Camelthorn Kalahari Lodge is twelve thatched chalets in a grassy valley between two red dunes, deep in the private Intu Afrika Kalahari Game Reserve. Mornings begin on foot, following San trackers across the red sand. Along the way they read the spoor and name the medicinal plants, and everything they say is punctuated by the clicks of their own language.
Mornings begin on foot, following San trackers across the red sand.
The dunes run in long parallel ridges, their flanks vegetated, and between them lie paler clay valleys of yellow grass, shrubs and camelthorn. These are the corridors the game follows, oryx and springbok, giraffe and zebra, and the open vehicles follow in turn, out in the early morning and again late in the afternoon. The evening drive ends with drinks on a dune crest as the sand turns deep red.
The lounge looks straight out onto the waterhole in front of the lodge. Giraffe splay their forelegs wide to lower their heads to the water. It is a slow, awkward business, watched by the zebra and springbok crowding the margins. The natural stone pool takes care of the hottest hours, and the boma’s firepit is lit as soon as the sun drops behind the dunes.
Giraffe splay their forelegs wide to lower their heads to the water.
On clear evenings dinner is served at the boma, where regional flavours and international dishes are eaten beside the fire under hard, bright Kalahari starlight. At times the barbecue also moves up onto a dune crest.
The San trackers who lead the walks keep old skills in daily use. Tracks pressed into the red sand overnight are still legible at breakfast. To the trackers a scuff becomes a springbok that passed at dawn, and a low shrub becomes a medicine. Every explanation comes in a language punctuated by clicks.
Because the reserve is private, there are no national park rules to work around, and the walks share their ground with the game drives. One walk with the San is included on every two-night stay, timed for the cool of the morning. The drives range further from the lodge. Sundowners are poured on the crests, and quad bikes go out with a guide across the same red ridges, faster and a good deal noisier.
Tracks pressed into the red sand overnight are still legible at breakfast.
Camelthorn Kalahari Lodge spreads its twelve chalets sparsely against the dunes, each one a thatched rondavel. The thatch helps keep the interiors cool through Kalahari summers, and air conditioning takes over on the afternoons when that is not enough. Inside, San-inspired décor sets off crisp white linen, with tea and coffee to hand and an en-suite shower. Outside, a small stone patio looks onto the dunes, the obvious place to sit as the light changes. Extra beds can be added for families, and stays are on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis.
Windhoek is about 250 km away, so the lodge falls naturally at the start or end of a journey through southern Namibia, the first night out of the capital or the last before returning to it. For those who fly, light aircraft land on the reserve’s own pan airstrip. Beyond the strip, the reserve covers some 10,000 hectares of red dune and valley. For one or two nights between long stretches of travel, that empty space, and the quiet that comes with it, is much of the point.
accommodation
Twelve thatched rondavel chalets are set well apart against the red dunes, each with a small stone patio looking onto them. Inside there is air conditioning, an en-suite shower, crisp white linen, and tea and coffee. Extra beds can be added for families, and stays are on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis.
activities
Inside the private reserve, every two-night stay includes a morning walk with San trackers, who read spoor and explain medicinal plants in their click language. Open-vehicle game drives go out at dawn and again late in the afternoon, when the drive ends with sundowners on a dune. Guided quad biking crosses the dune ridges. In the warmer months there is also a dune barbecue dinner.
conservation
San trackers lead the morning walks on the reserve, and they pass their tracking skills and knowledge of medicinal plants on to guests.
Get in touch and let’s start the conversation. An initial consultation helps us understand what you’re looking for, whether that’s specific experiences, luxury touches, or marking a special occasion, and from there we’ll guide you through what’s possible so you can decide if we’re the right fit.
Most guests come by road. The lodge is some 250 kilometres south of Windhoek: south on the tarred B1 through Rehoboth to Kalkrand, then east on the C21 and the gravel D1268 into the reserve. From Mariental in the south it is about 70 kilometres, by the C20 and the same D1268. We arrange a private driver-guide from the airport or your Windhoek hotel, or a self-drive if you prefer.
The reserve also has its own airstrip, a sand strip on a salt pan between the dunes, a short drive from the lodge. A private charter in a light aircraft such as a Cessna Caravan can fly in from Windhoek's Eros airport, though the pan cannot be used when it is wet in the summer rains, so for a January or February stay we plan on the road. There are no scheduled flights.
The risk is very low. The lodge is in the Hardap Region, which TravelHealthPro, the UK's official travel health service, places in the part of Namibia it rates as very low risk, where it advises being aware of the risk and avoiding bites rather than taking tablets. The American CDC lists malaria only in Namibia's northern and north-eastern regions, and Hardap is not one of them. Very low risk is still not no risk.
We are travel planners rather than doctors and we do not make medical recommendations, so whether you need anything more, for a child, in pregnancy or alongside other medicines, is one to settle with your own doctor or a travel clinic with the official advice in hand. In practice, long sleeves at dusk and repellent cover it.
An hour on foot in the early morning with San guides, who show how they track animals across the sand, how plants are used for food and medicine, and how their people have long lived in this dry country. Along the way you hear their click language spoken. The pace is gentle and children are welcome.
One walk is included on every stay of two nights or more, which is a good reason to book a second night. Wear closed shoes and a hat, and go early, before the sand heats up.
Yes. The lodge welcomes children of all ages, and extra beds can go into a chalet so a family can share. The San walk and the open-vehicle drives suit children well, and the pool and the waterhole in front of the lodge fill the hot middle of the day.
Quad biking is the one activity with an age rule: under-16s cannot ride alone but can go as a passenger with an adult on a guided ride. Let us know the children's ages when you get in touch and we will plan the days around them.
Desert-adapted plains game. The private reserve covers some 10,000 hectares of red dunes, grass and camelthorn trees, and the morning and sundowner drives in open vehicles look for giraffe, oryx, springbok and zebra, with plenty of birdlife between the dunes. The draw here is the dune country and its animals rather than a hunt for big predators.
At Camelthorn itself, a waterhole in front of the lodge brings animals in to drink through the day, so some of the best watching is from the lounge or the stone pool. Afternoon drives end with drinks and snacks out on the dunes.
May to September, the dry winter. Days are warm and clear with almost no rain, which is good for walking and for the stars, but nights from June to August are cold, so bring a warm layer for early drives. April and October are good shoulder months, October already hot.
The summer, roughly November to March, is hot, with afternoon storms that turn the dunes briefly green, big skies for photographers and fewer people on the road. The lodge's barbecue dinner out on a dune runs outside the cooler months, so it is not offered from mid-May to mid-September.
rated five stars by our clients
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our approach
Every journey starts with a conversation. We take the time to understand your vision before we start planning.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape something that is considered, personal, and expertly delivered.
