About Us
Tok Tokkie Company Profile
We are a well-established Namibian enterprise with a passion for hiking and trekking. We started with hiking and wilderness tours in Namibia in 1991.
The owners Kerstin Klein and Thomas Soutschka are passionate hikers with a lot of hiking experience in Africa, South America and Asia.
Both have travelled Southern Africa extensively and have guided innumerable tours themselves. This extensive experience enables them to combine an in-depth knowledge of Southern Africa with the professionalism needed for organizing unforgettable tours.
HikingHiking and wilderness tours offer a unique nature experience as they bring you into direct contact with the world you want to explore.
This direct contact is part of our philosophy. No matter if you go on a hiking tour or on a self-drive safari, we want to offer you the opportunity to change perspective and discover Namibia’s miraculous landscapes on your own feet. Discover spots where no vehicle can go to. As close as you can.
Enjoy – Just hike it!Last but not least our office team relieves you of the burden of organising your hiking trip as we take over all the bureaucracy and logistics.
We dedicate all our experience and effort to making you enjoy your precious holiday. Almost 20 years of experience guarantee for that. Just contact us.
Responsible Tourism
Every form of utilisation leaves a footprint on nature. If managed well hiking is a very eco-friendly and non-invasive way of travelling.
Keeping our footprint in Namibia’s unspoilt landscapes as small as possible is of utmost importance to us.
Small Groups and Qualified Guides
In a small group of maximum 8 hikers, you will be able to savour Namibia’s vast and inspiring calmness. Namibia still offers landscapes where you are virtually alone.
No beaten tracks. No masses of people.
Our nature guides will be there to share their knowledge with you. Hiking brings you close to nature and our guides will round up your experience with information and the little stories and anecdotes that you won’t easily find in a book.
Quality and Safety
Thorough planning, experience and knowledge are essential for hiking trips to remote areas. We offer just that. We only employ qualified and experienced tour guides who have shown their professionalism and their ability to guide you safely also in difficult terrain.
In Namibia’s rugged and untamed landscapes they will keep you on track.
We are members of the Namibia Tourism Board (NTB), Tour & Safari Association Namibia (TASA) as well as the Hospitality Association of Namibia (HAN) and, for your safety, we comply with all applicable rules and regulations set out by these organisations.
It goes without saying that we have all necessary insurance covers. Our sound financial basis just adds to that.
Our History
Tok Tokkie Trails – Since 1997!
“In the midst of the complexities of modern life, with all its pressures, the spirit of man needs to refresh itself by communion with unspoiled nature. In such surroundings- occasional as our visits may be- we can achieve that kind of physical and spiritual renewal that comes alone from the wonder of the natural world.” – Laurance S. Rockefeller
Tok Tokkie Trails was founded by Marc and Elinor Duerr, both well-known personalities in the Namibian tourism industry. The idea for Tok Tokkie Trails was born when Marc and Elinor, who were at that time both working for a safari company in Namibia, were asked by guests from France why there were no walking trails in Namibia. This was back in 1995. From then on, they were captivated by the idea. NamibRand Nature Reserve, which had been founded in 1992, virtually suggested itself as the place where the trail should be done. Both, Marc and Elinor already knew the reserve very well from their work. Marc was an experienced guide and Elinor knew how to do the necessary office work. So, they took their chance and approached the management of NamibRand Nature Reserve. When they obtained one of the five low-impact ecotourism concessions in the reserve, Tok Tokkie Trails was born.
The founders did a lot of walking in the area of the abandoned “Die Duine” farmhouse, which is now the Tok Tokkie Trails base. “Die Duine” used to be a farm which became incorporated into the NamibRand Nature Reserve, when the drought in the 1980’s made it clear that livestock farming in that ecologically sensitive area was not sustainable. “Die Duine” means “The Dune” in Africaans language and refers to the picturesque setting at the foot of rolling vegetated sand dunes with a backdrop of amazing mountain scenery.
The first Tok Tokkie Trail started on 25 February 1997 on a different route than today. It was a great success. Over the years the route as well as the Tok Tokkie Trails experience has been fine tuned. Tok Tokkie Trails offers a very special experience for nature lovers and for travelers who know that a beautiful landscape can best be discovered at a slow pace. Many tourists come to Namibia to experience that vast open space and magnificent tranquility that is so difficult to be found elsewhere. Tok Tokkie Trails presents a formidable way to immerse in the pristine Namibian nature.
In 2006 the founders assigned management and operations to Unlimited Travel & Car Hire cc and in 2008 the Tok Tokkie Trails concession was transferred completely to Unlimited Travel & Car Hire cc.
Unlimited Travel & Car Hire CC took over all the existing staff and employed additional chefs and other personnel. Frans for example, member of the back-up and maintenance team, has been there from day one. Over the years, Frans, originally from the comparatively humid Kavango in the north of Namibia, has acquired a lot of knowledge about the desert and its inhabitants.
Today, Tok Tokkie Trails is a “Hiking with Style” experience, where guests have the opportunity to get close to the Namib’s awesome beauty and discover many secrets of the desert which cannot be seen while driving. Tok Tokkie Trails’ guests can savour the pristine surroundings, free their mind, make the unusual experience of staying without roof for more than 48 hours, and still enjoy the luxuries that they do not want to miss. Giving you a great time is what we strive for!
