Garub and The Desert Horses

Mankind has always loved and admired horses and been intrigued by the mystic of the desert. The combination is undeniably tantalizing, stimulating curiosity and inspiring the imagination .

For almost a 100 years the renowned desert horses of the Namib have been roaming free between Lüderitz and Aus, centering around Garub, a water point that lies about 100 kilometers east of Lüderitz and is maintained by the nature conservation authorities. In times if extended drought, supplementary feed has been put our at Garub to save them from starvation. It is here that the desert horses can be observed and photographed as they come to drink.

Thei origin of the horses remains a mystery fueled by speculation and myth. One theory is that a ship carrying thoroughbred horses from Europe to Australia ran aground near the mouth of the Orange River, and that the strongest animals reached the shore and found their way to the Garub plain. Another is that the horses are direct descendants of 15000 military mounts brought from Germany in 1904 to the then German South West Africa. Yet another is that they are descended from some 6000 horses belonging to South African soldiers who camped at the borehole at Garub in 1915. There are also speculation about the so-called Kubub stud bred at the Kubub Station under management of Lüderitz mayor Emil Kreplin, who supplied workhorses for racing and mining purposes. It is thought that the Kubub horses added to the evolvement of the desert horses of the Garub plains.

The most popular, romantic and oft-quoted theory theory is that they are descendants of the the horse stud belonging to the eccentric German nobleman, Baron Hansheinrich von Wolf, who buit a European-style castle among rolling red hills 72 kilometers south-west of Maltahöhe for his American bride, Jayta. The story goes that when Von Wolf was killed in action in 1916, the Baroness, crazed with grief, released the 300 horses into the desert. They are believed to have roamed the veld around Duwisib Castle until 1950, when some wondered 150km south west to the waterhole at Garub and became the ancestors of the herd that exists today.

International and local equine experts attribute the survival of the horses in the harsh, alien environment to unique adaptations in their physiology and behavior patterns. 

Hopefully these extraordinarily resilient animals would be around for many years to come to grace the beautiful stretch of landscape between Lüderitz and Aus.  

Christmas is Namibia

Christmas is a tradition celebrated across the world. Not all traditions are the same and not all countries celebrate it on the 25th of  December.Some countries don’t even celebrate it at all. In Japan, Akihoto is an emperor who celebrates his birthday on 23 December. His birthday is a National Holiday but not 25 December. In Georgia, Christmas is celebrated on the 7th of January, which is 25 December on the Julian Calendar. Everywhere in the world, Christmas means something else to each and everyone. To you it may mean getting together with your family around a big table with laughter and delicious food, but to the man with no shoes, begging on the street corner, it’s just another day with no hope for tomorrow. To a child it’s the excitement of the new toys he can play with, but to a mother who lost her child earlier this year, it’s just a day of pain. I’m not trying to evoke an emotion of pity, this is just reality. It’s the time of year we all get overly emotional. Are you planning to spend Christmas in Namibia and want to know how its done? You are welcome to use some of the tips and ideas for your celebrations.

The celebrations 

German Christmas celebrations are held on the 24th of December. The Christmas meal is one of the most important parts of the celebration. It is prepared with the utmost care and effort. The presentation of the table is an elegant affair and family and friends are invited to join this special meal. A variety of Christmas cookies which are known as Weihnachtsplätzchen are made especially for the day, like : Lebkuchen – traditional German gingerbread, Bethmännchen – traditional marzipan cookie, and Dominosteine – Gingerbread with marzipan & chocolate.

The Oshiwambo Christmas is also a feast. They believe Christmas is about sharing. You can go from house to house and drink traditionally made drinks. Big celebratory braais (barbeques) are held and everyone is invited. Families drive 100s of kilometers to get together for this very special day.

The Caprivian Christmas has one very important factor. Church. Christmas day is started off with a church service. On this day you wear the most expensive dress or suit that you own and it is usually not your everyday attire. It is a garment that stays in your cupboard for special occasions. Most people in these areas do not earn a lot of money so these outfits they have, are extra special. Months of savings money have been used to afford it. Every family prepares a traditional meal for a sit-down dinner.

The Herero traditional Christmas is focused very much on the young ones. The children have to practice a play before Christmas, and on the day, perform this play for the adults. A feast of delicious cuisine and singing follows.

