A working farm stay, campsite, and wellness retreat in the Namibian Kalahari. Fall asleep under some of the darkest skies on earth and wake up to game at the waterhole.
In the Kalahari, Namibia
23.492958° S, 18.445246° E
Zania means a place of grace, peace, and growth. That is exactly what this farm has always been to our family, and it is what we now open up to travelers.
Zania is a working farm in the Kalahari region of Namibia, set between Windhoek and Mariental. We farm cattle and sheep, we grow crops for our animals, and we share the land with oryx, kudu, sable, eland, springbok, impala, and giraffe. Guests stay in our chalet or at our campsite, eat meat raised on the farm, and slow down to the rhythm of farm life.
We believe a farm should be a place of care: care for the animals, care for the land, and care for the people who visit. Nothing here is rushed. That is the whole point.
Our accommodation looks out over the farm waterhole, so the game viewing starts with your morning coffee.
Our first chalet is live and ready for guests. It sits above the waterhole, perfectly placed for watching oryx, springbok, and giraffe come down to drink at dawn and dusk. The easiest way to book it right now is through our Airbnb listing.
Our campsite is built for the classic Namibia road trip: your own vehicle, your own fire, and the Milky Way directly overhead. The stands sit above the waterhole, with room for around 20 guests.
Coming with a rooftop tent, ground tent, or caravan? You are in the right place. Zania is a natural overnight stop on the Windhoek to Sossusvlei route, an easy first or last night under canvas before the long dune roads begin.
Groups are welcome: the campsite comfortably hosts around 20 people, which makes it a good base for self-drive convoys, clubs, and family gatherings.
Enquire about campingZania is not a lodge dressed up as a farm. It is a real working farm, and guests are part of its daily rhythm from the day they arrive.
We farm cattle and sheep on open Kalahari grazing, the way it has been done here for generations. Our dairy cow supplies fresh milk each morning, and guests are welcome to try milking her themselves.
We also grow crops on the farm, and much of what lands on your plate was growing a short walk away the same week. The old windmill still turns above the borehole, a reminder of how this land has always been farmed: patiently, and with respect for water.
Our game herds are part of the farm, not separate from it. We manage them with the same care as our livestock: enough space, clean water, and respect. This is what you may see from the chalet veranda or the campsite.
OryxThe Kalahari icon
KuduGrey ghost of the bush
SableJet black and striking
ElandAfrica's largest antelope
SpringbokNormal, black, and white
GiraffeRegulars at the waterhole
ImpalaAlso called rooibok
Exotic gameBlack & white springbok
These are not staged activities. They are the things we do here every week, and guests are welcome to join in.
Learn how Namibia's favorite snack is made, from the spice mix to the drying rack, using meat from the farm. Take your own batch home.
Cook and eat the way farm families do: potjiekos over open coals, fresh bread, and meat raised a few hundred meters away.
The Kalahari has some of the darkest skies in the world. Lie back on a blanket and learn the southern constellations, from the Southern Cross to Scorpius.
An early morning ritual. Try your hand at milking and taste milk that was in the cow minutes before it reaches your cup.
Our sauna, with its wood-fired Harvia stove, is the perfect end to a dusty Kalahari day. Heat, steam, and then the cool night air.
Walk the farm roads at sunrise, drive out to check the herds, and learn how a Kalahari farm actually works, from borehole to kraal.
Most of what you eat at Zania travels a few hundred meters, not a few hundred kilometers.
Beef and lamb from our own cattle and sheep, and game meat from the farm — oryx, kudu, springbok, and eland — raised slow and honest on open Kalahari veld. Add fresh milk from our dairy cow and bread baked the farm way, and most of what lands on your plate was raised right here.
Taking the farm home: guests can buy our beef and game meat to take with them, packed and ready for the cooler box. It is some of the best meat in the country, from animals raised on Kalahari grazing.
Ask about farm meatOur idea of wellness is simple. No programs, no schedules, no jargon. Just three things, done well.
Wide skies, red sand, and real silence. Time outside is the main treatment, and there is plenty of it.
Real food from the farm: beef, lamb, and game meat, fresh milk, and bread baked the farm way. Nothing processed, nothing rushed.
Walk the farm roads at sunrise, stretch under the camelthorns, join the morning rounds. Move because it feels good.
Heat from the wood-fired stove, steam off the rocks, and then the cool Kalahari night air on your skin. Our sauna has quickly become a guest favorite, and it sits at the heart of how we think about rest: simple, physical, and deeply calming.
We are building Zania into a true retreat: a place to find peace and calm in African nature.
What exists today, the chalet, the campsite, the farm, the sauna, is only the beginning. Over the coming seasons we are working toward:
The vision stays true to the name: grace in how we host, peace in the landscape, and growth, for our guests, our animals, and our land.
Zania Farm sits in the Kalahari at 23.492958° S, 18.445246° E, between Windhoek and Mariental. It is the natural first or last night of a Namibia road trip.
Zania Farm is in the Kalahari region of Namibia at coordinates -23.492958, 18.445246, roughly between Windhoek and Mariental in the Hardap region.
Zania is a self-drive destination reached by gravel road. As with most Namibia farm roads, we recommend a vehicle with good ground clearance. We send detailed directions with every booking confirmation.
Yes, that is exactly what it is made for. At about two hours from Windhoek (about 1.5 hours from Hosea Kutako International Airport), it is an easy first night after landing, or a calm last night before flying home, on the way to or from Sossusvlei.
A working farm stay means staying on a real farm: animals around you, home-cooked food, wide open space, and very quiet nights. At Zania you can join farm life with activities like biltong making, traditional meals, milking the dairy cow, and stargazing.
Yes. Guests can buy our beef and game meat to take home, packed and ready for the cooler box. Ask in the inquiry form and we will have it ready for your departure.
Yes. The campsite is built for self-drive travelers with rooftop tents, ground tents, and caravans, with shaded stands, power points, and bathrooms with hot showers and flush toilets.
Warm layers for winter nights from May to August, a torch, and a cooler box if you plan to buy farm meat. The chalet is fully equipped for self-catering; campers bring their own camping gear.
Zania is open year round. The dry winter months from May to October bring the best game viewing at the waterhole and the crispest stargazing. The green season from November to April brings newborn animals and dramatic skies.
Practical guides for planning a Kalahari farm stay, written from the farm itself.
Why the smartest first night of a Namibia road trip is in the Kalahari, not on the road.
Read the guide →
A first-timer's guide to staying on a working Namibian farm: what to expect and what to pack.
Read the guide →
How to read the southern night sky, when to go, and why the Kalahari is one of the best places on earth for it.
Read the guide →
What farm-to-table eating really means on a Namibian farm, and how biltong is made.
Read the guide →Tell us when you would like to come and what you are dreaming of: the chalet, the campsite, a farm experience, or farm meat to take home. We reply personally.
