Much to do and see in the 067-valley this holiday

Museums, national parks, lakes, meteorites, camping, swimming and wildlife – you will be surprised at everything that can keep you busy in the 067-valley, even if you cannot go on holiday elsewhere.

Lakes

Lake Guinas is a permanent natural lake which is located on the D3031 gravel road between Otavi and Tsumeb. The lake was formed many years ago after a Karst cave collapsed and filled up with water.

Guinas offers wonderful scenery with Aloe Vera plants growing around it on cliffs that stretch down vertically to form the round shape of the lake.

Tilapia guinasana (also referred to as “Otjikoto Tilapia” is a critically endangered species of cichlid fish that is naturally only found in Lake Guinas. There is no entrance fee to enter the lake. Cars can be parked at the top of the lake. The lake is situated on private farmland but can be visited with the permission of the owner.

Closeby is also Lake Otjikoto - when travelling on the B1 from Tsumeb towards the Etosha National Park, a few kilometers outside Tsumeb.

Otjikoto means deep hole. The lake still bears a large quantity of arms and ammunition, left by the German troops before capitulating to the South African superiority in 1915. As the lake is open to diving clubs some of the weapons have been recovered and after careful restoration can be seen at the Tsumeb Museum. Entrance fees is payable when visiting lake Otjikoto.

Crocodile farm

Otjiwarongo is well known for its crocodile farm, where you can have a look at crocodiles and even eat some crocodile meat, if you wish. Every Saturday during the summer months, from September to May at 11:00 AM sharp, the breeding herd is fed.

From mid-December until the end of January the crocodile eggs hatch, and if you’re lucky, you might be around to witness this extraordinary occurrence. A entrance fee is payable to look at the crocodile, while you can also have a seat at their restaurant for some wine and dine.

Waterberg

Waterberg Plateau Park is a national park in central Namibia on the Waterberg Plateau, 68 kilometres south-east of Otjiwarongo. It was declared a national monument in 1965 and a nature reserve in 1972.

The Waterberg Plateau Park is ecologically diverse and rich and has over 200 different species of bird with some rare species of small antelope on the lower hills of the mountain. Geologically, the oldest rock stratum is over 850 million years old and dinosaur tracks were left there some 200 million years ago.

The plateau was declared a National Monument in 1956 and is also the home to several San rock paintings and engravings.

Etosha

Altough it needs no introduction to locals, as we know there is abundant wildlife that congregates around the waterholes, giving you almost guaranteed game sightings.

What you might not know is that Etosha National Park is unique in Africa in that its salt pan is so large it can be seen from space. It is believed that it was formed over 100 million years ago and is 130 km’s long and up to 50 km’s wide in certain places.

The Etosha Pan and the area that would later come to be known as Etosha National Park was first discovered by Europeans in 1851, when explorers Charles Andersson and Francis Galton came to the wild region in the company of Ovambo traders. Etosha can be loosely translated as “Great White Place” in the Ovambo language.

In 1896 German troops sent by the German Reich occupied the Namutoni region and built a fort in 1899.

Thanks to brave conservation efforts, many of the park’s most precious and revered of beasts have had their numbers greatly replenished in recent years, and today Etosha is once again one of the best places in the world to view Africa’s unique wildlife

Hoba

Just over 20km west of Grootfontein, travellers come across the world’s largest single meteorite, the 200- to 400-million-year-old Hoba meteorite, which landed on the Hoba West Farm about 80 000 years ago.

The meteorite was discovered by the farmer Jacobus Hermanus Brits while ploughing. A report by Brits of his discovery was published in 1920 and can also be found at the Grootfontein Museum, Namibia.

The Namibian Government declared the Hoba Meteorite site a national monument in 1955 and the farmer donated the land to the National Monuments Council in 1987.The onsite gift shop sells curios to commemorate your visit and the entry fee is payable.

Museums

Altough not a museum, but worth the visit is the curio shop Namibia (SWA) Gemstones in Outjo, which is especially renowned for its wide selection of gemstones and minerals, (specialising in Tsumeb minerals).

Apart from that, Tsumeb and Grootfontein has some well-maintained museums to visit, with the Tsumeb’s latest Mineralogic & Mining Museum at the Old Ongopolo Mine Complex, which is worth your while. You can also visit the Museum of Namibian Fashion in Otjiwarongo.