Namib Night

Horse Safaris in the Namib Desert

Desert Homestead Lodge is the starting point for horseback rides into the desert. The Namib Tsaris Nature Reserve, where the lodge is located, covers over 580 sq miles. It stretches from the red dunes of the Namib to the plateau mountains of the Tsaris range and is a place of extraordinary scenic beauty.

Rides lead across wide, open plains, along sand-fringed mountains, and through dry riverbeds. Sightings of oryx and springbok herds are very likely here, and mountain zebras are also frequently spotted. With a bit of luck, you might even see spotted hyenas, cheetahs, or even leopards.

Sundowner Ride through the Namib

About the Horse Trails

Around 20 horses call the Desert Homestead Lodge stables home. The Desert Riders’ Lounge complements this area as a meeting point before and after rides. The rides are accompanied by experienced guides and are individually tailored to each group. This ensures both beginners and experienced riders have a great time. All necessary riding equipment is provided by the lodge.

The Riders’ Lounge is both a meeting point and a retreat. Relax here with a cool drink before or after a ride. Guests who don't ride are also welcome.

Namib Night – Riding Safari with Overnight Stay in a Desert Camp

The meeting point is the Desert Riders Lounge in the early afternoon. Here, the horse guide welcomes the participants and provides information about the schedule, and guests receive their horses at the paddock’s saddling area.

The ride leads deep into the Sossusvlei landscape and the Namib Tsaris Nature Reserve. After a 2 to 3-hour ride through a wide valley along a dry riverbed, you reach the camp, built on a mountainside washed with the red sand of the Namib. On the horizon, you can see the high red dunes of Sossusvlei, framed by granite mountains in various shades of red, brown, and black.

You can enjoy the beginning of the evening socializing in the camp or on your private deck at one of the 4 grass igloos while dinner is prepared over the campfire. A stargazing bed on the deck in front of the igloo invites you to sleep under the open starry sky and listen to the sounds of the desert night. Of course, there is also a romantic bed inside the thatch-grass igloo.

In the morning, a hearty breakfast is prepared before riding back through another valley in the nature reserve to either Desert Homestead Lodge or Namib Outpost. Arrival is around noon in both cases.

Prices and Info

Registration: at reception
Start: at the Desert Homestead Lodge horse paddock
Price*: N$4,950

All riding activities can also be booked by guests of Namib Outpost.

You will be driven from the Namib Outpost reception to the Desert Riders Lounge at the neighboring Desert Homestead Lodge. On the second day of the activity, you will ride directly from the overnight camp back to Namib Outpost.

Information Material
Information on all Ondili activities at Namib Outpost and Desert Homestead Lodge can be found in the following PDF documents.

Namib Outpost Activities – Flyer 2026

Desert Homestead Lodge Activities – Flyer 2026

* Note: A stay at one of our Ondili Lodges and Guesthouses is a prerequisite for booking Ondili activities. The minimum age for participation in activities is 12 years.

Namib Night – Horseback ride with one overnight stay in a tented camp

Morning Ride through the Namib

All Ondili Activities

Ondili Lodges, Regions, and Experiences

Each Ondili Lodge is inextricably linked to its surroundings—and that is exactly where the local experiences come from. What guests can do here isn't just based on a fixed program, but arises from the landscape itself.

Every region reveals different facets of Namibia: sometimes the focus is on the wildlife, sometimes on the vastness of the landscape or exploring on foot. The lodges embrace these unique features.

This creates an interplay of location, accommodation, and activity that makes each region uniquely experienceable – and invites you to discover Namibia from different perspectives.

Oberland

Vast savanna, sparse Mopane forest, and a private nature reserve right at Etosha National Park. Located along two waterholes – with plenty of space and excellent opportunities for wildlife viewing.

Oberland

Red Dunes

Red dunes, camel thorn tree savanna, open vast grasslands. Where the typical Kalahari landscape begins in the west, the lodge lies nestled in dunes by a dry lake.

Red Dunes

Teufelskralle

The lodge's tented houses stand on the crest of the westernmost dune ridge of the Kalahari – with a wide view over the savanna.

Teufelskralle

Desert Homestead

A place to arrive and feel at home. Not far from the world-famous Sossusvlei, Desert Homestead Lodge is situated in the open desert landscape of the Namib.

Desert Homestead

Namib Outpost

Located in the Namib Tsaris Nature Reserve, which directly borders the UNESCO Natural Heritage Namib Sand Sea with Sossusvlei and Deadvlei – twelve small estates amidst the vastness of the desert landscape.

Namib Outpost

Hohenstein

With panoramic views of the highest mountain in the Erongo Massif, Hohenstein Lodge is perfectly suited for exploring the sights of Namibia's central north.

Hohenstein