NORTHERN REGION

At Omaruru is the historical Franke Tower where Major Franke defeated a numerically superior Herero force in 1904.  The town hosts Namibia's only wine cellar.  The Waterberg Plateau Park was proclaimed for the translocation of scarce game species like roan and sable antelope and Cape buffalo.  The plateau is a remnant of the original upper crust after the erosion of the surrounding landscape through the ages.  There are striking mountain scenes, the only breeding colony of Cape vultures, as well as unique plants, which are found nowhere else in the country.  The park offer luxury chalets and a well-equipped camping area.  Otjiwarongo is on the road north to the Etosha Pan.  The Waterberg mountain range and Plateau Park are easily reached from this point.  Outjo is situated on the road from Otjiwarongo to Okaukuejo, one of the rest camps in the Etosha National Park.  It is also the gateway to the Kaokoveld and the Skeleton Coast.  The Rock Finger on the farm Bertram, 96 km to the west of Outjo, is very impressive.  There are also interesting surrounding rock formations in the Ugab Valley.

The Brandberg, 24 km from the mining village of Uis, is, with its Königstein Peak (2 597 km), the highest mountain in the country.  The mountain became famous after the discovery of the White Lady and other rock-paintings in the Tsisab Gorge in 1917.  The Burnt Mountain is a hill with brightly coloured rocks.  Against a mountain slope at Twyfelfontein are approximately 3 000 rock paintings and engravings of giraffe, rhino, springbok, gemsbok, ostriches, cattle and animal tracks.  The Petrified Forest consists of a number of tree-trunk fragments scattered over the open veld.  The age of the fossil trunks is estimated at approximately 200 million years.  Kamanjab, situated in a farming area, is well positioned as a stopover for visitors to Kaokoland or Damaraland.  A large farming area surrounds Grootfontein, situated 87 km northeast of Otavi and 60 km from Tsumeb.  The Hoba Meteorite, 19 km from Grootfontein, the biggest in the world, weighs 54 000 kg and consists of 82% iron and 16% nickel.

Tsumeb, the largest mining town in the country, is situated in the sub-tropical northern area.  The Tsumeb Cultural Village allows tourists an insight into the rural life of Namibian tribes.  It showcases their history and culture, and their work and skills in arts and crafts.  The Khorab Memorial, 3 km from Otavi on the old Tsumeb road dates from the First World War.  It was here that the Germans surrendered to the South African forces in 1915.  Lake Otjikoto, a natural monument 24 km from Tsumeb alongside the road to Namutoni, was formed when the roof of a gigantic cave in the dolomite collapsed. Towards the end of the South West African campaign (1915), German troops threw cannons and ammunition into this deep lake.  The lake contains 2 species of mouth breeding fish.

The Etosha National Park in the game-rich northwestern corner of Namibia is 380 km at it's longest and 90 km at it's widest.  It is a paradise, especially for the photographer, as it contains a wide variety of game in open country.  There are rest camps at Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni, previously an old German fort.  Open throughout the year.  The Ruacana Falls (85 m high) in the Kunene River are not only spectacular, but also a source of hydroelectric power.

CAPRIVI STRIP

Caprivi, sometimes called the Caprivi Strip (Caprivizipfel) and formally known as Itenge, is a narrow protrusion of Namibia eastwards about 450km, between Botswana on the south, Angola and Zambia to the north, and Kavango Region. Caprivi is bordered by the Kwando, Linyanti, Chobe and Zambezi rivers. Its largest settlement is the town of Katima Mulilo. Caprivi was named after German Chancellor Leo von Caprivi, who negotiated the land in an 1890 exchange with the United Kingdom. Von Caprivi arranged for Caprivi to be annexed to German South-West Africa in order to give Germany access to the Zambezi River and a route to Africa's East Coast, where the German colony Tanganyika was situated. The annexation was a part of the Helgoland-Zanzibar Treaty, in which Germany gave up its interest in Zanzibar in return for the Caprivi strip and the island of Helgoland in the North Sea.

There are three game parks in the Caprivi region: The Bwabwata Game Park is 5715 km² and extends for about 180 km from the Kavango River in the west to the Kwando River in the east. The wild and little visited Mamili National Park is Namibia's equivalent of the Okavango Delta, a watery wonderland of wildlife rich islands, river channels and wetlands. Mudumu National Park is a vast 1 010 km² expanse of dense savannah and mopane woodland with the Kwando River at its western border. Also of interest are the Popa Falls, though more of a rapid than a waterfall there is a drop of about 3m. The area is rich in wildlife and mineral resources.

