NAMIBIA

first day
The international airport Windhoek is situated 40 km eastward the city. The arrival starts mostly in a queue, because the entry via are scanned conscientiously and are typed manually in a computer. The suit case is on the luggage belt when you succeeded. Firstly exchange money. The exchange rate at the airport is the best one during our round tour.1 Euro = 8,7 N$ (status July 3003). It happens that you get South-African Rand as change. Both currencies are used in Namibia. The main language in Namibia is Afrikaans, followed by English. German can often be understood and the number of the German-speaking population is approx. 25.000. Our first destination in Windhoek was the Safari Court Hotel (****). After freshening up a first walk through the 1650m high city. The hotel offers shuttle tours every 15 minutes to the city center. The tourist information in the Independence Avenue (at the wood carving market) is starting point of this service. The city center is a nice preparation for the country. Boutiques, woodcarvings, specialist shops, banks, coffee shops and restaurants procure a buzz of activity. The small town flair surprises, because you think that everything is as at home, so far away. As we will make a copious city tour at the last day, a first impression was sufficient after the long, ten hours flight, and we relaxed in the hotel.

second day
Our first leg leaded us northwards through the Herero land. Early in the morning we leave Windhoek northwards. The untamed land catches one’s eyes. Small fences along the street encircle the farm area. The owners thereby protect their properties, which are mostly hundreds of hectare large. It is differentiated between municipal and commercial farmland. The land is distributed by the State to the farmers and also only sold by the State. One of the few asphaltic streets in the country (B1) leads us towards Okahandja parallel to the railroad, which only leaves three times a week. We passed countless partially giantic termite hills. Already after a short period you loose the feeling for distances. The distances between the single small towns are enormous. The extent of the landscape contributed to this lost. First break at the fueling station in Okahandja. Next to it a big wood carving market. You can buy everything from key ring up to metres high statues.
After one hour we drove on on the B1, 143km to Otjiwarongo. Refuel and side trip in the located Spar-store. It is big and well equipped. We packed in fresh cakes and pastries and beverages. Onward via Otavi to Tsumeb. We passed the closed shaft tower of the Otavi mines. To the lake Otjikoto. The lake invites to a break. It is also a rarity: water is in Namibia basically short and valuable, some sectors get no water for years. The lake is one of only 3 lakes in Namibia.One of them in the South is dammed man-made (later more). The lake invites to a break. It is also a rarity: water is in Namibia basically short and valuable, some sectors get no water for years. The lake is one of only 3 lakes in Namibia. One of them in the South is dammed man-made (later more). The lake Otjikoto is almost circular with 100 m diameter and was initially "roofed". The caves caved in thousand years ago. A long time one believed, that the lake would be bottomless. Also the German soldiers thought this way in 1915 in view of their defeat and sunk their canonry here. Only some years ago some of them were recovered. A lot still lies on the ground of the lake.As the water is very oxygen-poor, the type plates on the recovered canonry are still legible after nearly hundred years.A walk in the garden around the lake shows first relicts of the German colonial period. In the late afternoon we reach our accommodation (the very comfortable one, if not luxurious Mokuti Lodge). Dinner at the open fire. The first antelopes, giraffes and Kudus graze in the plant between the bungalows.height 1450 meter.The opening hours are written at the entrance. Disregard costs a fine.This must not to be underestimated due to an expansion of more than 200 km x 70 km.