Visit our stall at Presidents Hall, P3 A - Allgemeine Zeitung Namibia

of the mountain is the most popular, leading to
a viewpoint on top of the plateau which rewards
the hiker with a magnificent panorama of the
surrounding area. For adventurous visitors there
are unguided hikes available on the plateau.
Some of these walks require several days and
lead past basic huts where hikers can spend the
night. Furthermore nature lovers can accompany
an armed game warden on one of the guided
hikes on top of the plateau offering a perfect
opportunity to explore the diverse flora and
fauna of the area. The hikes have to be booked
in advance and participants need to bring and
carry their own provisions and sleeping bags.
For less energetic travellers who are unwilling
or unable to investigate the plateau on foot,
park rangers offer game drives to the top of the
highland. While endangered species roam freely
in the natural enclosure created by the cliffs
en-circling the plateau sightings of rare animals
are not guaranteed as the vegetation is rather
dense and the shy animals often elusive. Game
drives leave in the early morning as well as mid
afternoon and can be booked at a fee at the
camp office. Private vehicles are not allowed to
drive to the top of the plateau.
Camp Site
Nestling at the foot of the plateau lays the
Bernabé de la Bat Rest Camp, managed by Namibia
Wildlife Resorts (NWR) and considered
by many to be one of the most attractive in Namibia.
The camp huddled directly beneath the
towering cliffs above was designed to blend in
with the surroundings. As such little of the natural
vegetation was disturbed and reddish brown
sandstone bricks were used during construction
of the facilities that echo the colour of the rocky
outcrops guarding the camp.
The recently refurbished lodgings can accommodate
over 200 people and offer 69 chalets
sleeping between 1 to 4 people that are equipped
with a hotplate, refrigerator and kettle. There
are also shaded camp sites with communal
ablution facilities as well as a petrol station
and a shop available where frozen meat, tinned
goods and curios can be bought. The restaurant,
bar and kiosk are housed in what used
to be a Rhenish mission station, constructed in
1873 and later destroyed. In 1891 the historic
structure was rebuilt and in 1908 converted to
a police station before being turned into a restaurant
when the rest camp was established
in 1989. Other amenities include an open air
swimming pool with a spectacular view of the
plateau.
Because the camp site is not fenced and the-
re are various paths extending from the site
through the bush, guests regularly come into
contact with game wandering around freely in
the environment. While this offers the chance
of viewing animals like the diminutive Damara
Dik-Dik foraging around the camp it does pose
some danger as well. This is particularly true for
the many baboons that frequent the bungalows
on a regular basis looking for food.
Turbulent history
In close proximity to the camp an old graveyard
can be seen as a testament of one of the most
tragic events in Namibian history occurring at
the Waterberg. It was here at the foothills of the
mountain that in August 1904 about 40.000
Herero were surrounded by troops of the German
colonial forces and almost annihilated.
OSHAKATI GUEST HOUSE
PO Box 15585, Oshakati • Tel: 065-224 659 • Fax: 065-224 114
E-mail: oshakatiguesthouse@iway.na
12
En-suite rooms with
Air conditioner,
Mini Bar and DSTV
MW2009 (RK)
üFully
operational
Restaurant
with
A-la-carte
menu..!!
üFully
operational
bar facilities
with Big
Screen
Television
üWalking
distance from
Oshakati High
Court
üDaily lunch
specials
One of the 69 chalets of the Bernabé de la Bat Rest Camp.
Single Room incl. breakfast
N$395
Double Room incl. breakfast
N$595
Platters on Request..!!
Secure parking with night watch
The surviving men, women and children were
forced to flee eastwards in the direction of the
British protectorate Bechuanaland (today Botswana).
During their retreat thousands of Herero
were killed by pursuing soldiers of the Schutztruppe
and many others perished due to a lack
of food and water while crossing the Kalahari
Desert.
While the old cemetery serving as the last resting
place of more than 70 soldiers of the
Schutztruppe is a painful reminder of one of the
darkest chapters in Namibian history there are
other more uplifting remnants of the past to be
found at Waterberg. These are the inheritance
of the San people who were the first human inhabitants
of the area and left rock engravings
believed to be several thousand years old concentrated
around a large waterhole at Okaraku-
17 June 2009
The old Rhenish mission station now
houses the restaurant of the rest camp.
visa on top of the plateau.
Being situated between Windhoek and Etosha
the Waterberg Plateau Park is often treated as a
mere stopover between these two destinations.
Considering its diverse flora and fauna and its
rich natural history the park is however a most
rewarding attraction in its own right and deserving
of a more prominent position among the
many places of interest Namibia has to offer. n
For further information:
Namibia Wildlife Resorts
Email: reservations@nwr.com.na
Web: www.nwr.com.na
The old cemetery
serves as a
painful reminder
of one of the darkest
chapters in
Namibian history.
• Photos:
Marc Springer
Waterberg Wilderness Lodge
Email: info@waterberg-wilderness.com
Web: www.waterberg-wilderness.com
Expo
Special:
Book and pay
for a 2 night
stay at our
Hotel and
be in with
a chance to
win your stay
for free. Also
up for grabs,
discounts
ranging from
10% - 25% and
vouchers for
dinner in our
restaurant.
Everyone
walks away a
winner, valid
for bookings
up until 15th
December
2009
Visit our stand
in the Presidents
Hall,
Balcony Level
B7-B
Besuchen Sie den Stand von
Tourismus Namibia auf der
Namibia Tourism Expo in der
Präsidentenhalle.