Zannier Sonop With Kids: A Luxury Stay in the Namib Desert Namibia

Zannier Sonop had been on my bucket list for years. I had seen photographs of its extraordinary infinity pool seemingly suspended above the Namibian desert, and of The Lion King being screened beneath the stars, and knew immediately that I wanted to experience it for myself.

What I hadn’t necessarily expected was how much we would enjoy Sonop as a family.

We visited in April with our eight-and-a-half-year-old son, as part of a longer journey through Namibia. Sonop is undoubtedly designed with adults in mind: it is quiet, romantic and deliberately slow, with the atmosphere of an elegant 1920s expedition camp rather than a conventional family resort. Yet it became one of the most memorable parts of our trip, particularly because of the experiences we could share together in the desert.

Arriving at Zannier Sonop in the Namib Desert Namibia

Sonop’s remoteness is part of its appeal, but families should factor the journey into their Namibia itinerary.

Travelling from Swakopmund or Walvis Bay involves around four to five hours on the road, while the journey between Sonop and Windhoek is approximately four hours in the Namib desert. We incorporated it into a wider trip rather than attempting to reach it in isolation, travelling to Sonop after our stay at Desert Lodge near Sossusvlei before continuing towards Windhoek and eventually Damaraland.

The landscape immediately explains why you have travelled so far.

Sonop sits amongst enormous granite boulders overlooking an immense expanse of desert. Namibia had recently experienced rain when we arrived, and small areas of grass were beginning to appear across a landscape that is ordinarily extraordinarily dry. It made an already unusual environment feel even more remarkable.

The Tented Suites at Zannier Sonop

The entire camp draws on the atmosphere of a 1920s expedition, with beautiful campaign-style furniture, antiques and details that evoke another era. Even the staff uniforms form part of the aesthetic.

We stayed in a large two-bedroom tent, which worked extremely well for us as a family. The views extend in every direction and there is an extraordinary sense of being completely immersed in the landscape despite the sophistication of the accommodation.

One of my favourite features was the bathroom. Parts of the canvas can be opened so that bathing feels almost outdoors, looking directly towards the Namib desert while retaining the privacy of the tent.

It is theatrical, certainly, but beautifully done.

Families with younger children should, however, understand the physical setting. Sonop is built amongst enormous boulders, with numerous steps and changes in level between the tents, reception, restaurant and swimming pool. With an eight-year-old this wasn’t a problem for us, but I would personally choose it for older children rather than toddlers or very young children.

The Pool in the Namib Desert, Namibia

The infinity pool was one of the original reasons Sonop caught my attention, and in person the setting is every bit as spectacular.

We had beautiful weather during our stay and spent plenty of time there with our son. The pool wasn’t heated when we visited, but in April we didn’t find that necessary.

More than almost anywhere else we stayed in Namibia, Sonop encourages you simply to stop.

There is no pressure to spend every hour pursuing wildlife sightings or ticking off activities. Many of the other guests were couples who appeared to have come specifically for that sense of escape.

For families accustomed to busy itineraries, that change of pace can be surprisingly lovely too.

Horse Riding Through the Desert

The standout experience for us was horse riding.

Our son had ridden previously, and the horses at Sonop were exceptionally gentle. Accompanied by someone who knew the horses extremely well, we rode for more than an hour directly out into the desert.

Our son rode independently, and watching him make his way across this vast landscape on horseback was one of those travel experiences that is difficult to reproduce elsewhere.

This is where Sonop became particularly interesting to me from a Formative Travel™ perspective. It wasn’t about teaching him facts about Namibia or manufacturing an educational moment. He was simply participating in the landscape: controlling his horse, paying attention to the terrain and experiencing the scale and stillness of the desert in a completely different way.

That kind of connection with an environment is difficult to create from a classroom or a book. Sometimes children need to physically move through a place to begin to understand it.

Things to Do at Zannier Sonop With Children

Sonop doesn’t have a children’s club or organised kids’ programme, and I actually think families should know that before booking. Instead, we spent our time outdoors. We walked, cycled, went horse riding and joined the stargazing. We also spotted antelope around the property.

Our son loved the pool, but equally important was simply having time to explore an environment dramatically different from home.

The staff were excellent with him. Although there were no other children staying at Sonop during our visit, we never felt that he was an inconvenience in an adult space. Quite the opposite: the team was thoughtful about suggesting things he might enjoy and extremely accommodating throughout our stay.

It felt like an adult hotel that genuinely welcomes children, rather than a family resort.

Dinner and The Lion King Under the Stars

Meals are another part of the Sonop experience.

We had three meals a day, with dining taking place both indoors and outside. One of our dinners was served around a magnificent large table in the main tent, surrounded by the same 1920s expedition styling that runs throughout the property.

And then there was the experience I had wanted to have ever since first discovering Sonop.

We asked about watching The Lion King outdoors, and the team arranged it for us.

Sitting together in the Namibian desert watching the film beneath the night sky felt completely surreal. It was luxurious, certainly, but what made it memorable was the setting: after spending the day riding, walking and exploring the landscape, we were sitting outside together in the darkness watching a film our son already knew in an environment that gave it an entirely different atmosphere.

How Long Should Families Stay at Zannier Sonop?

For a family, I think two nights is ideal, perhaps three if you deliberately want a slower pace.

Sonop isn’t somewhere I would choose because I wanted abundant wildlife or a packed programme of children’s activities. Other stages of a Namibia itinerary can provide more of that. Sonop is about the desert itself: the silence, landscape, riding, walking, cycling, stargazing and extraordinary sense of remoteness.

That distinction matters when planning Namibia with children.

For us, two nights gave us enough time to enjoy Sonop properly without our son beginning to look for more activity. As a couple, I could easily imagine staying longer simply to switch off.

Is Zannier Sonop Good for Families?

Yes, but for the right family.

I wouldn’t describe Sonop as a family hotel, and that is partly why I liked it. Children aren’t the centre of the proposition, yet our son was warmly welcomed and able to participate in experiences that made the desert accessible to him in a very natural way.

For families with older children who enjoy being outdoors, I think it can be an exceptional addition to a wider Namibia itinerary.

Sonop also reinforced something I increasingly notice when travelling with our son: not every formative experience needs to have an obvious educational component. Here, the value was much simpler. He rode a horse independently across the desert. He walked and cycled through an unfamiliar landscape. He looked at the stars. He swam surrounded by granite boulders and vast open space. Sometimes the environment itself is enough.

Our Namibia Itinerary

Zannier Sonop formed part of a much wider journey through Namibia. Before arriving, we stayed at Desert Lodge near Sossusvlei, exploring one of the country’s most extraordinary desert landscapes, before later travelling north to Wilderness Doro Nawas in Damaraland. We also stayed at Pelican Point Lodge near Walvis Bay, an entirely different experience surrounded by the wildlife and dramatic coastal landscape of the peninsula.

Together, with other key stays in Namibia, these stays show just how varied a family journey through Namibia can be, yet also how careful you need to be how you plan in a destination like Namibia.

Planning or Booking Your Stay

You can book directly with Zannier Sonop, or, if you are planning a wider Namibia trip, I can design a Formative Travel™ itinerary around your family’s interests, your child’s age and stage, and the experiences you want the journey to offer, via our Formative Travel Advisory.

Where accommodation forms part of an itinerary, I work with established luxury travel partners who can facilitate the booking. For a small number of clients, I can also arrange the hotel booking directly through a Little Emperors, Virtuoso-aligned luxury travel service. Depending on the property, rate and availability, this may also provide access to benefits such as hotel credit, room upgrades, welcome amenities and early check-in or late check-out.

Shanti

The Kensington Diary