CENTRAL REGION

Windhoek, the capital, lies in the central highland between the Auas and Eros Mountains and the picturesque Khomas-Hochland stretching west to the Desert. Places of interest include: The Alte Feste, built in 1890-1892 by the founder of Windhoek, Major Curt von Francois, accommodates the historical exhibitions of the State Museum.  The "Christuskirche" of the German-Lutheran community, consecrated in 1910.  Curt von Francois Statue in front of the modern municipal building in honour of the founder of the city.  The castles Schwerinburg, Heinitzburg and Sanderburg, built in 1913, 1914 and 1917.  The Art Gallery, where there are always exhibitions, with the arts theatre in the same complex.  The Equestrian Statue in honour of the German soldiers who fell in the Herero and Nama wars of 1904 - 1908; by the Berlin sculptor Kürle and unveiled in 1912. 

The Daan Viljoen Game Park, situated 24 km west of Windhoek in the Khomas-Hochland, is sanctuary to a relatively large population of game species typical of Namibia's highlands, and offers rest houses, camping and caravan sites, a restaurant and a swimming-pool.  Okahandja, 72 km to the north of Windhoek, has a high interest potential.  For the Herero it is an important cultural-historical link with the past and for the wood cavers from the north, it offers the opportunity to practice their ancient skills at the Mbangura Woodcarvers Market.  The Gross-Barmen Hot Springs, where the first mission station for the Herero was erected in 1844, are 27 km from Okahandja.  There is a rest camp, several artesian springs and a large dam with aquatic birds.  The Von Bach Recreation Resort on the Sartorius von Bach Dam south of Okahandja has day camping facilities for picnic-makers and offers great opportunities for water sport enthusiasts.  Karibib is situated on the main road between Windhoek and Swakopmund. The surrounding area is the largest producer of marble and granite in Namibia. It is also known for quartz and semi-precious stones.  The volcanic Spitzkoppe which rises 48 km northwest of Usakos to a height of 1 829 metres is known for its rock paintings and stone implements.  There is a community-based campsite.  Philipp's Cave, on the farm Ameib, 32 km north of Usakos, contains several rock paintings, of which the White Elephant is the best known.  Stones and rocks stacked in interesting formation are known as the Bulls' Party.

SOUTHERN REGION

The Fish River Canyon is the largest Canyon in Africa.  The canyon is approximately 161 km long, and cuts deeply into the surrounding area to the river bed about 550 m below.  A scenic road runs from the Main look-out point along the Fish River Canyon to Ai-Ais.  The five day hiking trail can only be undertaken from 15 April - 15 September and hikers require a medical certificate declaring that they have a reasonable level of fitness.  Ai-Ais is a hot-water spring oasis in the desolation of the Lower Fish River.  It has a modern rest camp with flats, sites for caravans and camping, a restaurant, shop, filling station, swimming-pool, mineral baths and tennis-courts. 

Keetmanshoop is situated on the main B1 road to Windhoek.  The town still retains vestiges of its original German buildings.  The “Kokerboom” Wood is a thick copse of quiver trees 14 km to the north of Keetmanshoop on the road to Koës.  It is a private nature reserve on the farm Gariganus and is open to the public.  Bethanie is one of the oldest settlements in Namibia.  The Schmelenhaus, built in 1814, is the oldest building in the country and a historical monument. 

Lüderitz, centre of the rock lobster industry, lies in a bay on the rocky south coast.  Places of interest include the harbour, the Lüderitz Memorial Needle on Shark Island, the Eberlanz Museum and Goerke Haus.  Excursions may be made to Agate Beach, Diaz Point, the lighthouse and Sturmvogelbucht.  Kolmanskop, situated 10 km south east of Lüderitz, is known as `The Ghost Town'.  At one time it was a village built for the staff of a nearby diamond mine.  Today guided tours give insight into the grandeur of days gone by.  Duwisib Castle stands on a hill 72 km southwest of Maltahöhe overlooking the barren surrounding landscape.  It was built in 1908 by a German, Baron von Wolff, and contains a unique collection of furniture, portraits and weapons from the 17th and 18th century.  The Hardap Recreation Resort, 24 km from Mariental, has rest houses, camping and caravan sites, and a restaurant, shop and swimming pool.  The dam, which is 32 km long, is surrounded by a nature reserve with plenty of game and many species of aquatic birds.

