Tok Tokkie Trails

Superbly crafted walking safaris offering a unique insight into the hidden world of the Namib desert, five hours SW of Windhoek

There are few travel experiences quite so remarkable as walking through the desert and sleeping beneath the stars. The desert is slow to reveal its secrets: travelling on foot you'll get to see a whole lot more of its hidden life. And the expertise of Trailhopper's guides coupled with the surreal beauty of the Horseshoe Wilderness Area and NamibRand Nature Reserve ensures this will be a journey that will stay with you for a lifetime.

Their most popular trail is a 3 day event for a maximum of 8 people. After meeting the other group members and trading suitcase for day-pack, you depart by jeep to the trailhead. A 2km walk through red dunes and desert scrub leads to Horseshoe Camp and a first night beneath the stars. This part of Namibia has some of the clearest night skies in the world and there's no better way to experience them than by sleeping out in the open. The following day, an easy 10km hike takes you over a high pass and down to Schafsberg camp, where you spend a second night flycamping in the dunes, before the final 7km hike back to base. It's wildly beautiful, inspirational and educational - read our review - and if it leaves you wanting more, their colleagues at Trailhopper offer more demanding 5-7 day hikes.

Why we chose this partner

• The Trailhopper team have finely tuned their trails through the Namib over 20 years
• Owners Kerstin Klein and Thomas Soutschka are passionate hikers. Both have guided tours in southern Africa, so they have that great mix of in-depth knowlege of the region plus professional organisational skills
• They only employ qualified and experienced multilingual guides who have proved their ability to guide safely in difficult terrain
• Their guides enhance your experience with information and anecdotes that you won’t find in a book
• In their small groups (maximum 8 hikers) you can savour Namibia’s empty landscapes
• If managed well, hiking is a very eco-friendly and non-invasive way of travelling. Keeping their footprint in Namibia’s unspoilt landscapes as small as possible is of utmost importance to the Trailhopper team