In Namibia, new luxury lodges allow visitors to take in the countrys endless wide-open spaces in style.

Miles and miles of space.

In December, shortly after travel restrictions on entering Namibia were lifted, I set out to visit them.

Curved architecture of the Desert Whisper villa, in Namibia

Desert Whisper, a villa near Namibia’s Sossusvlei salt pan.Credit: Courtesy of Gondwana Collection

I left the wispy linen curtains open throughout my stay, content to drink in the endless views.

This massive expanse abuts the Namib-Naukluft Park, and guests have the option to embark on adventures in either.

I opted first for a quad-biking trek through the private conservancy, led by veteran Namibian guide Gert Tsaobeb.

A gemsbok walking in front of red dunes in the NamibRand Nature Reserve, in Namibia

A gemsbok in the NamibRand Nature Reserve.Niels van Gijn/Silverless/Courtesy of Natural Selection

We were, it seemed, the only two people in the whole of the Deadvlei.

Later, back at the camp, the light show continued.

Stars emerged, then constellations, and the universe stretched on and on.

Looking through a curtain into the bedroom at Kwessi Dunes, in Namibia

A bedroom at Kwessi Dunes.Melanie van Zyl

Desert Whisper, Kwessi Dunes, and Little Kulala provided support for the reporting of this story.

Little Kulala tented camp in Namibia, shown with dunes rising behind

The landscape at Little Kulala.Teagan Cunniffe/Courtesy of Wilderness Safaris