Crazy Specials offered by Namibia Reservations

Namibia lies in the South West of Africa, just above South Africa and below Angola. To the east is Botswana and to the west is the Atlantic Ocean. Namibia is a sparsely populated country full of wide-open spaces including the spectacular Namib Desert and the bleak Skeleton Coast. Namibia is also rich in Wildlife and has the magnificent Etosha National Park - one of Africa's best game reserves.

We are currently having a special for all over nights done before 30.04.2015 at the following accommodation establishments !!!!!!

Swakopmund Hotel

Damara Mopane lodge

Sossus Dune Lodge

Nest Hotel

Twyfelfontein Lodge

C'est Ci Bon Hotel

Frans Indongo Lodge 

For more information and for more current special offers, please contact us via email at info@namibiareservations.com
Visit our website at www.namibiareservations.com

Spooky Skeleton Coast National Park of Namibia

The Skeleton Coast starts at the mouth of the Ugab Rivier, some 200 kilometres north of Swakopmund. Since 1973, it is protected as the Skeleton Coast National Park, stretching 500 km up to the Kunene River at the Angolan border. With an area of 16,000 square kilometres it is the third-largest National Park of Namibia. The southern part - up to Terrace Bay - can only be accessed with a permit and for the northern part one needs to book a private safari company.

!!!! Skeleton Coast is the Graveyard of Ships or any thing that dares to come close !!!!

 Dense fogs, mighty storms and violent surf in the past caused many ships to run aground along the Skeleton Coast, and the desolate coastline has become known as the world's biggest ship graveyard. Those who were shipwrecked and managed to swim through the roaring surf and reach the coast, still didn't stand a chance of survival because waterless, hostile, 300km wide coastal desert awaited them.

The landscape includes sand dunes, canyons and mountain ranges all of which are synonymous with Namibia. The climatic conditions are not necessarily what you would expect in a desert country like Namibia - dense fog and cold sea breezes – and this is caused by the cold Benguela Current which flows offshore, meeting with the extreme heat of the Namib Desert.

Discover Namibia's past

Early in the 20th Century Namibia was a German Colony. After the 1st World War it became a League of Nations administered territory. Following the 2nd World War, South Africa administered Namibia, until independence in 1990.

 Precolonial History of Namibia

Namibia has passed through several distinct stages over the years. If history is a subject you enjoy, you'll definitely enjoy discovering more about this country's past. At first glance the history of Namibia is relatively recent, however this is partly due to the fact that the pre-colonial history was never written down, but there is plenty archaeological evidence that shows that people inhabited Namibia at least 25,000 years ago. Namibia is a diverse country of hunter gatherers, traditional pastoralists, subsistence and commercial farmers, traders, miners and fisherman belonging to a variety of language and cultural groups.
 

Namibia History: The Scramble for Africa

Arguably the oldest inhabitants of the region are the Bushmen or San People, evident from the rock paintings and engravings at places in Damaraland like Twyfelfontein and the Brandberg. Today an estimated 35,000 Bushmen live in Namibia, with only a few of them continuing their historical and traditional ways of life. The Bushman share some linguistic features (such as the clicks) with the Damara and Nama peoples who established themselves in the area after them. Herero and Himba are the other distinctive cultures. The Herero can be see in flamboyant Victorian-style dresses and the semi-nomadic Himba are famous for covering themselves with otjize, a mixture of butter fat and ochre, which gives their skins a reddish tinge. The Owambo live in and around the northern parts of the country where farming is good and they can fish in the shallow waterways.

Namibia owes much of history to the Europeans

The first European to travel to namibia was the Portuguese Diogo Cao in 1485, who stopped briefly at the Skeleton Coast and raised a limestone cross there, on his exploratory mission along the west coast of Africa. This cross is nowadays known as Cape Cross and its historical importance is almost superseded by being home to a colony of over 100 000 Cape Fur Seals. The next significant visitor was Barholomeu Dias who stopped enroute at Walvis Bay and Luderitz on his way around the Cape of Good Hope. The Namib Desert was a formidable barrier and neither of these Portuguese explorers went very far inland!

The next important stage of Namibian History, was in 1793 when the Dutch Authority took control of Walvis Bay as it was a good deep water harbour. When the United Kingdom took control of the Cape Colony in 1797 they also took over Walvis Bay.

