Accommodation
There is plenty of comfortable accommodation in Windhoek, from inexpensive backpackers hostels to family-run guesthouses, self-catering chalets and modern hotels. Guesthouses form the bulk of the properties, with many places only having a handful of rooms, so it pays to book well in advance. Most of the higher-end guesthouses, smaller hotels and restaurants are situated in the leafy eastern suburbs of Klein Windhoek, Ludwigsdorf and Eros Park, though they’re little more than a ten-minute drive into the centre of town. Other areas offering generally less expensive lodgings include Windhoek West, just west of the city centre, and within walking distance of Independence Avenue, and Pioneers Park – good also for self-catering options, a fifteen-minute drive on the main road south, next to the University of Namibia and close to a shopping centre. Within a thirty-minute drive of downtown, accommodation at Daan Viljoen Game Park offers a viable alternative. Note that many owner-managed places close down mid-December to mid-January, as people migrate to the coast for the main annual holidays.
Around Windhoek
The nearest escape for city dwellers on hot summer weekends are the rolling hills of Daan Viljoen Game Park, a pleasant slice of countryside and a perfect place to picnic a mere thirty-minute drive west of the city centre. On the other hand, if you’re prepared to drive an hour or more out of the capital, and fancy a gentle introduction to the Namibian outdoors – as experienced by white Namibians, at least – several guestfarms provide the perfect answer, offering hiking or horse-riding opportunities and some hearty farm cooking. On a contrasting note, if you’re heading south out of the city on the B1, it’s worth swinging by Heroes’ Acre, which pays homage to those who lost their lives in the independence struggle.
Daan Viljoen Game Park
If you have your own transport and fancy escaping the city for a few hours then there’s no better place to head for than Daan Viljoen Game Park. It’s a delightful natural retreat, set among the hills of the Khomas Hochland Plateau, covered in highland shrub vegetation including kudu bush, buffalo thorn and various acacias.
Although the 6km game drive is pleasant enough (high-clearance vehicle necessary, 4WD when wet), with some well-sited viewpoints, the absence of predators in the park offers an opportunity to get much closer to the wildlife and really experience the bush by exploring on foot. There are two self-guided walking routes: the 3km – there and back – “Wag ‘n’ Bietjie” trail is a simple stroll from the reception to the Stengel Dam, and is popular with birdwatchers early in the morning; those wanting a more challenging hike should opt for the 9km circular Rooibos Trail, which heads uphill from close to the Boma restaurant, returning via the Augeigas Dam. If you look carefully enough amid the vegetation, there are still signs of the odd crumbling wall that once demarcated plots of the formerly resident Damara community, which was forcibly relocated by the South African regime in the late 1950s.
Wildlife to look out for includes a variety of antelope: springbok, oryx, kudu and eland, alongside other large mammals such as blue wildebeest and even giraffe; smaller potential sightings are of porcupine, yellow mongoose and rock hyrax, and you can’t fail to bump into the ubiquitous warthogs and baboons. Over two hundred bird species have been recorded, with plenty of water birds gravitating towards the muddy edges of the dams.
Day visitors are welcome to use the resort’s lovely large circular pool and eat at the Boma, after making a N$50 deposit, which is redeemable against food and drink purchases.
Khomas Hochland Hiking Trail
The rolling highveld surrounding Windhoek is often overlooked by visitors in their rush to clap eyes on Namibia’s more famous landscapes, but the opening of the new Khomas Hochland Hiking Trail may soon change that. Covering a 91km circular route over six days (or 53km over four days), the trail takes you across five farms, hiking through thornbush scrub, along kloofs and across grasslands, scrambling over boulders and even climbing down a rock ladder. It’s physically demanding but the rewards are ample: superb views at times, abundant wildlife, and the chance to sleep out under the stars. You’ll catch sight of plenty of kudu, oryx, mountain zebra, warthog, klipspringer and baboons, as well as countless small reptiles; the birdlife is prolific too, congregating round the Aretaragas and Otjiseva rivers, farm dams and precious sheltered pools of water in the kloofs, while the ever-elusive leopard keeps out of sight. For the hardcore version of the trail, you need to carry your pack with sleeping bag (one for cold nights), food, extra clothing, utensils, torch or headlamp and all the usual extras – a walking pole is advisable too, as parts of the trail are heavy on the knees. However, if that all sounds like too much hard work for a holiday, worry not, as there’s a slackpacking option too, in which you take a daypack, with water, snacks, your camera and not much else, while the rest of your gear – food and bedding (including mattresses, or even tents, if you want) – is transported for you from camp shelter to camp shelter.
