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Windhoek & District Attractions |
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Windhoek is possibly the most attractive capital city on
the African continent having a population of about 200,00, which is small in comparison to the sprawling metropolises
of Pretoria or Lusaka, but Windhoek has its' own unique character. The
road system is well signed and easy to navigate. Clean streets with groomed
gardens, bistro cafes,
modern shopping malls, good restaurants and modern hotels. The country's
official language is English. However, Afrikaans and German are spoken
almost everywhere. You need a 1 day stay-over here.
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The Alte Feste is located on Robert Mugabe
Avenue and overlooks the city. This old German Fort now houses the
Namibia National Museum. Highly recommended and you should budget about
1 hour for your visit. The exhibits include archive photos from the
Herero Uprising of 1907, the history of the final liberation struggle,
the United Nations Transitional Period (1989-1990), Namibia's first
democratic election.
Time budget 1hr
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The Geological Survey Museum is located in
the Ministry of Mines and Energy building situated in Aviation Rd. This
is near Eros Suburban Airport and directly opposite the Safari Hotel
Complex. The museum is not well advertised or known of, but is well
worth a visit. Here you can see a fascinating display of Namibia's
Geological wonders, including the remainder of the Gibeon Meteorites.
The exhibition of dinosaur fossils and Massospondylus seen at the left.
Time budget 1 hr
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In the Post Street shopping mall, right in
the centre of town is where you can see the display of 32 of the Gibeon Meteorites. This is the
largest shower of extra terrestrial bodies known to have landed on the
earth. The meteorites have a high nickel content and one has been
sliced in half, so you can see the shiny stainless-steel like interior
Time budget 10min
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Heroes' Acre is a National Heritage Site and
is located about 5km south of the city on the B1. Namibia was under
occupation by foreign colonial forces from 1884 to 1990 and this is our
National Memorial to the Heroes and Heroines who struggled and fought
for our Independence, which was finally achieved on 21 March 1990. The
guided tours are most informative, and a visit here will give you a
better appreciation of beautiful Namibia and its people.
Time budget 2hr
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Mariental & District
Attractions |
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Mariental's main attraction is the Hardap
Dam and Nature Reserve. It's managed and operated by Namibia Wildlife
Resorts and is a popular stay-over place with many travellers. If there's
water in a dam, Namibians and South Africans alike seem to enjoy just
sitting down with a fishing rod and enjoy the calmness and scenery. The
restaurant seen on the left is perched on a high outcrop over-looking
the dam.
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Keetmanshoop & District Attractions |
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Keetmanshoop is the capital town of the vast
southern Karas region. The town has some interesting old German
buildings, ample accommodation, and is a good springboard for the
surrounding area attractions.
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The Naute Dam is the 2nd largest Dam in Namibia and
quite picturesque. There are camping areas with good views over the dam, but no electricity or
shower facilities. If you're equipped for 'camping out' this is a
good restful stopover place and reasonably priced. Time budget 1hr+
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10 The Quiver Tree Forest
is a National Heritage site and is located on the Farm Gariganus. Also
on this farm, but a few kilometers along the gravel road, is the strange
maze of rock-formations known as the Giant's Playground
11 .
Here you'll see massive dolerite boulders perched on top of each other.
The farm has self catering accommodation, pet cheetahs and warthogs etc.
Time budget 2-4hrs
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12 Mesosuarus tenuidens Fossil Site:
Highly recommended. The Steenkamps own the farm and are passionate about
their work. They will show you many wondrous things. Not only some of the best trace fossils of Mesosaurus
tenuidens, but forests of Quiver Trees, Surrealistic Dolerite Rock
formations and even play you a tune on their musical rocks. This is possibly the
best value tour in Namibia. Time budget 2-3hrs
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13 Brukarros:
This is strictly for the keen and well equipped hikers, and those
with an interest in geology and preferably done with a guided tour. The
local Nama community operate a camping area at a level that can be accessed by car. The upper
camping area is about 1km up the rock and can be accessed by foot or
4x4. It's a remote, accident prone place with no cell-phone coverage in the
event of an emergency, so be careful if going there. Time budget
4-6hr+
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Grunau District Attractions |
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7 Ai-Ais Hot Springs Resort offers an ideal stay over
right along-side the Fish River at the lower end of the Canyon.