Namibia owes much of its most recent history to the infamous ‘Scramble for Africa’ that resulted in the 1878 British Annexation of the land surrounding Walvis Bay Harbour, the Afrikaner ‘trek boers’ escaping to the Cape Colony to the south and the proclamation in 1884 by Bismarck, of the protectorate of German South West Africa. During the First World War the South African forces gained control of German South West Africa and following the Treaty of Versailles continued to administer the areas as South West Africa. Resolution 435 of the United Nations in 1989 finally resulted in a peaceful independence for the Namibia people in 1990.

The Namib-Naukluft National Park

Sandwiched between two deserts - the Namib in the west and the Kalahari in the east - Namibia's arid southern region offers breathtaking landscapes.

Dunes in the Namib-Naulkuft 

Namib Naukluft Park is the largest game park in Africa (40 000 sq. km) and fourth largest in Dead Vlei, Namib Naukluft Park, Namibia the world. There are four sections in the park: Sossusvlei and Sesriem, Naukluft, Namib section and Sandwich Harbour.

Naukluft. Facilities: camping sites with communal ablution facilities. Camping sites are located near Naukluft River.
History. Naukluft Mountain Zebra park was established in 1964 with the accrual of farm Naukluft as a sanctuary for Hartmann's zebra. Most of the farm surrounding Naukluft mountain massif were purchased by 1970. In 1979 the area known as Diamond Area 2 (south of Kuiseb river, including Sesriem and Sossusvlei) was added to form Namib Naukluft Park.
Vegetation. The vegetation of the Naukluft complex has been classified as semi-desert savanna. There are several interesting species occurring in the area. Aloe sladeniana, Aloe karasbergensis, cluster fig, Commiphora, Acacia (thorn) and Euphorbia.
Wildlife. The following mammals are likely to be seen: steenbok, springbok, oryx, kudu, mountain zebra, dassie rat, chacma baboon, rock dassie, klipspringer. Up to 200 bird species have been recorded in the area.

A small capital city - Windhoek

 Windhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area.

The town developed at the site of a permanent spring known to the indigenous pastoral communities. It developed rapidly after Jonker Afrikaner, Captain of the Orlam settled here in 1840 and built a stone church for his community.

However, in the decades thereafter multiple wars and hostilities led to the neglect and destruction of the new settlement such that Windhoek was founded a second time in 1890 by Imperial German army Major Curt von François.

Windhoek is the social, economic, and cultural centre of the country. Nearly every Namibian national enterprise, governmental body, educational and cultural institution is headquartered there.

The Beautiful Hansa Hotel

The Hansa Hotel - nestling in the very center of the charming little town of Swakopmund, wrapped in the shape of a timelessly classical building dating from 1905, and integral part of Swakopmund's architectural heritage, offers you a feeling of being enveloped in a luxurious and sophisticated hospitality with a satisfying blend of both classic atmosphere and truly elegant interior, matched with friendly and personalized service.

Accommodation:

The Hotel boasts 5 Family units, 4 Suites and 49 Twin/Double rooms.  Each room is individually decorated and fitted with under tile or under carpet heating,
15 satellite television/radio channels, direct dialling telephones, hairdryer, safes, coffee/tea facilities and en-suite bath/showers.

The Equestrian Room
"A mix of culinary and aesthetic delights."

The Terrace
"Overlooking our inner gardens"

The Bar
"A tranquil, cozy and relaxed atmosphere"

Fun facts about the Tintenpalast

The Tintenpalast (German for "Ink Palace") is the seat of both chambers of the Namibian legislature, the National Council and the National Assembly. It is located in the Namibian capital of Windhoek.

 The Tintenpalast, which is located just north of Robert Mugabe Avenue, was designed by German architect Gottlieb Redecker and built by the company Sander & Kock between 1912 and 1913 out of regional materials as an administration building for the German government, which colonized Namibia at the time.

The building was constructed entirely from local materials by Gottlieb Redecker and originally served as the administrative headquarters for the German colonial government.

As an allusion to the large ink usage by the workers in the building, it was named "Tintenpalast" or "Ink Palace". The building is surrounded by the Parliament Gardens which is very popular among the inhabitants of Windhoek.

Swakopmund Restaurants and Eating places

All that holiday activities, coupled with the fresh sea air,  tend to create quit an appetite !

Find restaurants, eating places, fast food outlets in Swakopmund to bust that hunger

 Swakopmund has an variety of restaurants and eating places, to name a view.....

