Burgsdorf Guest Farm is the kind of place the brochures skip: a working farm on the C14 near Maltahöhe, its entrance only 3 km from the C19 that carries on to Sossusvlei. It has been a stopping place for a very long time — first for travellers and transport drivers on the old ox wagon road, later as a police station under Karel Henning Konrad von Burgsdorf, the man who founded the village of Maltahöhe. Today it is a quiet halt between the deep south and the Namib, wrapped in a 25,000-hectare game camp, with rhino conservation at the centre of what the family does.
The heritage here runs back to the late 1800s, and the farm still reads that way. Accommodation is split across three kinds of room: eight Large Comfort Rooms strung along the waterhole, each with a private terrace facing the water and the game and rhino camp beyond, its own parking, a fridge and coffee and tea things; five Standard Twin Rooms set among the historic farm buildings; and one family room with two double beds. Every room is en-suite and air-conditioned.
The 25,000-hectare game camp is the reason to give Burgsdorf a full night rather than a hurried one. Game drives run out into it during the day and again after dinner, when the night drive goes looking for what the daylight hides. A Rhino Drive can be arranged when the season allows — the farm asks that you speak to them about it directly, because it ties into their conservation work. Sundowners are taken from a red sand dune or up on the Swartrand Plateau.
Dinner is served in the lapa: home-cooked food influenced by local cooking, a small buffet with a starter and a dessert. Getting here is straightforward. From Maltahöhe, turn onto the C14 and run about 17 km to the Burgsdorf turn-off on your left, then 10 km of farm road. From Helmeringhausen it is roughly 120 km on the C14 towards Maltahöhe, turning in at the Burgsdorf entrance and following 10 km of farm road from the stone gate. There is an airstrip on the farm for guests who fly in. It sits naturally between Sossusvlei and the far south of Lüderitz and the Fish River Canyon.
Burgsdorf Guest Farm: the hidden gem near Maltahöhe
Burgsdorf sits next to the C14 south of Maltahöhe, with its entrance 3 km off the C19 — the road that runs on to Sossusvlei. That position is the whole point of it: coming up from the Fish River Canyon or Lüderitz, it breaks the long drive north exactly where the drive needs breaking, and puts you within an early start of the dunes.
The farm has been receiving travellers since the late 1800s, when it was a resting place for transport drivers on the ox wagon road, and later a police station under Karel Henning Konrad von Burgsdorf, who founded Maltahöhe. What the family does today is quieter and more deliberate: conservation and sustainable practice on the land, and a particular commitment to rhino.
Staying at Burgsdorf
- Eight Large Comfort Rooms at the waterhole — king or twin beds, en-suite, air-conditioned, with private terraces looking onto the waterhole and the game and rhino camp, plus own parking, a fridge and coffee and tea facilities.
- Five Standard Twin Rooms among the historic farm buildings — twin beds, en-suite, air-conditioned.
- One Standard Family Room — two double beds, en-suite, air-conditioned, with a fridge and coffee and tea facilities.
- Dinner is in the lapa restaurant: home-cooked, drawn from local cooking, served as a small buffet with a starter and a dessert.
- An airstrip on the farm makes a fly-in stop possible.
What there is to do
- Game drive through the farm's 25,000-hectare game camp.
- Rhino Drive — a close encounter with the farm's rhino, subject to season. It ties into their conservation work, so it is arranged directly with the farm.
- Night game drive after dinner, for what the daylight does not show.
- Sundowners from a red sand dune or up on the Swartrand Plateau.
Where we recommend staying
Burgsdorf Guest Farm
A working guest farm on the C14 near Maltahöhe, wrapped in a 25,000-hectare game camp, with rhino conservation at the centre of what the family does. Standard Twin rooms sit among the historic farm buildings; the Large Comfort doubles look onto the waterhole and the game camp beyond, each with its own terrace. Bed and breakfast, with a home-cooked dinner in the lapa on request. Our Comfortable rooms are the Standard Twins, our Premium the Large Comfort at the water.
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Common questions
Where is Burgsdorf Guest Farm?
Burgsdorf is in southern Namibia, on the C14 near Maltahöhe, with its entrance 3 km from the C19 road that leads on to Sossusvlei. It is a natural stopover between the far south — the Fish River Canyon and Lüderitz — and the Namib Desert and the coast.
How do you get to Burgsdorf Guest Farm?
From Maltahöhe, turn onto the C14 and continue about 17 km to the Burgsdorf turn-off on your left, then follow the farm road for 10 km. From Helmeringhausen, drive towards Maltahöhe on the C14 and turn in at the Burgsdorf entrance after roughly 120 km, then follow the farm road 10 km from the stone gate. There is also an airstrip on the farm.
What accommodation does Burgsdorf Guest Farm have?
Fourteen rooms in three types: eight Large Comfort Rooms at the waterhole with king or twin beds and private terraces, five Standard Twin Rooms in the historic farm area, and one family room with two double beds. All are en-suite and air-conditioned.
Can you see rhino at Burgsdorf?
Rhino conservation is at the heart of what the farm does, and the Large Comfort Rooms look onto a waterhole with the game and rhino camp beyond. A dedicated Rhino Drive is offered subject to season, arranged directly with the farm because it forms part of their conservation work.
What is there to do at Burgsdorf Guest Farm?
Game drives through a 25,000-hectare game camp, night game drives after dinner, sundowners from a red sand dune or the Swartrand Plateau, and a seasonal Rhino Drive. Dinner is a home-cooked buffet in the lapa restaurant.
Is Burgsdorf a good stop on the way to Sossusvlei?
Yes — its entrance sits 3 km from the C19 that runs to Sossusvlei, which makes it a natural overnight before an early start at the dunes, and the obvious place to break the drive up from the deep south.