Windhoek Off The Beaten Path

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Namibia is a relatively young country, and much of its modern history is only around 100 years old, when it was a German colony.

The National Museum of Namibia is quite small and is located in the former German colonial fort, the “Alte Feste”. The displays cover off the struggle for independence, some colonial artefacts, a little bit of ethnographics, including a section on rock carvings and paintings. It won’t take very long to go through the museum, but it is worth a visit, if you are in the area. Admission is free.

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Daan Viljoen Park is perhaps 25 km east of Windhoek. It is the closest wildlife viewing area to the capital. We went out there to get over our jetlag and practice photographing the wildlife.

None of the animals at the site are considered "dangerous".

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Windhoek has an area of close proximity to the center which has a number of streets dedicated to colossuses of classical musical tradition. The frame has appropriately been outlined by Bach and Beethoven and the rest of the grid has been filled with the likes of Mozart, Haydn, Verdi, Chopin, Shubert etc. Such a passion for classical music and moreover embodied on a grand scale would be unique in the world and even more so in Africa. By comparison, my birth place, Sofia, used to have only one, named after Mussorgsky.

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If you want a good campsite at Sossusvlei (Sesriem campsite) you need to book in Windhoek and/or ahead of time. Otherwise you only get cancelations or sleep in your car.

Namibia Wildlife Resorts
PO Box: P/Bag 13378,
Office: Independence Ave., Windhoek, Namibia

Also offices in Swapomund, Namibia and Cape Town, South Africa

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This is a great place to have a famly picnic or to go hiking. Friends and I go hiking around the dam. Some people actually go fishing in the dam.
It's not for swimming though.

There are no entrance fees.

This is a little "restaurant" in the heart of Katutura. Katutura is a black neighborhood and quite "rural".
This quaint hangout is popular with the locals and the tourist who've been "dragged" there enjoyed it. It's a sort of shebeen/restaurant combo that has been made popular by the owner's goat head recipe. People in Namibia eat goat and they eat ALL of the goat :)

So at this restaurant you'll eat goat feet, goat head, tripe (the belly of the goat, known locally as omatangara).

What separates Namibia from everywhere else is the land itself. It literally vibrates with an energy that rises from somewhere deep in the bowls of the earth. Sometimes this energy is so strong that the earth gods spit out glistening treasures - sparkling crystals that can be left lying in the ever present sun or marvelled at by grateful human beans.
While youýre there spend some time getting in contact with this energy. Itýs special.

The backpacking industry is not huge so you'll probably end up camping fairly often. You pay per site and as prices aren't cheap, it makes sense to travel in small groups.