Bundu 'n See  - OMBO Restaurant    

   Brauhaus Restaurant Swakopmund

        

Napolitana Restaurant 

       
Pandora's Box   

The Lighthouse Pub & Restaurant    

The Vineyard    
Western Saloon Pizzeria        
Western Saloon Restaurant    
Wurstbude Pizzeria and Restaurant        
Zur Kupferpfanne Restaurant
                                                 

         And much more......

The Amazing Hotel Heinitzburg in Namibia

 History

When Count von Schwerin commissioned castle
Heinitzburg for his fiance, Margarethe von Heinitz in 1914,
love was his inspiration, elegance was his achievement.

The Raith family name has long been associated
with tradition of excellence in hospitality
and exquisite cuisine.

:Accommodation:

 The Heinitzburg today offers 16 spacious generously appointed en-suite rooms, each individually decorated,
leaving no two rooms looking the same!
Each room has individual air-conditioning / heating
unit, direct telephone, electronic safe, mini bar,
Flatscreen TV with Satellite channels.
The “Superior” Deluxe rooms have bath with
integrated showers, whilst the Deluxe rooms
all have a walk in shower.

:Restaurants:

 

Leo's at the Castle
The Gourmet Restaurant overlooks the skyline of the
Capitol city and varied cuisine is served ranging from
local to international á la Carte, a true celebration
of the senses.

Garden Terrace
Along with a superb view over the city and the surrounding mountains, meals,coffee and cakes from our patisserie
are served throughout the day. Snacks and sundowner cocktails are also served on this viewpoint with
marvelous vistas of spectacular sunsets.

Wine Cellar
The pride of the castle the - Wine Cellar – bears the largest collection of carefully selected South African vintages in Namibia, The cellar is built into the mountain rock and
is the ideal meeting place for smaller groups.

Knight's Room
This exclusive venue is situated in the original castle
and features authentic historical artwork.

Twyfelfontein Rock art - Petroglyphs

A visit to Twyfelfontein is a journey back thousands of years to a San hunter-gatherer society that once inhabited the region and depicted its environment in engravings and paintings.

 Amidst the red table-top mountains of Damaraland, a wealth of rock engravings are etched into the Etjo sandstone, powerful reminders of the hunter-gatherers of old who gathered near to the spring in the dry season and chiselled thousands of animals into the rock. 

The Huab valley in northwestern Namibia, a place called /Uis-//aes – place among packed stones – by the San/Bushmen who inhabited the area, or Twyfelfontein – doubtful spring – by farmer David Levin in the late 1940s, contains these remnants of the past that endure in the hot, dry landscape under the clear blue Namibian sky, linking us to our forefathers and our ancient past.

Created through hundreds of millions of years of geological upheavals, the porous wind-laid or Aeolian rock eroded and fractured along natural fissures revealing flat smooth surfaces that provided ideal canvases for the ancient artists.

 

The Twyfelfontein engravings, recognised for their cultural importance, gained world heritage status in 2007, the Twyfelfontein area offering one of the greatest concentrations of rock art in southern Africa. In the valley, six hectares in size, over 2,000 engravings or petroglyphs have been identified. The dark patina of iron and manganese oxides referred to as ‘desert varnish’, allows us to determine the age of the engravings, the darker rock being the older work.

Beautiful Birds in Namibia

There are some 620 bird species native to Namibia. The national bird of Namibia used to be the Crimson breasted shrike (now known as the Crimson breasted boubou) as it's colours matched those of the Imperial German flag. However, as that is no longer politically correct the African fish eagle has now been named Namibia's national bird.

Crimson breasted shrike

Birds are the only animals with feathers. All birds have feathers and wings. As the fastest of birds can reach speeds of up to 160km/hr they can travel faster than any other animal. However, not all birds can fly, ostriches and penguins are both flightless. Instead of flying ostriches walk or run and only use their wings for balance. Penguins swim and use their wings like flippers.

Ostrich

 

 

All birds hatch from eggs with most types of birds laying eggs in nests made by the female and her mate. The majority of birds have one mate at a time and some species keep the same partner for life. Birds belong to a large group of animals called vertebrates who have backbones. Woodland birds get their food from plants whilst others feed from small animals such as insects. Birds and their eggs in turn serve as food to rodents, foxes and snakes. Fruit-eating birds help spread seeds by eating the pulp of berries and other fruits and pass the seeds in their droppings, a feature common with some species of bats.

