In the sparsely populated country of Namibia there are not a lot of big cities to be found. Yet there are a number of interesting cities and towns that feature beautiful monuments, historical buildings and museums that will give a good impression of the history of the country, amongst others.
Windhoek - Swakopmund - Rehoboth – Mariëntal – Keetmanshoop - Lüderitz
The Capital of Namibia, Windhoek, is situated in the central highlands in the geographical heart of the country. Though a cosmopolitan city that harbours many different cultures, the German atmosphere and heritage from the period that Namibia was a German kolony are still widely present here.
Windhoek lies in a valley that is bordered in the South by the Auas Mountains, in the North East by the Eros Mountains and in the West by the Hills of Khomas Hochland.
The city is also the commercial, financial and administrative capital of Namibia. For tourists, Windhoek is not just an entry and departure point, the city and her surroundings have more than enough to offer visitors an interesting stay. At first sight Windhoek seems unusually small for a capital city, but first impressions can be deceptive: in the surrounding valleys are several hidden suburbs. The city has around 300,000 inhabitants, a colourful ethnic mix of Europeans, Ovambo, Herero, Damara, and smaller numbers of Nama, San and mixed races.
In spite of the name (litterally translated ‘Windy corner’) there’s usually not that much wind in Windhoek. The city is located relatively high (at ca. 1,650 m) and because of this it offers a dry and comfortable highland climate for most of the year. In the summer months (January and February) however, humidity inceases and temperatures can rise to over 35 degrees. In addition, about two thirds of the average annual rain (365 mm) comes down in the first three months of the year, the rest of it in November and December. The garden scan be spectaculair her in summer.
Windhoek is easily discovered by foot. The centre is a strange mixture of German colonial buildings and mordern buildings that are painted in fresh pastel colours. Especially striking is the Lutheran Church in Art Nouveau Style. Close to it is the current parliament building, Tintenpalast which itself forms a mixture between colonial and modern styles. Nearby you will also find a museum that features the colonial history of the country. It’s established in an old fort that was left by the German colonisers, the ‘Alte Feste’.
Additional suggestions in Windhoek: The National Gallery of Namibia – Township Tour – Windhoek City Tour by bus or City walk – The Old Brewery – Windhoek Craft Market
Accommodations in Windhoek
Pension Moni - The Elegant Guesthouse - Terra Africa Guesthouse – Vondelhof Guesthouse - Olive Grove Guesthouse – Na’an Ku se Lodge
Swakopmund is a coastal town at the Swakop River mouth which flows into the Atlantic Ocean. Both Swakopmund and the nearby Walvis Bay are located in the Erongo region, the area around these two places, running approximately from just South of Walvis Bay, up to the Skeleton Coast north of Swakopmund. It’s oftens said that Swakopmund is more German than Germany itself! Even today German is widely spoken here and you can still order ‘Kaffee mit Kuchen’ (Coffee with cake) in a ‘Konditorei’ (bakery).
Swakopmund is also a popular holiday destination for inhabitants of Windhoek and other places in Namibia. It also attracts a lot of visitors from South Africa, especially people who come to fish on the river or at sea.
Sand from the neighbouring Namib Desert regularly covers the streets in the town. There are a number of interesting buildings in Jugenstil which are worth a visit, but if you would like to learn more about the history of Swakopmund, it’s best to go to the Swakopmund Museum. This museum was founded in 1951 by the German dentist Alfons Weber, and with it’s important collection of items and exhibitions offers an interesting view of the town and it’s surroundings.
Tips and activities in and aroud Swakopmund: Visit to the seals colony at Cape Cross – Flamingo’s in Walvis Bay – Dolphin boat tour – Sand boarding – Quad biking – National Marine Aquarium – Living Desert Snake Park – Route via Wellwitschia Drive to the Sossusvlei
Accommodations in Swakopmund:
Vogelstrand Guesthouse - Cornerstone Guesthouse - Swakopmund Guesthouse – The Stiltz 
When you’re driving from Windhoek to the South you will find this town on your way after about 85 km. While driving you will encounter a landscahpe of thorny bushes and now and then a baboon might cross the road.
Rehoboth has an interesting past as stronghold of the Baster community. This offspring of Dutch colonists of the Cape and native Khoi-khoi was rejected by both communities. Eventually many of them left South Africa and established themselves in 1870 nearby Rehoboth. In the town museum, the original house of the first colonial post master, you will be able to get a good view of this history.
Rehoboth furthermore offers a tourist office, church, post office, bank, fuel station and a number of shops.
Within the borders of the municipality you will also find the so called Acacia Forest, with a total surface of about 8,400 hectares and well know for her camel thorn trees, some of which are estimated tob e about 2000 years old!
About 6 km West of Rehoboth is the Oanob Dam, which offers fresh water to the town. The dam is an interesting stop-over en route to the Fish River Canyon and here you will find a number of hiking trails, water sports and birding opportunities, as well as the Reho Spa, with an outdoor and pre-heated indoor pool.
