With easy access to the airport and the city, River Crossing is well-placed for your first or last night in Namibia. The lodge is in a 6,500-hectare private game reserve with plains game including giraffe, zebra, wildebeest and the rare sable and roan antelopes. The blond-brown, acacia-dotted hills fold into the distance in all directions and Windhoek's modest lights twinkle behind you.

Accommodation is in swish en suite chalets with great views of said mountains and city though with their sturdy anti-nature construction and nondescript furnishings, perhaps lacking in that certain something which puts you in Namibia, let alone Africa. As a comfortable and stylish overnight, however, you could do far, far worse.

The main living area is all about the view. A glorious deck hovers above the valley with a plunge pool and al fresco dining area. Inside, a central fireplace gets the cozy factor going and, considering you'll most likely be on safari in our winter, this is where you'll spend your evenings. The highlands of Windhoek can get chilly.

Activities on the menu include game drives, bush walks (stretch those legs after a long flight or day's driving), birding, mountain biking, horse riding and just relaxing by the pool, built into the viewing deck, with a trashy novel and a cold beverage.