Situated in Namibia's central highlands, Windhoek, the capital, is an attractive city surrounded by clusters of hills and the impressive Auas and Eros Mountains. The height above sea level of 1650 m is only slightly less than that of Johannesburg or Denver. The climate is typical of a semi-desert country, with hot days and cool nights.
Tree-lined Independence Avenue with its fountains and walkways provides a pleasant ambience of tranquillity and leisure to the heart of the city, with its continental-style sidewalk cafes and beer gardens. Old buildings which lend a singular charm to the city include the historic seat of government which is known as the Tintenpalast, meaning 'Palace of Ink', and the Christuskirche with its graceful spire which provides the city with a striking landmark. The white-walled Alte Feste which was once a fort and now a museum, reflects the history of the country. Three German-style castles, designed by Willi Stander in the early 1900's, add a romantic touch to the city.
Windhoek is an ideal centre from which to explore the surrounding countryside. The city is also the starting point for tours by car, motorcoach or fly-drive to every part of the country.
There are three easily accessible resorts in the area. The Daan Viljoen Game Park lies about 24 km west of Windhoek and is set in the rolling hills of the Khomas Hochland. Various species of antelope as well as zebra, baboons and ostriches can be seen. The bird life is prolific with about 200 species represented. There are two hiking trails, one of 1,5 km and a semi-circular route of 9 km. The Reho Spa Recreation Resort on the outskirts of Rehoboth is 90 km south of Windhoek on the main tarred road, and offers a thermal bath, outdoor swimming pool and cafeteria. A museum in the town highlights the interesting history of the people of Rehoboth. The Von Bach Dam and Recreation Resort just south of the town of Okahandja is ideal for aquatic sports and angling for carp, bream and black bass. Okahandja, 72 km north of Windhoek has a deep historical significance for the Herero people. Every year, usually on the last Sunday in August, they gather together for their annual pilgrimage to the graves of their ancestors buried in the town. On the outskirts of the town there is a large open-air arts and crafts market. The Gross Barmen Hot Springs Resort about 100 km north of Windhoek in its setting of tall palm trees with its large indoor thermal bath and open-air swimming pool has a restful atmosphere.
The town of Otjimbingwe lies in the picturesque environs of the Khomas Hochland. An 8 m high "Powder Tower" was built there by the Rhenish Mission in 1872 for purposes of defence.
The small town of Karibib on the main route between Windhoek and Swakopmund is known for its marble quarries and wide selection of gemstones. A feeling of antiquity is generated by ancient rock paintings and engravings in the central region. The Erongo Mountains north of Usakos contain many fine specimen of rock paintings, the most well known being the White Elephant in the Phillips Cave on the guest farm Ameib Ranch.
Rising abruptly from the arid Namib plain is the Spitzkoppe, popularly known as the 'Matterhorn of Namibia'. It is the home of a number of rock paintings, and its volcanic mountain peaks, which reach a height of 1829 m, are a challenge to mountaineers.
The Gamsberg Pass road is an attractive alternative to the main tarred road to the coast which goes via Okahandja. It is the longest and highest (2542 m above sea level) mountain pass in Namibia. The gradual descent from the escarpment into the desert proper offers a slowly unfolding panorama of changing landscapes, finally reaching the northern section of the Namib-Naukluft Park.
From Omaruru, a pretty town east of the spectacular Erongo Mountains, the road to the north passes through Kalkfeld. Dinosaur footprints, a cluster of small, shallow depressions in the rock face, can be seen on the farm Otjihaenamaparero which is 29 km from the town. Judged to be between 150 and 185 million years old, the footprints have been declared a national monument.
About 86 km east of Otjiwarongo is the Waterberg Plateau Park, Namibia's only mountain resort, this vast wilderness with its distinctive red sandstone cliffs, is home to rare and endangered species of game. The Okarakuvisa cliffs on the top of the Waterberg plateau accommodate the only breeding colony of Cape vultures in the country. The park has effective game-viewing facilities and a variety of hiking trails, and is one of Namibia's major conservation areas.
North-west of Otjiwarongo is the town of Outjo, in its setting of woodland savanna. Travelling westwards en route to Khorixas (the administrative capital of Damaraland), and 95 km west of Outjo, is the geological oddity known as the Vingerklip. This 35 m high relic of prehistoric erosion was situated on the farm Bertram. It recently toppled and fell over.
Damaraland with the rugged beauty of its landscape is a region of rolling plains and distant mountain ranges. Unusual geological features, a wealth of rock paintings and engravings, and populations of desert-adapted elephant and black rhino combine to form the unique attraction of Damaraland.
Of interest in this region is the Petrified Forest which is situated beyond Khorixas. Here some antediluvian flood deposited giant treetrunks, some up to 30 m long. The age of these fossils trunks is estimated to be 200 million years. A short drive south-west of the Petrified Forest is Twyfelfontein which is unequalled for its abundance of rock engravings set in a U-shaped valley of unusual reddish sandstone formation and terraces. South-west of Twyfelfontein is the Doros Crater, a site of interesting fossil remains. South of Twyfelfontein is the desolate landscape of the Burnt Mountain, its shale and basalt vividly coloured as if burnt in an inferno. Other geological curiosities nearby are the perpendicular slabs of basalt known as the Organ Pipes.
The Brandberg, a majestic mountain range, looms mysteriously from the flat semi-desert, and dominates the landscape of this region. Its highest principal peak, the Konigstein (2573 m) is the highest peak in the country. Many prehistoric rock paintings have been found in the caves and ravines of this mountain massif, but none more famous than the "White Lady " of the Brandberg. This enigmatic figure appears on a wall of paintings in Maack's Cave, in the Tsisab Gorge, which was named for the surveyor who discovered it in 1917. The lovely " lady " remained in obscurity until 1948, when the Abbe Henri Breuil, a French archeologist and cleric, copied and descibed it. In order to reach this particular cave there is a walk along the main ravine which takes about one hour.
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