Thank you for wanting to know more about us – the Van Vuuren-family and staff at your service at East Gate Namibia. Deon and Rita van Vuuren are the owners of East Gate, joining hands in the family business are our 3 sons, Dr , Rion and Gerdi van Vuuren. Together with our sons DR, Rion and Gerdi, it is our mission to serve you – as our guests, in such a way that you will experience the love of God through us. East Gate is located on the farm Sandfontein, in the easternmost region of Namibia and next to the Botswana border. Our nearest town is Gobabis. The farm Sandfontein was founded as a resting place for the trekkers on the wagon trail to and from Angola. Rita’s ancestors were also “Dorslandtrekkers” as they were called and they were the first people to settle at Sandfontein. The name (Afrikaans for ‘sand fountain’) was derived from a fountain that is still running between our house and the rest camp. During the forties, a police station was established on the farm to serve as an outpost for law and order in the region. Back then the only police vehicles available were camels which took them where they had to be! Eventually the name of the farm changed to the function of the police station: Buitepos (‘outpost’ in Afrikaans). Later, during the fifties, Buitepos became a thoroughfare to Ghanzi in Botswana. Until the seventies the road to Ghanzi was a two-tracked sand road.

Nestled in the beautiful Omaheke region of Namibia, this Namibia self-catering establishment offers the ideal stop-over for Trans Kalahari Highway-travellers on their way from Botswana and South Africa to Namibia or vise versa.

We would like to share a brief overview of the Buitepos and East Gate border areas, as they offer a unique and memorable setting. Buitepos, on the Namibian side, is characterized by its expansive Kalahari landscape — open plains of red sand, dry grass, and scattered acacia trees beneath vast, uninterrupted skies. The environment is notably calm and unspoiled, creating a sense of stillness and space that is quite distinctive to this region. Despite its remote feel, the area is well-equipped for travelers, with a grocery store, fuel station, and restaurant available for convenience. Crossing into Botswana at East Gate, the landscape remains within the Kalahari ecosystem but becomes slightly more vegetated. The presence of small settlements and local communities adds a cultural dimension, giving the area a more inhabited and connected atmosphere while still retaining its natural beauty. Overall, the route between Buitepos and East Gate is defined by its simplicity and authenticity. It is less about prominent attractions and more about the experience of vast open space, subtle natural beauty, and the balance between remoteness and essential traveler amenities.