Located in the Khomas Hochland Daan Viljoen Nature Reserve is Namibia's smallest game park spanning just 4000 hectares. Conveniently positioned within 25 kilometres of the capital of Windhoek, it serves as an ideal stopover for travellers looking to enjoy a bush experience that is close to the city. Visitors can look forward to an array of wonderful experiences including spotting an abundance of highland wildlife including baboons, blue wildebeest, springbok, kudu, oryx, Hartmann mountain zebra, giraffe, eland and black-backed jackal, as well as smaller species including dassies, porcupines and yellow mongooses. A unique highlight of Daan Viljoen Game Reserve is that visitors are allowed to walk around the park as the park has no large predators. Other highlights include, hiking and mountain biking through the incredibly scenic African bushveld to spot a wide variety of wildlife.
Stampriet is a tiny rural town in the Hardap Region of Namibia, which lies over the banks of the Auob River roughly ten kilometres north of Mariental. Founded in 1898 as a trading post in what was then German South-West Africa, the little town of Stampriet boasts a rich history and diverse culture. The town is best known for being the starting point of an amazing heritage route, which is scattered with memorials and battle sites of the war with the Germans, which took place between 1904 and 1907. The water flowing from the Kalahari and the plentiful boreholes of the area have made it possible to produce excellent fruit and vegetables here. The historic guest house is a must-see.
Perched above the plains of the Namib Desert in the rocky Aus Mountains, the small village of Aus lies at the heart of phenomenal botanic diversity. Aus serves as an excellent base from which to see the area’s major attraction: the feral horses of the Namib Desert, which run wild and free in the sparsely vegetated plains. The best place for viewings is at the water trough at Garub, which lies just twenty kilometres away from Aus. Visitors can gain insight into the Succulent Karoo by visiting beautiful Gondwana Sperrgebiet Rand Park, home to the most biodiverse desert in the world. Don't miss the opportunity to camp under the famously clear Namibian night sky and experience the desert landscape on horseback.
Situated in south-central Namibia, fringing the Kalahari Desert, the city of Mariental lies along the TransNamib railway and serves as the Hardap Region’s commercial and administrative capital. It provides an important petrol stop before heading west to Sesriem to view the red-orange dunes of Sossusvlei. Mariental is located close to the magnificent Hardap Dam, which is the largest reservoir in Namibia. The Hardap Irrigation Scheme has breathed life into this arid terrain, which is now fertile with farmlands covered in citrus, melons, lucerne, wine and maize, and dotted with ostrich farms. The dam is a popular holiday resort which draws city slickers from Windhoek and offers an array of watersports, scenic walks, and abundant wildlife in a 20000-hectare nature reserve set on its western bank; where visitors can spot rhino, ostrich, antelope, springbok and a variety of bird species.
Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, lies at the heart of the country, encircled by magnificent mountains, expansive valleys, and fertile farmlands. The landscape of the Greater Windhoek area surrounding this bustling city is characterised by vast valleys, thick scrub, rocky hills, and covered in golden savannah. Visitors can explore the dry river beds and mountainous scrublands, as well as enjoy birding, leopard-spotting and view large quantities of wildlife in the north; visit the more arid eastern part with its olive, potato, and date plantations; explore the rolling hills of the Khomas Hochland Mountains in the west of the Greater Windhoek area and soak up the epic views along a number of scenic passes leading off the high plateau, including Bosua Pass, Gamsberg Pass, and Spreetshoogte Pass.
