real delight. Breakfast was excellent and service from the restaurant staff was also very good.. Reception staff had a bit of attitude especially if you did not agree to their suggestions

Welcome to paradise. This lodge has everything you need and his in an amazing location. The staff is extremely nice and friendly, the room/house are big, beautiful and well equipped. The beds are comfortable. The entire lodge is extremely clean. Kudu and other wild animal may even pass by and visit you close to your room! Amazing! The restaurant and the bar are very nice and the activities proposed are a must go (especially the Safari). We had an amazing welcome and stay in Ai-Aiba and this place will stay forever as a special one in our heart and head. Thanks to the direction and to the staff.

Perfect. The staff was super friendly and extremely helpful. (One of the woman at the front desk even arranged for one of the staff to check the Spar in Omaruru to see if they had photo memory cards. If she hadn't, I would have never found them there myself!) Loved the morning hike with Kules -- not to mention the sundowner hike! The sundowner safari with Ronnie was excellent! As was mountain biking with Alex. Not to mention, the location! Nestled up against the rocks. Very cool.

Welcome was adequate, given as a list of instructions. Individual houses were comfortable and well equipped. Service in the restaurant was adequate definitely not in the same league as other lodges stayed at. Advertised waterhole did not attract many animals other than one springbox. Advertised walk to see rock paintings should have more detail to outline the rock / boulder climbing that needed to be done. Staff were pleasant.

Lovely location with every lodge enjoying views over the surrounding. Countryside to a small water hole where springbok come in the early morning . Great welcome on arrival with lots of information sharing and the daily menu is on display offering two choices and a veggie option on request . The sundowner walk and climb with our guide was excellent and the following day we did a 3 hour jeep drive / walk with Cules our guide to view the rock paintings and learn about the geology and history of the area . We were fortunate to see an oryx with her calf , springbok, and then giraffes and horses in the distance . There are also trails behind the lodges which are well marked and lead to several lovely rock paintings . The lodges are spacious with a large shower and have a fridge and coffee station. Their dark colours and poor lighting felt a bit oppressive but the small outdoor seating area was lovely . You have to hunt to find a plug to charge your phone and camera behind the fridge . The disadvantage of the lodges bring divided into two, one bedroomed apartments is the lack of sound proofing . It was ok the first night with minimal noise until a family of 5 moved in tge next day and the noise level escalated to 4 hours of non stop screaming infants and yelling toddlers with lots of raised voices - followed by shouting happy youngsters. Sitting out was also spoiled as their friends ( party of 9) chose to shortcut over our 2m patio within inches of our feet rather than walk around the building -.It went from bird song and peace on earth to the neighbour’s from hell . We advised staff of the issue but nothing was done . I love children, I work with children but the over crowding of a family in a poorly insulated lodge really spoiled our experience . I’m not sure what they got out of it as most of the time the kids sounded unhappy . Sadly the high level of noise started again in the early hours and continued until they left . There’s lots to love about this place and a 4x4 is essential given the road conditions and distance ., but it’s worth the journey time . The staff are delightful, Yvonne is sunshine on legs , the food is ok, the pool is a good size , the guided walks and drives are excellent and the setting is idyllic . We had one great day there but the second day was totally spoiled due to excessive noise from next door .