The interior of Namibia's Erongo Region - places of interest that make it attractive to tourists

Photo: Giant boulders in the Erongo Mountains - Erongo Region

Namibia Country & Travel Info

Read about places of interest in Namibia for sightseeing, game viewing and other holiday activities - select a region to see details:

Namibia's 13 Regions - in alphabetical order:

Caprivi - Katima Mulilo, Kwando River, Mudumu, Ngoma

Erongo - Erongo, Omaruru, Skeleton Coast, Swakopmund

Hardap - Kalahari, Maltahöhe, Namib Desert, Sossusvlei

Karas - Fish River Canyon, Kalahari, Keetmanshoop, Lüderitz

Kavango - Bushmanland, Divundu, Kaudom Game Park,

                       Mahango, Okavango River, Popa Falls, Rundu

Khomas - Khomas Highlands, Windhoek

Kunene - Damaraland, Kaokoland, Kunene, Twyfelfontein

Omaheke - Buitepos, Gobabis, Trans-Kalahari-Highway

Ohangwena - Oshikango

Omusati - Ombalantu

Oshana - Ondangwa, Oshakati, Nakambale

Oshikoto - Etosha National Park, Tsumeb

Otjozondjupa - Bushmanland, Otjiwarongo, Waterberg

 Here you'll find essential Namibia Travel Info

Where to stay for overnights in Namibia and at travel destinations around neighbouring countries is listed under Recommended Accommodations. 

Unique Tours & Safaris, Namibia

Email your personal consultant:
Heike@unique-tours-safaris.com

Web: www.unique-tours-safaris.com

P. O. Box 1301
Swakopmund/Namibia
Cell:  +264-(0)81-2122580
Fax: +264-(0)88-616644
NTB-Registration: TFA 00107

Complete safari proposals can be found under

Suggested Itineraries

Namibia - country & travel info - PLACES OF INTEREST

Quick links to info
on places of interest
in other
Namibian Regions:

Caprivi
Erongo / Hardap Karas / Kavango Khomas / Kunene Omaheke / Omusati  Ohangwena
Oshana / Oshikoto Otjozondjupa

Erongo - page 2:

• Central Skeleton Coast - the coastal area around Swakopmund/Henties Bay

• Damaraland - its southern part incl. the Brandberg & Spitzkoppe Mountains

• Erongo Mountains & Omaruru Area - in the centre of the region

Brandberg Mountain
With its highest point, the Königstein, standing at 2573m above sea level and located on the flat Namib gravel plains, on a clear day ‘The Brandberg’ can be seen from a great distance. Amongst the rocky crevices are thousands of bushman rock paintings of which the “White Lady” is the best known.

Messum Crater
The Messum Crater (21°21'45.50"S 14°25'7.61"E) is a secluded volcanic feature in the Gobobose Mountains to the west of Namibia’s highest mountain, the Brandberg.
The Messum Crater, over 22 km in diameter, resulted from one of the volcanoes of the Etendeka period, which occurred about 133 million years ago. Straddling the boundary of the West Coast Recreational Area, Messum Crater is an amphitheatre of desert with two concentric circles of mountains surrounding the gravel plains. Messum is named after Captain W Messum, who explored the coast of southwest Africa from the sea, around 1846–48, venturing as far inland as the huge mountain, which he named after himself and that later became known as the Brandberg.

Sorris Sorris Conservancy
A short western detour along road D2319 that runs parallel to C35 for a few kilometres between Uis and Khorixas, takes the traveller through the small Sorris Sorris Conservancy. The main attraction of this route is the drive through the sandy Ugab River bed and - when coming from the north - the ever-present silhouette of the Brandberg Mountain on the horizon. The northern banks of the river bed are much higher than the southern and afford magnificent vista of the surrounding Damaraland landscapes.

Be sure to drive this detour during the dry winter season only! 4x4 vehicle is recommended but a vehicle with good ground clearance will do, if driving carefully.