Every species has its own characteristic geographical range, which vary from local to worldwide. The distribution patterns can be established by mainly habitat extremes, as well as the ability to transit across unsuitable territory. Boundaries and habitats particular to Namibia include pans (Etosha), grassland, Nama Karoo, Namib Desert, succulent Karoo, Kalahari savannah and Kaokoland savannah. The Kavango (Okavango) River is a typical Okavango Delta swamp habitat.

Schwerinsburg Castle Namibia

• During the time of the construction of Alte Feste in 1890 the tower of Schwerinsburg was built by Curt von François, commissioner of German South-West Africa

• In 1904 Schutztruppe (the German colonial forces) sold it to architect Wilhelm Sander who converted it into a beer garden and named it Sperlingslust.

• In 1913 Hans Bogislav Graf von Schwerin bought Sperlingslust from Sander and engaged him to convert it into a castle. It was later named Schwerinsburg after the new owner.

Breathtaking Landscapes, Beautiful Rock Formations & Meteorites

Namibia has some of the world’s most spectacular desert ecosystems and wildlife and contains a wide range of landscapes, creatures and peoples. Its stark, magical beauty and diversity of culture make it an arid, spacious paradise. Richly coloured sand dunes, vast plains, savannahs teeming with African game and rugged mountains make up the serene landscape between the inhospitable Namib Desert and the escarpment of the interior plateau.

The Namibian landscape varies from vast expanses of desert and sand dunes to rugged rock formations in the south and west, to the starkly contrasting savannah and woodlands of the central regions and the lush forested scenery of the north-east.

The Hoba Meteorite is the largest known single meteorite of its kind lying on the surface of the earth. It's mass is estimated at around 60 metric tonnes and measures 2.95m x 2.84m. The thickness varies between 75-122cm. As it consists of mainly iron and nickel, it can safely be described as an iron meteorite, although scientifically it is termed an ataxite; a meteorite with a high nickel content.
The Hoba Meteorite's age has been reasonably accurately estimated from the presence of a rare radioactive nickel isotope, with a half-life of less than 80,000 years. Armed with this information, scientists have been able to determine that the Hoba Meteorite fell to earth less than 80,000 years ago. The age of the meteorite has been estimated rather loosely to be between 190 million and 410 million years.

The Shark Island - Ludreritz Namibia

On a peninsula in Lüderitz, Namibia Shark Island offers visitors campsites at budget rates, beautiful scenery and a rich history.
Shark Island Resort was the site of a concentration camp during 1905 to 1907 and harbored Nama and Herero prisoners. Several monuments on the resort close to the main ablution building attest to this troubling time in the resort's history.
Luderitz Bay is a windy town on Namibia's southern coast with a rich history which signalled the beginning of the diamond trade as well as the early seeds of colonialism.
Situated on Shark Peninsula is Shark Island, a site with an excellent view over the bay, town and harbour. Seals and Pelicans are some wildlife species that can be seen frequenting the rocky areas around the site.

Accommodation at Shark Island: Shark Island offers accommodation in either a lighthouse or in 3 bungalows. The lighthouse has 2 rooms with 2 beds in each room and 2 bathrooms.
It has a fully-equipped kitchen with cutlery / plates, kettle, a fridge and the sitting room has a TV.
The 3 standard bungalows have the same self-catering facilities in all the fully-equipped kitchens and each unit has it's own bathroom with toilet / shower.

Each campsite has access to a 220V power point providing electricity 24 hours a day.
A built-in brick fireplace provides a place to barbeque and taps are provided at regular intervals.
One big ablution facility provides showers, toilets and baths to the campers. The facilities are old, but spotlessly clean and are serviced daily. A washing-up facility for doing dishes as well as a laundry is provided for inside the building. As the campground is large, additional small ablution facilities are spaced between the campsites.
Although crime is not rife in the town of Lüderitz, campers must take note that day visitors are allowed on the resort and campers must make provision for the security of their campsite while they explore the town and surroundings.
There is a security guard patrolling the grounds 24 hours a day to assist in keeping the campground safe.

 Activities and Attractions at Shark Island

Angling and Fishing
 Visit the National Monument
 Sundowners
 Boating
 Kolmanskop Ghost Town
 Sand rose trip into the Diamond Area at Agate beach
 Lüderitz peninsula (popular for sightings of Flamingo)
 Diaz Point - the historic landing spot of the 17th century explorer Bartholomew Diaz