Visit Namibia and find out that: “Small things matter”

When visiting a country there seems to be a general tendency among tourists to visit the obvious attractions which have proven to be of interest and are visited time and again, because none of us want to waste their hard-earned money on a holiday, which does not make allowance for special memories.

Is it not curious though, that in the past people visited Namibia especially so that they can experience something, which nobody has done before, or at least few have? How often do we not hear that Namibia runs the risk of becoming a commercialized tourism destination competing with neighbours, who offer much the same?

I bet my bottom dollar that whoever says that, has done no more than enter Namibia through one of the main gates to our country, following the tarred road up through the South, approaching Windhoek, from where the next tar road leads to the coast or further up to the North, where the run-of-the-mill tourism attractions are visited over and again. Visiting a large country as Namibia and visiting the best known attractions is a safe bet by all means - nothing wrong with that.

BUT what would you say if I told you that the slogan for this year’s “Small Town of the Year” competition is “small things matter”? Make no mistake, they do matter! The person, who prefers to veer off the beaten track and want to visit Namibia with the goal of experiencing this country without having to visit big centres, where you seem to be crowded out similar to what you are used to at home, has every opportunity to take on the wild side.

While not all of the routes and destinations described in this article might be accessible with a small sedan, these are not necessarily exclusive four wheel drive trips. Let me introduce you to Namibia, by taking you past our small and often quaint towns, which give you a Namibia, most reader have never experienced. It is up to you as reader of this article to decide which way around you prefer to follow my proposed tour of Namibia, just as you might take a shortcut in between and skip a town or two, but fact is, that you have much to gain along the way. I will start my tour by entering Namibia by car from the South, having come up the West Coast of South Africa and entering Namibia from Alexander Bay.

The first breath of fresh Namibian air would thus be taken in at Oranjemund. Most people have no idea that you can enter that town and get to know the Namibian diamond industry’s main stay which prides itself of having a rich history. You might want to visit the “Jasper House Heritage Centre” and get to learn about how the pioneering miners of the past tamed this harsh environment. The town lies on the fringes of what is known since German colonial time as the Sperrgebiet; no-one except miners were allowed to stay here previously. And where in the world would you expect to run into a herd of Gemsbok resting in the middle of town?

But onwards we travel and now you might want to temporarily return to SA and drive along the southern banks of the mighty Orange River until you reach the ferry point crossing back into Namibia not far away from Rosh Pinah. You would then in fact enter the trans-border Richtersveld National Park stretching from the northern parts of Namaqualand into the southern reaches of Namibia. Alternatively you may have obtained your police clearance, which would entitle you to drive along the northern banks of the Orange River and be witness to some of the most beautiful sights along your way towards Rosh Pinah.

Believe it or not, our next small town is Karibib, and we will take on these roughly 850 kilometres by first approaching the little settlement of Aus. From where we take the gravel roads to Helmeringhausen and onwards to Schloss Duwisib, this well preserved castle, which is now a tourist attraction smack in the middle of the southern expanse. On we drive towards Sesriem Canyon and the world-renowned dunes at Sossus-Vlei. Having made use of a multitude of tourism offers (including hot air ballooning in the desert) we proceed to Solitaire, where we join the Maltahöhe road to Walvis Bay (C14) and experience the Kuiseb River and its Canyon, just to turn right onto the Us Pass road (D1998) and following the D 1982 we cross over to the Bosua Pass road (D1980). We might even drive up the close-by pass just enjoy that marvellous view and return back to the turnoff point, which leads you up the C32 towards the area of Otjimbingwe, along the way enjoying the unique sights of nature as you cross the Swakop River and move on towards Karibib. The immediate area of Karibib is teeming with guest farms, lodges and historic sites. You might even consider visiting the Navachab Gold Mine or visit the Roesemannhaus (erected in 1900).

From Karibib we move on towards Omaruru, which itself is a quaint old town with the Dinosaur Footprints (in Otjihenamaparero) and Erindi Private Game Reserve lying further outwards but nevertheless worth a visit, each in their own right. Closer to Omaruru you find the Omaruru Game Lodge or you might consider the Omaruru Winery and enjoy their hospitality. Having visited the historic Franke Tower and other worthwhile tourist attractions, including hiking and biking trails, you might want to take the back road towards Usakos, by first visiting the Tsaobis Leopard Nature Park or the guest farm Ameib, where you can visit the Bulls Party, Namibia’s own “giant’s playground” which to a child seems as though some giant has inadvertently dropped a number of huge marbles.

