Ice cold in Africa: What to drink in Namibia's beer town

Namibian capital Windhoek has a population of just 322,000 but produces more than a dozen beers, Windhoek Lager and the slightly darker Tafel Lager and Hansa Pilsner are among local favorites. 

Most of the beers made in Namibia are for export, fueled by a legendary commitment to the reinheitsgebot.

 

 German Tradition

In winter, NamBrew produces Urbock dark beers, made with Munich barley malt into recipes steeped in Germanic traditions.

Tafel Lager

While most Namibian beers have always been made in the capital of Windhoek, some like Tafel Lager and Hansa Pilsner, originate from the tiny seaside city of Swakopmund. 

  

Beer that tastes like tea

 
On the craftier side is Camelthorn Weizen, on tap when it's available. Also an amber, it's made with ingredients imported from South Africa, Europe and the United States for a slightly different taste. Camelthorn started out as a promising independent brewer, but has been absorbed into the NamBrew empire. It's experimented with different flavors, including rooiboos, the red bush popular for tea in southern Africa.

Really comparing the quality of all Namibia's beers to the imports requires a trip to Joe's Beer House. 

 Joe's Beer House

Serves hearty food to accompany the beers and also has one of the biggest selections of game on any menu, anywhere : kudu loin, zebra steak, oryx schnitzel are a sampling.

'Ice cold in Africa'

Windhoek, Namibias Capital City - Namibiareservations

Windhoek Namibia's Capital City

Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, is located in a basin between the Khomas Highland, Auas and Eros Mountains. Whether due to pure luck or a brilliant stroke of Germanic planning, the city is situated in almost the countries epicenter. This location has obvious benefits when it comes to governing a country the size of Namibia, and also makes it the ideal place to start and plan any Namibian travel.

The majority of tourists visiting Namibia on a fly drive safari start their adventure in the capital as it is the main entry point to the country. There are several large international companies offering rental cars at Windhoek International Airport while numerous smaller companies offer vehicle hire in Windhoek.

The city centre is characterised by a proliferation of German style buildings, a lasting reminder of Namibia's early colonial history. Early buildings such as the Alte Feste (old fort), Christuskirche and Tintenpalast (the parliament buildings) are of particular historical interest. In a wonderful display of irony, the Alte Feste Fort, once the bastion of German colonialism, now houses the National Museum which places particular emphasis on the freedom struggle and Namibian independence.

Windhoek has had several names, many inspired by the hot water springs found in the area, the earliest of which were the Damara /Ais //Gams (/ indicates a click in Nama spelling) which means firewater and the Herero Otjimuise or place of steam. The area was also called Queen Adelaide's Baths for a (mercifully) brief time. Several opinions are offered for the origin of the present name, the most popular of these is that sometime before 1840 Jonker Afrikaner, a Nama leader, named the area Winterhoek, after the farm in South Africa where he was born. Windhoek, or windy corner, is a corruption of this name.

Most importantly Windhoek is home to Namibia's brewing industry, and for the less active Windhoek is a great place to wile away the time while sipping (or gulping) a cold beer. There are also a number of private hospitals, a state run hospital, doctors surgeries, banks, (with 24hr ATM's) pharmacies, supermarkets, bakeries, and clothes shops. There is a large(ish) shopping mall at Maerua Mall, (complete with indoor swimming pool and gymnasium) and a smaller one on Post Street Mall, (Town Square) and at Wernhill Park, all worth a visit, especially if you've had enough of looking at curios. There are also 2 industrial area, Northern and Southern, handy for bulk buying or car parts and repairs.

A place to Explore Nature

Daan Viljoen is a place that nature and wildlife lovers can explore, by means of self-guide, in safety on short game drive, walks and hikes. The 6.5 km game route requires a 4 x 4 vehicle.

The 3 km Wag ‘n Bietjie Trail, leading down to The Stengel Dam, is an easy walk for adults. The more energetic Rooibos Trail takes hikers along The Augeigas Dam to the eastern highlands. The Augeigas Dam, and pools around the Park, are magnets for birds, so Sun Karros Daan Viljoen is highly recommended for birdwatchers. Over 200 species have been sighted. Endemics species include Ruppell’s parrot, White-tailed shrike and Monteiro’s Hornbill, and there is also the possibility of adding a Damara Hornbill to a bird list.

