Desert Horse Inn looks a bit like it was built for a western movie and it would come with no surprise if Clint Eastwood was found having a drink at the bar. The various houses nestle on the slope of Kein-Aus-Vista (just below Aus) and offer 30 rooms with en-suite bathroom, ceiling fan and veranda, with two rooms sharing one house each. The rooms usually have twin beds, although some triple and four-bed rooms are also available for families.

At the main building, the reception, a lounge with fireplace and the «Wild Horse Bar» are found on the ground floor. The restaurant with outdoor terrace and view of the swimming pool is located on the upper floor. The reception sells a variety of homemade delicacies and is a good place to buy some food and water for your onward journey.

The harbour town of Lüderitz is just 121 km away, as is the deserted diamond city of Kolmanskuppe, which is located just 10 km outside of Lüderitz. The actual village is called Aus - a little more than 1,000 people still live here. The highlights of Aus are the petrol station, the police statin at the entrance of the village, the «Bahnhofhotel» and the train that runs through the village.

The Desert Horse Inn owns a very beautiful, private area (51,000 hectares, called Gondwana Sperrgebiet Rand Park) which includes rocky outcrops, hidden valleys and wide meadows. It is just the perfect location for hiking or mountain biking.

Klein Aus Vista is a hub for travellers en-route from Fish River Canyon to the North, and a perfect base for visiting the Tiras Mountains. The D707 is considered one of the most beautiful roads in Namibia and if you have time, you should allow yourself this little diversion. The road basically runs between the last red sand dunes of the Namib Desert and the Tiras rock range - a beautiful spot of lonely nature.

Wild horses like to graze along the B4 and come to Garub's drinking trough. Maybe you will be lucky and take a wonderful souvenir photo!

The population of the horses varied over the years between about 80 and 180 animals and depends on whether the horses find enough food in the barren landscape.

Originally there were no horses in Southern Africa, but they were imported by the Europeans to «German Southwest Africa» and have become wild over time. There are many different stories about the origin of the horses, most likely they escaped from the South African troops.

The abandoned diamond town of Kolmanskuppe is located 10km outside of Lüderitz (renamed «Naminüs»). You can visit the ghost town on your own for an entrance fee between 8 am and 1 pm or with a guide, who is booked on site. Please note that the guided tours only take place at certain times.

Piet Swiegers, the owner of Klein-Aus-Vista, is an enthusiastic mountain biker and sportsman and has laid out various routes for hikers and bikers in the surrounding Aus Mountains. Mountain bikes can be rented on site. Guided nature drives are also available in Gondwana Sperrgebiet Rand Park (sunset, half-day or even full-day).

SwissAfrican Travel Service
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8702 Zollikon
Zurich, Switzerland


Telephone: +41 (0)44 451 40 51