Kalahari Arms Hotel stands on the corner of Vize and Jankie streets in the middle of Ghanzi, next to the banks, the supermarket and the fuel. That is the entire point of it. Ghanzi is the only town of any size on the Trans-Kalahari corridor between the Namibian border and Maun, and this is where people driving that road stop.
Quick facts
- Area
- Ghanzi and the Kalahari
- Property type
- Hotel
- Setting
- Central Ghanzi on the Trans-Kalahari corridor
- Nearest park or reserve
- Central Kalahari Game Reserve
Rooms and camping
Thirty-five twin and family rooms in two configurations: en-suite rooms in the main building and rondavel-style chalets in the grounds. Air conditioning, satellite television and tea and coffee facilities throughout. A campsite runs alongside.
Facilities at Kalahari Arms Hotel
A large swimming pool, a restaurant serving steaks and pizzas, a bar with thatched lapa seating, braai facilities, a children’s playground, conference facilities, free Wi-Fi and free parking.
Location and access
Tar all the way. Roughly 200 km east of the Mamuno / Trans-Kalahari border post with Namibia and about 300 km south-west of Maun. No 4×4 required.
The Trans-Kalahari halt
Windhoek to Maun is roughly 1,000 km. It is drivable in a very long day if nothing goes wrong, and almost nobody should try. Ghanzi sits close enough to the middle to be the obvious break, and Kalahari Arms Hotel sits in the middle of Ghanzi.
Being in the town centre rather than out on the road matters more here than it would elsewhere, because Ghanzi is also where you do your last real resupply before the Kalahari or the run north. Banks, a supermarket and fuel within walking distance of the room is worth more than a view. Our Ghanzi guide covers what is in the town.
A campsite, a pool and a steak
The hotel runs a campsite alongside the rooms, which suits the overland traffic on this route, and the pool and the restaurant are used by both. After a day of Kalahari driving that combination is exactly what is wanted, and expectations should be set accordingly: this is a good, functional country-town hotel, not a safari lodge.
If you want a bush camp near Ghanzi, Thakadu Bush Camp is a few kilometres out and is covered separately in this catalogue. If you want a destination lodge on the Kalahari fringe, Grassland Safari Lodge is 80 km north-east on sand.
Who it suits
This is the standard overnight halt on the Windhoek–Maun route, and there is no realistic alternative in the town centre.
- Self-drivers on the Trans-Kalahari, in either direction.
- Anyone resupplying before the Central Kalahari or the drive north.
- Overlanders, for the campsite with a hotel kitchen and pool attached.
It suits you less if you have come to Ghanzi for the bush. You are in a town, and it feels like one.
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