Because you take the district’s back roads (D2315 and on to the D2306 and D1935) you will also pass though some unique Erongo sites and lodges to enter Usakos from the North. Apart from the normal sight-seeing attractions, you can again choose among various hiking and biking trails or visit the Philips Cave, Mount Erongo or the Spitzkuppe Nature Reserve (affectionately known as the “Matterhorn” of Namibia). But you might even follow the Khan River’s banks towards the South-West and visit some inordinately nice sites closer to where the Khan joins the Swakop River.

Your next destination is none other than Arandis, a town borne from some of the biggest uranium mining activities in the world. You might even consider visiting either the older Rössing Uranium Mine or the second-largest mining operation of this kind in the world, the Husab Uranium Mine. Just remember that Arandis does not lie that far from the Rössing Hill, where you can catch the sun early in the morning as it rises in the east and witness the weather conflict between the desert heat and the Atlantic fog covering Swakopmund and much of the Swakop River Valley. You might visit the Flying Fox Cable Slide at the mountain or visit the Goanikontes or the Moon Landscape close to the Swakop River.

Up to now you have not once been to any of the usual attraction and the next small town on the travel plan is obviously Henties Bay, which reminds the visitor of the Swakopmund of the past. Fishing is without doubt the main attraction, but so is a visit to Cape Cross (about 60 km northwards along the coast), where you can visit proof of the very first Europeans having gone to shore in Namibia. The Portuguese navigator and explorer Diego Cão went to shore at this point and erected a cross in January 1486. It is here where you find one of the biggest seal colonies of the world too.

From “Henties” we move inland again, this time along the C35 towards Uis, that old tin mining town nestled in the shadow of Namibia’s highest mountain, the Brandberg Mountain, which does not only boast with the world-renowned rock painting called the “White Lady”, but also offers exceptional natural wonders and game along the way towards our actual destination, being Khorixas. Khorixas has some of the best tourist attractions, with the Doros Crater, the Twyfelfontein rock paintings, the Petrified Forest and the Vingerklip having to principally count as some of the most worthwhile tourist destinations in Namibia. The traditional village of the Damara people is an additional local flavour, just reminding us of the fact that “local is lekker!”

It is from here onwards that we plan an excursion to places hardly ever visited, which makes them unique tourist secrets. Leaving Khorixas, we move northwards along the gravel road leading up to Kamanjab, where we join the tar road to Opuwo. Along the way to Opuwo you should seriously consider staying overnight at the Hobatere concession. Opuwo is home of the Ovahimba tribe, which belongs to the Herero population of Namibia. Opuwo itself offers you an insight into Kaokoland, which is home to these people, who have to a large extent stuck to their traditions and this can be witnessed throughout as you might consider excursions to Etanga or Kaoko-Otavi or even the planes around Purros (you would want to rely on a four-wheel-drive vehicle here though). If you are suitably equipped you could consider taking the route via Etanga to Okongwati as you approach the Kunene River, which forms the natural northern border to Angola. Once you have reached Okongwati, you might as well carry on to the river and camp at one of the lodges at Epupa Falls. Having a Sundowner drink at the Epupa Camp at the very site where the Epupa Falls thunder, is a memory hardly forgotten by any person.

But now that you think you know waterfalls, we travel along the Kunene River right up to Ruacana, which is possible with a sturdy car, just as much as you can drive from Opuwo to the River along a typical farm-style road. If you are lucky, the Kunene River roars down the Ruacana Falls as it currently does. A sight never to be forgotten! Ruacana is situated in the transition area between Kaokoland and Ovamboland and it here where you find a bigger concentration of the OvaZemba, a people who are very similar to the Ovahimba, but do not paint their bodies in the red clay, which is so typical of the Ovahimba.

Why would I now take the visitor to the next destination being Okahao, Oshikuku, Oniipa, Eenhana, and Omuthiya? The answer is not only because these are candidates of the “Small Town of the Year” competition, but simply because Ovamboland and its wide open spaces interspersed with a myriad of Oshana (little rivulets), small dams and watering holes, while the horizon is broken by the unique sight of Mopani Trees and Makalani Palms, is a sight to behold! Ruacana, Okahao and Oshikuku are all situated in the Omusati-Region, which boasts with one of the biggest green scheme faming successes in Namibia, Etunda Farming, which is able to successfully grow crops of a wide variety. It is in this region where the huge Olushandja Dam is found (approximately 100 km from Ruacana), which with its capacity of 43 million qm³ roughly has the size of the Omatako Dam and is about 10% smaller than Von Bach Dam, both of which form part of the water supply for the Namibian capital, Windhoek.

