Mariental is the administrative centre of the Hardap Region on the B1, roughly two and a half hours south of Windhoek, and the gateway to the Kalahari red-dune country east of the highway.
Bagatelle Kalahari Game Ranch is one of the best-known working game ranches in the Namibian Kalahari, sitting on red dune country south-east of Mariental. Accommodation ranges from garden-view rooms to chalets built on the dune crest, and the property runs as a ranch as well as a lodge.
The Kalahari here is not the empty sand sea people expect. Long parallel dunes run north to south, rust-red against pale grass, with camelthorn trees in the streets between them and a good deal of wildlife — oryx, springbok, wildebeest, meerkats and ostrich among them.
Rates here are quoted half board — dinner, bed and breakfast — which is the normal arrangement at Kalahari lodges, where the nearest restaurant is a long drive away. It also means the headline figure is not directly comparable with the room-only rates of the Mariental town guesthouses; you are buying two meals as well as a bed.
Game drives, cheetah feeding and guided walks are offered and are charged separately from the room rate, so the price below covers accommodation and meals only. Access is via gravel from the B1, straightforward in dry conditions.
As a price guide, the double room with garden view for two adults on a half-board basis sits at around N$7,680 per night including taxes, confirmed on two separate dates. Dune chalets cost more. Use the link below for live availability and today’s price using the booking link on this page.
A note on comparing Kalahari prices: the ranch rates here are half board and include two meals, while the Mariental town guesthouses quote room-only. Once you add dinner and breakfast to a town rate the gap narrows considerably, though it does not close — you are also paying for the setting and the ranch itself.
Check current availability for Bagatelle Kalahari Game Ranch using the booking link on this page.