Facilities

Boma Restaurant and Pool - Here guest enjoy a few laps in the almost 20 m pool and or soak up the sun. The grass terrace is perfect for soothing ice cold or comforting warm beverages and sweet treats while the sun sets over the Khomas Hochland. Guests can also enjoy the scrumptious home-style cooking or a light beverage prepared at the Restaurant. 

Weddings- From traditional to bush weddings, they have all you can dream of in one place, enchanting wildlife, exquisite surroundings, stunning sunsets, and breathtaking venues

For more information please contact us at 

info@namibiareservations.com

www.namibiareservations.com

Elephants in Namibia

Namibia's Approximate elephant population of 100,000 are all Savannah elephants, the largest sub-species of elephant, easily distinguishable by their very large ears and longer front legs. they can be found in the north-eastern parts of Namibia and have the luxury of roaming freely among lush vegetation and riverine countryside, often crossing the border to Botswana in their search for food

 Elephants are known for their long lifespans (similar to humans), intelligence, memory and family structure. After a gestation period of 22 months, a baby elephant requires mother's milk for about two years. They enter puberty around 10 to 12 years of age, when females can become pregnant, are considered adults by age 18, and can live into their 60s.

The youngsters learn all they need to know from their family members: mothers, aunts, sisters and brothers. As males reach puberty, however, they soon leave their family herds and join other males to continue learning proper adult behavior from older and more dominant bulls. A younger one sometimes accompanies an older bull and is called an “askari”.

Females usually remain in their family herds, which are led by a “matriarch”. Matriarchs are usually the largest and oldest female, the one with the richest store of knowledge about water, food resources, escape routes and hiding places in their range area.

 

'They say an elephant never forgets. What they don't tell you is, you never forget an elephant'

Explore Namibia

Random Places in Namibia......

Boating trips on the Kunene River (water levels permitting) provides our guests with the opportunity to venture through the lush riverside oases.

The Twyfelfontein area

The hotel’s locally acclaimed Penguin Restaurant with outside terraces is open 7 days a week and serves a wide ranging menu including fresh Lüderitz lobster.  

Wolwedans Dune Camp

Brandberg Rest Camp is located in Uis, a once booming little mining town in the heart of Damaraland  

Etosha

Strand Hotel Swakopmund

 

With its extensive and entertaining Restaurants, Bars, Lounges, Deli, sea facing Terraces and Conference & Banqueting Centre the Strand Hotel is destined to become the social epicentre of Swakopmund, Namibia.

 

 

125 rooms of which 90% have beach and/or sea views and 10% garden/park views. The six room types feature tea & coffee stations, mini-bars, hair-dryers, TV’s, free Wi-Fi Internet access, telephones and air-conditioning.   

 

 

Ballooning, Skydiving, Bird Watching Tours, Cape Cross Seal Colony, Messum Crater Tour, Fishing Excursions, Living Desert Tours, Namib Desert Day Trips, Namib Desert Night Walks, Quad Biking, Sand Boarding, Sandwich Harbor Tour

 

For more information please contact us at 

info@namibiareservations.com

www.namibiareservations.com

Namibia a Scenic Beauty

Namibia derived its name from the Namib Desert, an unique geological feature renowned for the pristine and haunting quality of its landscape. It is this feature that characterises Namibia most, and that is home to several of the countries top tourist destinations, such as Sossusvlei, Sandwich Harbour and the Skeleton Coast Park. Far from being lifeless and barren, the long, narrow strip of moist coastal desert features an unusual variety of desert-adapted flora and fauna, including a large number of endemic plant, bird, reptile and insect species. 

Namibia's bountiful sunshine, abundance of wildlife, scenic beauty and rich diversity of geological phenomena make the country a sought-after tourist destination to which visitors return again and again. Additional plus points are the friendliness and cultural diversity of its people, a well-developed infrastructure and an extensive choice of parks, resorts and accommodation establishments. The latter range from five-star luxury hotels and upmarket guest lodges to simple and rustic accommodation in the quiet seclusion of the bush.