Namibia is one of those rare conservation success stories where wildlife recovery is on the rise, 42 percent of the land (which includes 26 parks and reserves) is under conservation management, and the country’s entire 1,000-mile coastline is protected. The southern African country also claims the Namib, the world’s oldest desert, which is home to the world’s second-highest sand dunes that top out at nearly 1,000 feet.
Get a floor-to-ceiling view of those iconic shifting formations from one of 23 chalets or two honeymoon suites at Sossus Dune Lodge (doubles from $280 per night). On the eastern edge of Namib-Naukluft Park near the iconic Sossusvlei dunes, the lodge is a magnet for photographers and who want to seek the most sublime sunrise or sunset in Southern Africa or, possibly, the world. The wildlife viewing isn’t bad either. Hartmann’s mountain zebra, kudu, gemsbok, klipspringer, duiker, steenbok, leopard, baboon, black-backed jackal, bat-eared fox, African wild cat, caracal and aardwolf all live here.
