Tsumeb and Etosha National Park Car Hire
Tsumeb is the closest town to Etosha National Park, and as such acts as a tourist hub for people passing through. And although scaled down considerably from its operational height, it is essentially still a mining town – vast quantities of copper, lead and some exquisite crystals and gemstones have been found here. Above ground, colorful jacarandas, bougainvillea and flamboyant trees line the streets earning Tsumeb the distinction of being Namibia's garden town. Situated on one of these streets, the Tsumeb Arts and Crafts Center promotes traditional arts and crafts, selling woodcarvings, clay pots, baskets as well as trinkets and jewelry. There are banks, supermarkets and hotels in town – and the Tsumeb Museum offers a history lesson on the area, including an impressive collection of armaments dumped into Lake Otjikoto by retreating German forces in 1915.
Tsumeb is a city and the largest town in Oshikoto region in northern Namibia. Tsumeb is the home of the world-famous Tsumeb mine, and the "gateway to the north" of Namibia. It is the closest town to the Etosha National Park and has a population of 14,113 inhabitants. Tsumeb used to be the regional capital of Oshikoto until 2008 when Omuthiya was proclaimed a town and the new capital. The town area of Tsumeb forms its own electoral constituency.
The name Tsumeb is generally pronounced "SOO-meb". The name is not a derivative of German, Afrikaans, or English. It has been suggested that it comes from Nama and means either "Place of the moss" or "Place of the frog". Perhaps this old name had something to do with the huge natural hill of green, oxidized copper ore that existed there before it was destroyed by mining.
The town was founded in 1905 by the German colonial power and celebrated its 100th year of existence in 2005. Tsumeb is notable for the huge mineralized pipe that led to its foundation. The origin of the pipe has been hotly debated. The pipe was mined in prehistoric times but those ancient workers barely scratched the surface. Most of the ore was removed in the 20th century by cut-and-fill methods. The ore was poly metallic and from it copper, lead, silver, gold, arsenic and germanium were won. There was also a fair amount of zinc present but the recovery of this metal was always difficult for technical reasons. The pipe was famous for its richness. Many millions of tons of ore of spectacular grade were removed.
Etosha National Park
Today's Etosha National Park was claimed as Namibia's first conservation area in 1907. One of Africa's best game reserves, its eastern territory is dominated by a vast, shallow pan of silvery sand while the rest of the park is covered with sparse shrubs, grassy plains and hilly mopane woodlands – a total of 22,000 sq. km. During Etosha's the dry season, tens of thousands of animals converge to drink at the water holes – elephant, giraffe, rhino and lion, possibly leopard, cheetah and much more. Luckily, the Etosha park was designed to make viewing such game easy. Good roads, signposts and plenty of lookouts make Etosha National Park perfect for self-drive tours, and the three rest camps of Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni offer many choices when it comes to lodging. You'll also find restaurants, stores, car hire and other services in the vicinity.
Seeing vast herds of game from your car rental against this backdrop, referred to in the local vernacular as 'the great white place of dry water' makes the Etosha game viewing experience truly unique. It's a must see.
Tourism Services 1551 Omeg Allee Tsumeb Namibia
Delivery / Collection: Yes
Open on Public Holidays: Yes
Operating Hours
Monday 08h00 - 17h00
Tuesday 08h00 - 17h00
Wednesday 08h00 - 17h00
Thursday 08h00 - 17h00
Friday 08h00 - 17h00
Saturday 08h00 - 17h00
Sunday Closed
Public Holidays
01 January, 21 March, 01 May, 03 May, 25 May, 26 August, 10 December, 25 December, 26 December |