NAMIB REGION

Sossusvlei is a large clay pan in the desert, surrounded by the highest known dunes in the world (up to 427 m).  From time to time the Tsauchab River flows into the vlei, which retains the water for a long time.  The vlei can be reached only in a four-wheel-drive vehicle.  At Sesriem in the southern Namib Desert, the Tsauchab River suddenly disappears into a narrow ravine.  The Gamsberg (2 334 m) towers above the edge of the Khomas-Hochland, which falls away steeply to the west.  The picturesque Gamsberg Pass leads to the Namib Desert Park.  The Namib Desert Park embraces all aspects of the desert - sand dunes, granite mountains, plains of grass, gypsum and quartz, the Kuiseb Canyon, the lagoon at Sandwich Harbour, camelthorn and ana trees, the largest known concentration of Welwitschias and game.  No permit is necessary for driving through the Park.  To spend the night or leave the main road, a permit should be obtained in Windhoek or Swakopmund or at Sesriem.

Various fly-in safaris are operated from Sesriem and Swakopmund to the remote wilderness areas of Namibia and Skeleton coast.  The flights provide an incredible view of the endless stretched of dunes, the shipwrecks along the lonely and harsh coastline, the diverse and ever-changing geological formations and the refuges of the desert-dwelling animals, such as the endangered black rhino and desert elephant.  Excursions by Land-Rover include the roaring dunes, the Ugab rock formations, ancient San rock engravings, the desert fauna and flora, a visit to a settlement of the nomadic Himba people, and the panoramic vistas of the Hartmann valley.  Accommodation is provided in three fully equipped, comfortable tented camps.  Safaris can include excursions to Sossusvlei, Etosha and Lüderitz.

The Desert Express train winds its way through the Namib Desert from Windhoek to Swakopmund and back again.   Designed and built using the most modern technology available, the train is furnished in the unique colours and textures of Africa.   All 24 fully air-conditioned, en-suite sleeper apartments convert to private lounges during the day and can accommodate up to three passengers.   En-route passengers can enjoy meals in the Welwitschia Restaurant, which specialises in indigenous Namibian dishes.  Passengers can relax in the fully air-conditioned Spitzkoppe Lounge and enjoy a full bar service, while absorbing the beauty of the passing savannah, bushveld and desert landscapes.  During the winter months, in addition to the Swakopmund return journey, Desert Express offers four-day trips to northern Namibia (Etosha National Park) and southern Namibia (Lüderitz).

The number of seals at Cape Cross, where the navigator Diego Cao planted his cross in 1486, is estimated at between 150 000 and 200 000.  The seal colony may be visited daily between 10h00 and 17h00. 

Swakopmund, with its continental atmosphere, is the main coastal resort.  In the German colonial period it was the territory's only port.  There are numerous angling spots near by and there is an indoor swimming-pool of Olympic standard with heated water and a sliding roof.  The museum portrays the town's history and the animal and plant life of the desert. 

Walvis Bay, where ships from numerous countries call at the harbour, was originally built in 1926 and subsequently enlarged and modernised.  There are a number of pilchard and white fish factories.  These may be visited subject to the manager's permission.  Many bird species can be found in the municipal bird sanctuary. Quad biking and dolphin cruises are popular activities.  Sandwich Harbour, 56 km south of Walvis Bay, is one of the most popular angling resorts.  It can be reached only in 4x4 vehicles.  Permits are obtainable from the two official Namib Tourist offices in Walvis Bay and Swakopmund..  There are no facilities and no angling between 25 January and 15 April.  Torra Bay in the Skeleton Coast Park, a popular camping and fishing resort in summer, is open from 1st December to 31st January each year.  Terrace Bay, a holiday resort, in the Skeleton Park, is open throughout the year.  The Welwitschia mirabilis occurs from Walvis Bay northwards in the desert and semi-desert.  It can be seen 35 km east from Swakopmund on the "Welwitschia Drive" which falls with in the Namib Naukluft Park. Permits are required.  It is a primitive plant, which has adapted itself to the arid desert climate. The age of the oldest among the Welwitschia plants is estimated at 2 000 years.