According to ALLPUBLICLIBRARIES, the capital of Namibia – Windhoek – is located in the central part of the country at an altitude of 1650 m. Windhoek was founded in 1840 and is now a modern city, where numerous buildings of the colonial era and modern buildings side by side.
In the city center you can see three castles, which were built at the beginning of the 20th century and are now a great example of German architecture. These are Heinzburg, Sanderburg and Schwerinsburg. To the north is the white-stone Old Fort “Alte Feste” – one of the oldest buildings in the city. It was built in 1890. Now it houses a branch of the National Museum of Namibia which tells about the history and culture of the country. The Old Fort is surrounded by Botanical Gardens. In the vicinity are the ancient building “Tintenpalas” where the Parliament of Namibia sits, the building of the Supreme Court, the Government Palace, the National Theater, the neo-Gothic Christukirche church with a high spire and the National Art Gallery with an extensive collection of African art. In addition, in Windhoek it is worth walking along the pedestrian Post Street Mall, where there are many shops and souvenir shops, visit the Namibia Crafts Center in the Katatura and Zoo area.
The capital is surrounded by bushy savannas, which are called the bushveld, and a variety of parks and private farms, where safaris are offered to tourists. West of Windhoek, on the slopes of the Homas Hochland Mountains, Dan Vilhun Park is located. an area of about 4000 hectares. Despite its small territory, the park is very popular among tourists. Firstly, it is located not far from the capital, and, secondly, a wide variety of animals live here. The park has hiking trails (tourists can travel on them safely, as there are no predators) and a 6.4 km safari road. There is also an artificial lake in the park, around which there are bungalows and picnic areas. The lake is home to dozens of bird species. In the park, you can see animals such as kudu, wildebeest, eland, gemsbok and impala, the rare Hartman mountain zebra and giraffes. Also, tourists are attracted to these places by the clearest sky, which is considered the third cleanest in the world. Many hotels This region has telescopes with which you can see all the variety of the starry sky. For stargazing, Hacoms Farm is the most popular with a variety of telescopes from truly huge professional ones to small amateur ones.
About 70 km north of Windhoek is the city of Okahandya, where the grave of Samuel Maharero, the leader of the Herero people, who first rebelled against the colonists at the beginning of the 20th century, is located. The city is also known for its souvenir markets. 3.5 km south of Okahandya, near the dam built in 1970 on the Swakop River, there is a small Won-Bach park.. The reservoir, formed after the construction of the dam, is a great place for fishing (carp, perch and barbel are found here) and water sports: water skiing, windsurfing, yachting and boating. A small reserve has also been created here, where various species of antelopes, Hartman’s mountain zebra, monkeys and ostriches live. 10 km southwest of Okahandya, it is worth visiting the Gross-Barmen thermal resort, which operates on the basis of local hot springs with water temperatures up to +65 degrees. The waters of these springs help in the treatment of rheumatism. The resort features outdoor and indoor pools, as well as campsites and bungalows.
If you go on the highway further north from Okahandya, you can get to the city of Otjiwarongo , which is the starting point for traveling through the northern part of Namibia.
90 km south of Windhoek is another thermal resort Rehoboth with a spa. The city of Rehoboth was founded in 1844. Since then, and to this day, “Basters” (descendants of the representatives of the Nama people and the first colonists) live here. In the city, the Rehoboth Museum is interesting, which tells about the history of the settlement of this region.
120 km southeast of Windhoek, it is worth visiting the longest cave in Namibia – Arnhem Cave. Its length is 4.5 km. It is dry inside the cave, so there are no stalactites and stalagmites here, but there are small lakes and deposits of bat droppings, which is widely used in local agriculture. This is the only cave in Namibia equipped for organized tourism. It is also possible to travel southwest from Windhoek on the Gamsberg Highway, which links the central region with the Namib Desert.
