Barkhan: Hidden Dune Retreat in Namibia
Barkhan Dune Retreat is a magical escape into the desert. Here you’ll enjoy delicious, locally sourced food, watch wildlife (from lovebirds and meerkats to the occasional oryx) as much as possible and spend time at the beautiful pool.
How long should you stay at Barkhan Dune Retreat?
I suggest two nights Barkhan to fully relax and enjoy the experience. On-site activities include hiking, biking, and lounging by the pool. You can also do an evening sunset drives and other organized activities.
What does it cost?
Book online via a form and then pre-pay 50% of your deposit. Check the rates here. For two people, two nights, with breakfast+dinner (and drinks) and e-bike rentals, we paid 10,000 NAD (which is around USD 600). This place, with the food and experience, is totally worth it. Our time here was very special and it’s a highlight of our trip.
How to get to the lodge
You absolutely must take the road to Barkhan that passes through the town to Rehoboth, if driving from Windhoek. Don’t click “go” on Google Maps without checking first. This route is the best according to locals. You should stop at the last gas station in Rehoboth and get your tire pressure checked so that it can handle dirt roads.
For reference, our car’s regular tire pressure is supposed to be 21 but locals told us to have it reduced to 18. I was able to go from driving 40km to almost 80km once we changed it.
The route via Rehoboth will also take you through the gorgeous Spreetshoogte Pass. Unfortunately, because I was driving so slowly, we didn’t have time to stop to take pictures but there are at least 2 designated pullouts for cars to stop.
What to do at Barkhan
Hike for views
There are two hikes on the property, both are right behind the main lodge and take you up into the nearby mountainside. The main hike is 2.5 hours to the tippy-top of the mountain where you’ll get stunning views over the desert landscape. Or, you can do the shorter hike perfect for sundowners. It’s on the same trail but ends just 20 minutes up the mountain where you’ll see the surrounding dunes.
We only did the 20-minute hike but the views are absolutely gorgeous. Be sure to grab a beer from the lodge to drink at the top.
On your way down you’ll get a cool view of the property!
E-bike around the property
E-bikes are available for rent for R250. You can ride around the 7+ km of road. The e-bike makes such a big difference when biking in the sand. These things get up to 20 km per hour and you’ll be cruising in no time once you get the hang of speed. The most common route to e-bike is to bike down to the hobbit-style entrance of the property, the farmland area, and then to the airstrip.
There is a picnic bench at the end of the trail after you pass the airstrip. You can attempt to climb to the top of the hill there too. We only made it up about halfway before deciding what we really wanted was to get in the pool.
The Pool
The pool is everything dreams are made of. The water is not heated but it’s a perfect temperature to cool down during the summer heat.
Be sure to apply extra sunscreen or you’ll end up like a lobster like me.
Nearby there are several little shrubs where love birds chirp and Guinea fowls hide in the shade. We even saw one of the 80-year-old turtles come around and explore the pool area. Unfortunately, he was too fast for me to grab a photo, but the Barkhan manager said she sees him often.
Barkhan Dune Retreat Chalets
The chalets at the retreat are incredible. There are seven nestled into the land around these are equipped with a full bathroom, outdoor shower, and even a bed you can (and should!) drag outside.
Sleeping outside was amazing! We didn’t have any nighttime animal visitors, fortunately/unfortunately. I kept waking up in hopes that something interesting would be lurking nearby. There were only a few flies and there are no mosquitoes in the area! It was an extremely comfortable evening. We were woken up with our coffee delivery.
Meals
The food at Barkhan was incredible. It is sourced locally as much as possible from the desert environment. Breakfast is an option of yogurt and milk with cereal as well as toast, eggs, and tomatoes with or without bacon.
We opted not to have lunch, but lunch is available starting at 1pm. We brought some snacks from Windhoek instead. Lunch goes for around R250.
Dinner is a three-course affair. The appetizer on our first night was a delicious beetroot. Then we had oryx steak with home-grown veggies and mushroom sauce. I was amazed at how incredible the food was. It was also the first time I had oryx. For dessert, we had a delicious panna cotta and it was so good that I ate both my and Wilhelm’s serving…
The next night we had a starter of chicken spring rolls with jalapeno sauce followed by springbok meatballs in a rustic tomato sauce with pasta.
Barkhan Dune Retreat is a bed, breakfast, and dinner lodge. Drinks are charged as extra. If you have any dietary requirements, it’s best to let Barkhan know before your arrival.
Animals at Barkhan
The meerkats at the Barkhan Dune Retreat, named Maya and Amira, are so so so adorable. They are pretty much used to humans and even scattered into the house at one point after breakfast. It’s fun to follow them around when you get a chance. The meerkats are most active between 9 and 11am and then again around 4 to 6pm, from our experience.
There is a horse on the property and his name is horse. Lololol.
There were several other bird species around including lovebirds so bring your binoculars. Apparently, there are cheetahs and leopards in this area (rarely spotted), but we didn’t see anything at all and it didn’t impact our decision to sleep outside.