Another city you will pass on your way from Windhoek to the South is Mariental, the administrative and commercial capital of the Hardap region in Southern Namibia. Allthough Mariental seems like a dusty town at first sight (the original name was Zara-gaebia, which litteraly means ‘dusty’!) and there’s usually little rain in this area, the nearby Hardap Dam enables irrigation farming on a big scale. A large part of commercial activities around Mariental exists of growing crops like cotton, wheat, lucerne (alfalfa), maize, grapes, tomatoes and various vegetables.
Mariental is also the centre of Namibia’s Ostrich industry. These big birds are well equiped to survive in the dry climate of this area. Ostrich meat as well as feathers (used to make beautiful dusters) are exported internationally.
When you look around in Mariental it’s hard to imagine that this area was flooded in 2006! After a heavy rainfall the gates of the Hardap Dam were openened too late, which caused the town to flood, with all the imaginable consequences.
Mariental as a town may not have much to offer tourists, many visitors just pass through to fill up fuel, stretch their leggs and then quickly move on. The police in Mariental have made a lucrative business out of this phenomenon and regularly fine motorists who are speeding through town.
The towns location at the edge of the Kalahari however makes it a perfect basis for interesting excusions into the desert. In the surrounding area you will also find a number of fantastic accommodations and game farms that also offer interesting desert and other excursions.
Accommodations nearby Mariental
Kalahari Farmhouse – Kalahari Anib Lodge – Bagatelle Kalahari Lodge
At ca. 480 km south of Windhoek, Keetmanshoop is the administrative and economic capital of the Southern Province, Karas. With a surface of 161,000 km2 (about 1/5 of Namibia’s total surface) Karas is the biggest province of the country. It’s named after the Karas mountains south-east of Keetmanshoop.
Keetmanshoop is centrally located in the South and an ideal stopover from Windhoek on the way to Lüderitz, the Fish River Canyon, or even South Africa.
Like several other Namibian towns, Keetmanshoop was developed around a Rhenish Mission Society which was founded in 1860 to spread their faith among the local Nama. The town was named after the German trader Johann Keetman, who supported the Mission financially.
After the original Mission church was overflooded en destroyed bij the Aub River, a new church was built in 1895. The unique combination of Gothic architecture and Namibian Stone of this church made it into an architectural masterpiece and a popular tourist attraction. In 1978 it was declared a national monument. Nowadays the lutheran mission church holds the Keetmanshoop museum, which is open on weekdays between 08:00 and 12:20 and between 14:00 and 17:00h. Entry is free allthough a voluntary contribution is appreciated
Also of interest are the beautifully designed church gardens and the traditional ‘Nama matjieshuis’ (a house made of reed) on the church grounds.
Definitely worth a visit is the quiver tree forest not far from Keetmanshoop on the road to Koës. The quiver trees are actually one of the 4 Namibian aloës that are classified as trees. They can grow up to about 7 metres high.
Close to the forest is ‘Giants Playground’, the rock gardens that host a number of enormous rock formations, a remainder of eroded lava that’s said to be some 180 million years old.
Both the quiver tree forest as Giant’s Playground are about 13 km east of Keetmanshoop and located on private lands. The owners ask N$ 20 per person and per car as an entry fee.
From Keetmanshoop you can also visit the Mesosaurus Fossil Park and the Quiver Tree Dolorite Park, at ca. 38 km from Keetmanshoop. Here you will find fossils of the Mesosaurus (a water reptile) and a large number of quiver trees.
The port town of Lüderitz is a sleepy, colourful fishing town in Southern Namibia, which offers one of the best ports on Afrika’s least hospitable rock coast. The trade post Lüderitz was expanded to a fishing harbour and later also served for the supply of guano.
When in 1908 diamonds were discovered in Kolmanskop (about 12 km east of Lüderitz), the port town shared in the sudden prosperity of the area. In contrast to Kolmanskop, which soon turned into a ghost town after diamonds had been exhausted, Lüderitz survived the reversal.
In the Eberlanz Museum in Diaz Street, the history of the town and Diamond Rush are depicted. The current town hasnt changed much and still resembles the early 20th century town with colourful buildings from the art-déco period.
Because of it’s rocky harbour bottom and shallow depth, modern ships weren’t able to use the harbour. Therefore Lüderitz has seen a growing number of economic activities being taken over by Walvis Bay. In order to profit from the increasing prosperity and tourism, Lüderitz has restyled itself and the new waterfront now offers diverse shopping possibilities, office spaces and restaurants that offer fresh mussels, oysters and lobster at friendly prices.
Just South of the town is the so called ‘Sperrgebiet’, the restricted diamond area. It’s strictly off limits for visitors, except if you partake in an organised tour, in which you will drive through the dunes to the deserted mining town Pomona and visit the 55m high rock bow at Bogenfels. The tour should be booked in advance because all participants need police clearance in order to enter the area!
Other interesting excursions from Lüderitz are a Ghost Town tour to kolmanskop, or boat tour to Diaz Island. This is the place wher Bartolomeu Diaz placed an enormous cross on one of his early Afrika travels. The orginal cross is not there anymore, but it’s replaced with a replica. During the boat tour you can often see dolphins and seals as well.
Accommodations in Lüderitz:
Zur Waterkant Guesthouse – Lüderitz Nest Hotel - Seaview Hotel zum Sperrgebiet