  
Uis
Uis is a small village located in one of Namibia's most beautiful desert regions, the Damaraland, and close to the Brandberg Mountain. Uis is also situated on the main road between the coast and the Damaraland interior and thus manages to eke out an existence based almost entirely on traffic passing through the area. There is a small supermarket, guesthouses and a petrol station, together with a few other small shops. Tin has been mined in the Uis region since the early 1900's, and the village was established in 1958 as the mine workers' residence when a South African mining company started increasing production. Today when approaching Uis, the first thing to catch the traveller's eyes is a huge white mountain which is in fact the old mine dump for processed tin ore.
In 1991, the main mining operation closed down because the price of tin dropped below economical levels. Since then, technology has improved enough though to make re-processing the discarded tin ore viable. This ore is processed to an enriched state and then taken to Walvis Bay for export. Without the full-scale mining operations, the town struggled to survive and today is left a shadow of its former self. In recent years, inhabitant numbers stabilised again through Namibian pensioners buying up former mine worker houses at reasonable prices. Mineral mining and rock processing also contribute to the survival of UIs.
 

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Erongo Region - Erongo Mountains & Omaruru Area

Omaruru
Omaruru is a small yet steadily growing town in the eastern centre of the Erongo Region dating back to the early 1900's. Its official population stands at 6792, although local estimates suggest that the number is far greater. Omaruru became popular in recent years for its annual arts & crafts festival and its lively community of artists, mineral collectors, wine producers, etc. whose workshops may be visited. The town is situated on the Omaruru River, one of Namibia's broad yet usually dry ephemeral water courses, and provides easy access to the northern parts of the Erongo Mountains.

Erongo Mountains

Numerous mountain ranges form a near perfect circle with almost vertical sheer cliffs on the outside that give the Erongo Mountains the appearance of an impenetrable fortress. Apart from public roads along their parameters, there is only one minor road, from the north, into the interior of the mountains that reveals the existence of a vast caldera surrounded by the soaring mountain peaks. The 'Erongos' as they are called locally are Namibia's oldest mountains and were created by a series of volcanic eruptions many eons ago. They hold a treasure trough of minerals of gem stone quality, which are actively mined by small-scale operations. A mystic atmosphere still surrounds these mountains that once were inhabited by a pre-historic people of hunter-gatherers whose fascinating rock paintings and engravings tell stories of enormous natural riches and some even seem to suggest contacts with foreign cultures, several thousand years ago.

While most rock art sites are inaccessible to visitors, due to their remote and difficult to reach locations on privately own land, some may be explored by the public or while staying at one of the lodges within the Erongo Mountains Nature Conservancy:

Paula’s Cave
is situated in the north-eastern Erongo Mountains an may be visited during a stay at Erongo Wilderness Lodge.

Phillips Cave & Bull’s Party
are situated in the south-western Erongo Mountains, on the Ameib Ranch, where day visitors are welcome.

Several other sites in the northern-eastern Erongo Mountains are accessible to overnight visitors of Ai-Aiba Lodge, and one of the most important finds, the Ekuta Cave in the centre of the mountains, may be visited by prior arrangement with the land owner through your accommodation provider in the area.

Spitzkoppe & Pontok Mountains
The Spitzkoppe located between Usakos and Swakopmund, to the west of the Erongo Mountains, is often described as the “Matterhorn of Namibia”. Rising to a altitude of about 1800 metres, the Spitzkoppe is by no means Namibia’s highest mountain, however, due to its striking outlines, it is regarded as the most well-known mountain in the country.

There are also rock art sites to be visited around the Spitzkoppe Mountains, and by prior arrangement through a local tour operator, experienced rock climbers may try their luck at some of the bolted routes up these mountains. 

Continue with
Hardap Region - Kalahari & Eastern Escarpment / Maltahöhe Area & Western Escarpment / Namib Desert & Sossusvlei

or read about places of interest in other Namibian Regions by using the quick links above