In terms of the traditional understanding of tourism, this area is starting its development at this stage, but if you love the feeling of being out in the country, with kraals and domesticated animals giving you that traditional feel of Africa, these are the places to go. All over these places you find accommodation and traditional villages and sights to see. A visit to Oshikuku, Oniipa, Eenhana or Omuthiya and the required chat to the local population allows the visitor an insight into the microcosm, which is so easily and wrongly encompassed as being one, by the singular expression of the Ovambo-tribe. The Ondonga are found towards the South, the Ukwambi are found in the central area as are the Ongandjera, whereas the Ukwaluudhi and Ukolonkadhiare are settled towards the West, the Ovaunda in the far West and the Okwanyama in the North and East of Ovamboland. In Ovamboland you can quite easily leave your car in one of the centres and join a sightseeing tour.

Once you have leisurely reached either Omuthiya or Eenhana, you reach a point where you can make the choice and enter the world-renowned Etosha National Park via the Nehale iya Mpingana gate (just south of Omuthiya) or you take the route along the northern Namibian border to Nkurenkuru. This town lies in Kavangoland, which is the eastern frontier of Namibia. Nkurenkuru offers Kavango-style what Ovamboland does, except that this part of the country is blessed with more water and therefore more lush. A mere 3 km North of Nkurenkuru the Okavango River starts forming the natural boundary of Namibia with Angola in the North-East. This place is a natural wonder in itself with many lodges offering nature drives and visits to nearby tourism attractions, quite apart from the cultural villages, which are found here too. From here you may turn South again towards our next destination, Otavi. Along the way you will pass many a beautiful site as you drive towards Grootfontein and you have to visit the huge Hoba Meteorite near Grootfontein on your way to Otavi.

Once in Otavi, you will be surprised at what awaits you here: Fishing close by guest farms, the stalactites of Gaub Cave (of Ghaub Farm) and hiking and biking trails in the surrounding Otavi Mountains, quite apart from the quaint lodges, such as “Zum Potjie” or a rewarding visit to the Thonningii Wine-Cellar, where you can taste rare Namibian wines.

Those who preferred to turn South before and first visit the game reserve will face another choice in Etosha. Either drive down to Otavi and in doing so, pass such sites as the inordinately deep Oshikoto Lake near Tsumeb. Or take the route via the park’s Okaukuejo Camp and exit the park towards Outjo in the central area. Outjo offers a very different flair to most towns in Namibia, as it is certainly aiming to please the visitor with its clean environment and tourist centres, which welcome the visitor. The “Franke Haus Museum” offers unique insights into the area’s history reaching right into the Angolan history of the “Trekboers”. There are other sites such as the Impalila Monument and the Windmill Tower, but then there are obvious close-by attractions such as guest farms, lodges and the Vingerklip (if you missed it on your way up when you passed Khorixas).

After Otavi or Outjo we start our home stretch by passing through Otjiwarongo and again leaving the main road for a stop at Okakarara, where this time you get to know the Herero culture of the inland. Closer to Okakarara you may enjoy some of the finest guest farms or you might prefer to stay at the Waterberg Resort of Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR). Okakarara has enjoyed buoyance over the past few years and also boasts with a traditional village and heritage sites.

From Okakarara you may choose any route via Hochfeld, Summerdown or even far-flung Otjinene in order to reach Witvlei or Gobabis and from there proceed to our second-last small town of the year: Aranos. If you think Aranos, you need to envisage hunting and biltong, game watching and pleasant relaxation in the Namibian sun while visiting a typical Boeregemeenskap, i.e. eat typical Afrikaans cuisine and really get to understand the meaning of local is lekker and get a new idea why small things matter!

What makes the next part special can only depend on your choice of road down to our final destination before leaving Namibia. When driving down to Karasburg, choose the furthest eastern-lying roads and experience the huge Kalahari dunes - going up and going down - for miles on end. The red sand will always impress the visitor and whether it is lush green in summer or the yellow grass of winter, the imagery is second to none! Enter the harsh /Karas-Region and when you come closer to the town of Karasburg, enjoy the last offering of Namibian hospitality from the typical guest farm and lodge environment. As a last good bye visit the Karasburg Museum and finally leave Namibia through the border point at Ariamsvlei.

What a journey with memories which will always be deeply entrenches into your psyche because local is lekker!