Though basic, each campground has a toilet, wood- or solar-powered hot shower, braai facilities, a pot and a kettle, with the Monte Christo treehouse on the fifth night the standout overnight spot. Rather than confining yourself to light, easy-to-cook meals, you can tuck into a pre-ordered fresh farm meal-pack from each night’s host, which includes braai meat and veg as well as freshly baked bread, though you’ll need to carry anything you want to spice up the food. It’s even possible to request a few cans of beer to enjoy around the campfire. Obviously, this is all at extra cost, but the hike alone is strenuous enough; taking the weight off your back allows you to maximize your enjoyment of the trail.
Practicalities
The trail starts and finishes at Dürstenbrook Farm, located 46km broadly north from Windhoek – 30km along the B1 before turning west. A minimum of three hikers (maximum 12) is required, and the booking can be made online to do the trail between April and September (though experienced hikers are allowed in October and March).
The city centre
Windhoek’s modest sights and tourist attractions are predominantly located in a compact one-kilometre area along or between Independence Avenue, the city’s main drag, and Robert Mugabe Avenue, which runs parallel along a ridge to the east. Most can be covered on foot in a day – or two, if you want to take your time and trawl all the disparate sections of the national museum.
The Gibeon Meteorite
No artistic representation, the Gibeon Meteorite Fountain sculpture is comprised of genuine lumps of iron-rich meteorite from what is thought to have been the largest meteor shower ever to have hit the planet, some six hundred million years ago. It was named after the place in southern Namibia where the meteors fell, covering an area around 13,000 square kilometres. Although Nama populations had been fashioning tools and weapons out of the extra-terrestrial rocks for many years, it took the “discovery” by a British explorer, James Alexander, in 1838, and subsequent tests by a London chemist, to determine the meteoric origin of the samples. More than 25 tonnes and 120 specimens have been recorded over the years, ranging from a tonne to several grams in weight. After being displayed in the Zoo Park for many years, 33 meteorite fragments were put into temporary storage in the Alte Feste in 1975, prior to their installation in Post Street Mall. Two lumps went missing, however, and a third was swiped from the sculpture once in place – their three empty plinths still stand forlornly alongside the other 30 specimens on display. Other pieces of the meteorite are displayed in the National Earth Science Museum.
Despite the Namibian government’s 2004 ban on the removal of any meteorite material from its site, and the threat of a hefty fine, pieces continue to make their way out of the country. Some end up in museums, others in private hands, which is no great surprise as meteorite smuggling is big business. Large chunks of Gibeon meteorite can fetch several thousand dollars, which a quick look at eBay can confirm. In 2016, an 81kg lump was put up for auction at Christie’s, in London, with an estimated US$230,000–380,000 price tag. The notion of wearing a bit of outer space on the finger or round the neck has also made Gibeon meteorite jewellery very popular, especially since an attractive lattice-like patterning – known as Widmanstätten – stands out once the stone has been cut, polished and acid etched. One of the more extraordinary Gibeon meteorite products, however, which failed to sell at auction in 2015, is a life-sized sculpted human skull known as “Yorick”.
Parliament Gardens
Surrounding the Tintenpalast (Ink Palace) – the two-storey structure that houses Namibia's parliament – are the delightful, shady, landscaped Parliament Gardens, which definitely merit a stroll. They are particularly popular at lunchtimes and weekends, when students laze on the lawns poring over their books or each other. Don’t miss the bougainvillea-lined bowling green and thatched clubhouse to the north of parliament, which are kept in immaculate condition. Post-independence additions to the grounds include three bronze statues of liberation heroes that flank the steps up to parliament’s main entrance: Kaptein Hendrik Witbooi – not to be confused with the better-known Hendrik Witbooi, who graces Namibian currency notes – opponent of Bantu education; Hosea Kutako, the Herero chief who was instrumental in petitioning the UN for Namibian independence; and the less frequently championed – and not so easily pronounced – Reverend Theophilus Hamutumbangela, a priest and vociferous independence activist, who was arrested on various occasions and was allegedly poisoned by the South African authorities under apartheid.