Accommodation ranges from luxury apartments to shaded camp sites with
water and power The resort is closed during the summer (and rainy season
) months owing to the heat and possibility of flash flooding. Time
Budget 4-6hr+
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Fish River Canyon is 2nd only to the Grand Canyon in size and is one
of 'Africa's Must Sees'. Here you can see where the waters of the Fish
River have, over a period of 1,000 million years cut through the
surrounding hard rock to a depth of over 550 meters. There are sections
of the canyon that are about 27km in width. There is a NWR camp site at
Hobas. Time budget 2hrs+
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Luderitz & District
Attractions |
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Luderitz On The Rocks. Bartholomew Diaz
landed here on his epic journey to round the Cape of Good Hope in 1488.
He erected a Padrao (stone cross) and dedicated the land to G_d and
Portugal. Luderitz is a beautifully quaint town with its old German
buildings. The surrounding peninsular has plenty of coves and fjords
that make a nice venue for a picnic. The cray-fishing (in season) is
good here.
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Kolmanskop is located about 10km east of
Luderitz and is right on the edge of the Sperrgebiet (Diamond Area No 1)
and was until the 1950s a booming mining town with all modern
facilities. Since being abandoned, the desert sands have re-claimed the
town. Ghost Town Tours offer guided tours of the area.
Time budget 3hr
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Maltahohe & District
Attractions |
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Maltahohe is 'A quiet little town'. There's
not much going on here, no supermarkets etc. However it is positioned
right in the middle of some very picturesque areas of Namibia. If you're
visiting Sossvlei or even Luderitz the chances are you'll pass through
this dorp. The Maltahohe Hotel is the oldest hotel in the country and
best watering-hole for miles around, and the owners, Arno and Heike Rahn
will make you most welcome.
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Duwisib Castle was built in 1909 by retired Schutztruppe Captain Hansheinrich Von Wolf,
the castle stands on the high ground overlooking a valley that is
situated in the semi-arid lands about 70kms south west of Maltahohe. It's a bit
unusual to see a Castle in the middle of nowhere. Having swords,
shields, guns and all those German-things hanging on the walls. It's all
very interesting if you have time for the detour. Time budget 1-2hr
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Solitaire & District
Attractions |
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Solitaire. OK it's a photo of my mate, but I know that most tourists traveling the C14 also think this is a good place to snap a holiday picture. It's a pretty remote place and when you reach the tiny settlement at Solitaire you can tank-up with fuel for your truck, and then sample some of the Moose's renowned Apple Pie that is served without cream. Thinks !! nobody ever mentions the heavyweight bread this guy bakes
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Sesriem is where the entrance gate, offices and camp are located. The
park gates are open between sunrise and sunset with a lunch break 13h00
to 14h00. About 4.5km from the complex is the Sesriem Canyon. 2 million
years ago a great ice-age spread across the northern hemisphere and
caused the world's ocean levels to drop. The increased flow rate of the
Tsauchab River carved through the sedimentary layers and formed the
canyon. Time budget 1hr+
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Sossusvlei is a 65km drive west from Sesriem. It is a
spectacular dune area. It is advisable to make your tour of the dunes early, as
the mid-day temperatures can be above 40°c. Always carry
enough water with you and appropriate clothing with a hat or cap for your head.
It is a 1km hike to the dead vlei, so a good pair of hiking boots will be
needed. Sand temperatures can get to 70°c 5hr Time budget 4hr+
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Walvis Bay & District
Attractions |
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Walvis Bay is Namibia's Premier Port and
centre of our fishing industry, but this town has also geared up for
tourism. The Wetland Bird Reserve is home to about 60,000 of Southern
Africa's Flamingos. The Lagoon has proved itself to be one of the best
places in the world for speed wind & Kite surfing with many records
captured here. Take a Dolphin & Seal cruises in the lagoon and get
served some of the locally grown Oysters with champagne.
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Swakopmund & District Attractions |
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There's a lot of things to do and see in and
around Swakopmund, so you need a minimum of 3 days here. Below, are a
couple of useful links for you.
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Local Area Map and Directions for:
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