Sesfontein

Sesfontein is a small settlement in the west of the Kunene Region, halfway between Palmwag and Opuwo. The name means six springs, after the water sources in the area. In Khoekhoegowab the place is called ǃNaniǀaudi. For travellers Sesfontein is a stop with a history: the German fort of 1896 is now a lodge.

the fort was built

1896

of gravel to Palmwag

about 110 km

of gravel to Opuwo

about 150 km

to Windhoek via Kamanjab

699 km

Soldiers of the German Schutztruppe built the fort in 1896 as a police post. After the rinderpest epidemic they were to control cattle movements, as well as arms smuggling and the poaching of elephant and rhino. The police planted the palms at the fort themselves. In 1914, at the start of the First World War, the Germans abandoned the post, and the fort fell into ruin.

It was rebuilt in the 1990s. Today you can sleep inside the old walls, at Fort Sesfontein Lodge. Beside the building are three graves: a soldier who died during construction, another who died of illness, and a trader. The fort was considered as a national monument in 1984, but in 1989 the idea was dropped.

The Hoanib and the desert elephants

The lodge lies close to the Hoanib, a riverbed that is dry most of the time. From Sesfontein it offers trips into the Hoanib, to the desert elephants and to Himba villages. One camp operator in the Hoanib says fewer than 50 elephants are in the whole river system at any one time. They travel long distances between scattered water sources.

Driving into the riverbed on your own is not a good idea. Travellers have got lost on the way in, as the tracks branch off in the sand. Go with a local guide.

Fuel and the road on

The fuel pump in Sesfontein cannot be relied on; travellers have found it empty. Fill up in Palmwag, where the fuel station is considered reliable, and plan to cover the distance to Opuwo on that tank. From Palmwag it is about 110 kilometres of gravel to Sesfontein, the last stretch on the D3706. Near Palmwag there is a veterinary fence checkpoint.

Heading north, it is almost 150 kilometres on the C43 to Opuwo, over the Joubert Pass, where the road is paved in places. Everything else is gravel. From Windhoek via Kamanjab and Palmwag you cover about 700 kilometres, the last 220 or so on gravel.

The settlement has a clinic and a school. Besides the lodge in the fort, you can stay at Sesfontein Guesthouse, and Khowarib Lodge is about 20 kilometres to the southeast. Western Kunene carries a moderate malaria risk all year, so discuss prevention with your doctor before you travel.

Time needed

one night between Palmwag and Opuwo, two with a trip into the Hoanib

From Windhoek

699 km, 580 minutes

Our tipLeave Palmwag with enough diesel to reach Opuwo, even if you plan to top up in Sesfontein. If the pump there is dry, you are not going anywhere otherwise.

Places to stay in Sesfontein

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7.8/10

GuesthouseDamaraland and Kaokoveld★★★

Sesfontein Guesthouse

Sesfontein Village

• Pool
• Breakfast
• Restaurant
• Parking

from €267per night on 18 November 2026

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6.9/10

LodgeDamaraland and Kaokoveld★★★

Fort Sesfontein Lodge & Safaris

Fort

• Pool
• Restaurant
• Parking
• Air conditioning

from €273per night on 22 January 2027

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LodgeDamaraland and Kaokoveld

Fort Sesfontein Lodge and Safaris

D3707

• Pool
• Parking
• Wi-Fi

from €260per night on 18 November 2026

Check prices on trivago