Mariental lies 267 kilometres south of Windhoek on the B1, three to three and a half hours on tar. For most self-drivers it is the first night on the way south. Keetmanshoop is another 229 kilometres. The town is the capital of the Hardap Region and had 18,494 residents at the 2023 census.
- residents, 2023 census
- 18,494
- to Windhoek on the B1
- 267 km
- to the Hardap Dam
- 22 km
- Hardap Dam capacity
- 320 million m³
Mariental was founded in 1912 as a railway stop between Windhoek and Keetmanshoop. Hermann Brandt, the first settler, named it after his wife Maria. Today the area lives from farming: water from the Hardap Dam grows fodder, maize, fruit, grapes and lucerne, and there are dairy cattle and ostriches.
The Hardap Dam
About 22 kilometres northwest of town the Hardap Dam holds back the Fish River, the same river that further south carved the Fish River Canyon. It was built between 1960 and 1963, holds 320 million cubic metres and covers 25 square kilometres. For more than five decades it was Namibia's largest reservoir, until the Neckartal Dam near Keetmanshoop took over in 2018.
At the dam NWR runs a resort with a restaurant, pool, chalets, campsite and a small game park. Even black rhino live there. So do giraffe, gemsbok, springbok, kudu and Hartmann's mountain zebra. Great white pelicans breed on the water, and you will also see cormorants and fish eagles. Fishing is allowed on the northern shore with a permit from the resort office.A bush chalet with breakfast costs N$ 720 per person from November 2026 to June 2027 and N$ 1,160 from July to October, a campsite N$ 220 per person, as of October 2026. Hardap is not in the accommodation feed either, so book directly with NWR.
The Kalahari on the doorstep
The Kalahari is close. Mariental sits on the main route into it, and many travellers stay at lodges and guest farms such as Anib Lodge or Lapa Lange. The farms are home to springbok, gemsbok, giraffe, zebra, kudu, eland and wildebeest. An evening game drive rounds off the first day in the south.
The town itself has a problem with water. It lies below the dam on the Fish River and was flooded in 1923 and 1934, and after the dam was built in 1972, 1974, 1976, 2000 and 2006. In February 2026 Mariental was under water again.
Today, as of Mariental is growing: 12,478 residents in 2011, 18,494 in 2023. Since the 2006 flood the operator has filled the Hardap Dam to no more than 70 per cent. After four years of renovation, the resort at the dam reopened in 2016. Since 1 April 2026 entry has cost N$ 200 per foreign adult per day, up from 100.
- Time needed
- one night, at the Hardap Dam or at a lodge on the edge of the Kalahari
- From Windhoek
- 267 km, 195 minutes
Our tipLeave Windhoek by late morning. After three hours on the B1 that leaves the afternoon for the game park at the dam, and you arrive before sunset, which matters because some rental contracts exclude driving after dark outside towns.
Places to stay in Mariental and Kalahari
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Aspasia Agency
M29 Ernst Stumpfe Road
- Kitchen
- Parking
- Air conditioning
- Fireplace
from €52per night on 18 November 2026
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Bagatelle Kalahari Game Ranch
37 km from the town centre
- Pool
- Spa
- Breakfast
- Restaurant
from €394per night on 2 December 2026
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Kalahari Anib Campsite
Kalahari Desert Kalahari Anib Lodge, P O Box 80205 Wondhoek
- Pool
- Restaurant
- Parking
- Air conditioning
from €39per night on 23 November 2026
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Lapa Lange Game Lodge
M29
- Pool
- Spa
- Breakfast
- Restaurant
from €255per night on 18 November 2026
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Bagatelle Kalahari Boutique Farmhouse Lodge
Bagatelle Kalahari Game Ranch Kalahari
- Pool
- Spa
- Parking
- Air conditioning
from €403per night on 3 June 2027
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Boutique Guesthouse Mariental
65 River street
- Breakfast
- Parking
- Air conditioning
- Wi-Fi
from €61per night on 18 November 2026
Check prices on trivagoMariental and Kalahari: frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Windhoek to Mariental?
From Windhoek to Mariental is 267 kilometres on the tarred B1, three to three and a half hours of driving. You can fill up on the way in Rehoboth.
What is there to do at the Hardap Dam near Mariental?
At the Hardap Dam, 22 kilometres northwest of Mariental, NWR runs a resort with a small game park that is home to black rhino, giraffe and Hartmann's mountain zebra. Great white pelicans breed on the reservoir, and you may fish from the northern shore with a permit.
Why does Mariental keep flooding?
Mariental lies on the Fish River below the Hardap Dam and was flooded in 1972, 2000 and 2006, among other years. Since 2006 the dam has been kept at no more than 70 per cent, yet the town was under water again in February 2026.