Trans Kalahari Walk
Trans Kalahari Walk:
On Foot Through the Vast Kalahari – Multi-Day with 2 or 3 Nights
Exploring the vastness of the Kalahari on foot is one of the most intense ways to experience this landscape. The hike leads through red dunes, open grass and tree savannas, and along typical dry riverbeds — changing your perception in the process: sounds, tracks, and movements come into focus that are often overlooked from a vehicle. With the guide, the landscape unfolds step by step; tracks in the sand tell tales of the night, and animals often reveal themselves only upon closer inspection.
In the evening, as the heat subsides, you sit on a dune by the campfire. The light softens, the colors intensify, until the sun disappears behind the horizon. The night is spent in a tent or under the open sky — beneath a starlit canopy of unparalleled clarity, accompanied by the sounds of the savanna.
The morning begins early. With a cup of steaming coffee in hand and cool air still on your skin, you can observe the first animals arriving at the waterhole as the light slowly spreads across the dunes. With the sunrise, the warmth returns — and the hike continues.
The Trans Kalahari Walk combines movement with mindful travel — reduced to the essentials and intensely experienced.
Trans Kalahari Walk
Trans Kalahari Walk
Day 1 – Arrival and Settling In
Arrival is in the afternoon at the lodge. After a brief introduction by the guide, there’s time to settle in at your leisure — perhaps with a walk, at the waterhole, or overlooking the red dunes of the Kalahari. In the evening, everyone gathers for a communal dinner. As temperatures drop and the last light of day fades, the day concludes before the hike begins the next morning.
Day 2 – Dunes and Tree Savanna
The day begins before sunrise. After the first night at the lodge, the path leads out into the landscape — to where the red dunes, which you viewed from a distance the day before, are now traversed step by step. The trail crosses gently rolling dunes and through open grass and tree savannas. Stops are made repeatedly along the way — to read tracks, explain plants, and better understand the interconnectedness of the landscape. In the afternoon, you reach the secluded dune camp. Elevated, it offers views over the surrounding dune ridges. In the evening, dinner is shared before the night begins at camp — quiet, remote, and a place all to yourself.
Day 3 – Return through the Savanna
The day begins early at camp. In the cool morning air, the landscape reveals its quieter side once more before the hike leads back to the lodge. The path runs through open savannas and along dry riverbeds, which you now perceive with a sharpened eye. Tracks, movements, and details that were barely noticeable at first now stand out more clearly. After a few hours, you reach the lodge again — with the feeling of having not just seen the Kalahari, but experienced it step by step.
Day 4 (optional): Half-Day Guided Hike
After breakfast, the hike continues through open grass and bush savannas. With a bit of luck, you might spot antelopes or giraffes again before returning to the lodge around noon.
The afternoon is free for leisure. If desired, you can experience the landscape from a different perspective — perhaps on a game drive, where wildlife viewing can be comfortably enhanced. The day ends with a communal dinner and another night at the lodge.
Framework and Notes
The Trans Kalahari Walk is conducted in small groups of one to four people and accompanied by experienced, English-speaking guides.
Drinks and meals are provided during the hike. Main luggage remains at the lodge, while personal luggage for the overnight stay at camp is transported.
Participants carry their personal equipment themselves — such as binoculars, camera, or sun protection. Good basic fitness is a prerequisite.
The hike is offered year-round. In case of high temperatures, the itinerary may be adjusted.
Also bookable as a family tour
Prices & Info
High Season (March 1 to November 30, 2027) incl. Full Board Plus
2-Night Package per person in a double room (Suite)
1 night at the lodge and 1 night at camp = N$13,700
2-Night Package single occupancy (Suite)
1 night at the lodge and 1 night at camp = N$17,800
2-Night Package per person in a double room (Superior Suite)
1 night at the lodge and 1 night at camp = N$15,800
3-Night Package* per person in a double room (Suite)
2 nights at the lodge and 1 night at camp = N$20,000
3-Night Package* single occupancy (Suite)
2 nights at the lodge and 1 night at camp = N$25,900
3-Night Package* per person in a double room (Superior Suite)
2 nights at the lodge and 1 night at camp = N$24,150
Low Season (December 1 to February 29, 2027) incl. Full Board Plus
2-Night Package per person in a double room (Suite)
1 night at the lodge and 1 night at camp = N$11,600
2-Night Package single occupancy (Suite)
1 night at the lodge and 1 night at camp = N$15,000
2-Night Package per person in a double room (Superior Suite)
1 night at the lodge and 1 night at camp = N$13,700
3-Night Package per person in a double room (Suite)
2 nights at the lodge and 1 night at camp = N$15,800
3-Night Package single occupancy (Suite)
2 nights at the lodge and 1 night at camp = N$20,500
3-Night Package per person in a double room (Superior Suite)
2 nights at the lodge and 1 night at camp = N$20,000
ACCOMMODATION NOTES: *Sundowner drive at Kalahari Red Dunes Lodge included
Ondili Lodges, Regions, and Experiences
Each Ondili Lodge is inseparably linked to its surroundings—and that is exactly where the local experiences come from. What guests can do here is not based on a fixed program, but on the landscape itself.
In each region, different facets of Namibia reveal themselves: sometimes the wildlife is in the foreground, sometimes the vastness of the landscape or exploring on foot. The lodges embrace these special features and make them accessible—quietly, close to nature, and always in direct relation to the surroundings.
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
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
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
Twyfelfontein
Tented camp in the area of the desert elephants – near the famous rock engravings of Twyfelfontein.
Twyfelfontein
Brigadoon
Built in 1906 as a captain's house, Brigadoon is now a boutique guesthouse in the heart of Swakopmund.
Brigadoon
Ti Melen
Located on the outskirts of Windhoek, set in a large garden. A guesthouse with African and European influences.
Ti Melen