Windhoek Namibia Safaris

NAMBIA SAFARIS AND THE WINDHOEK ATTRACTIONS:

Windhoek, a bustling area filled with shops, hotels & museums, is the largest city in Namibia – the capital of Namibia in fact. Windhoek is a historic city filled with many treasures from the past waiting to be discovered. The City of Windhoek is traditionally known as Ai-Gams (named by the Nama people) which means ‘hot springs’. It is also traditionally known as Otjomuise (named by the Herero people) also meaning ‘hot springs’ - these springs in question were once part of Windhoek. Many people actually believe that Windhoek (the name) comes from the Afrikaans words ‘wind’ and ‘hoek’ meaning ‘corner of wind’.

Windhoek is a semi climatic region with most days in the year being very warm. In summer; the days can become exceptionally hot with temperatures reaching into the high 30’C’s! Windhoek retains the summer heat from the warm northerly wind that flows into the city with the mountains in the south blocking the airflow. The mountains obstruct the heat from leaving Windhoek and provides shelter to the city… this is why winter has little to no rainfall.

Alte Festung is a German word that means ‘old fortress’ and is one of the Windhoek highlights that can be seen on a historic safari/tour of the area. It was once the military head quarters of Windhoek (until 1915) and today it is a states museum. The foundation was laid in approximately 1890 making it the oldest building in Windhoek! Another interesting attraction in Windhoek is the Christuskirche Church which was built in 1910 for the Lutheran congregation. This church is made of sandstone and is a national monument.

Windhoek is still a major trading centre of sheep skin and is located on the Northern side of the Khomas Highlands (Hochland). Windhoek was originally inhabited by the Herero people and in the early 19th Century the Nama Chief defeated the Herero and took over the area. In 1885 Windhoek became the seat of colonial rule and in 1892 it became known as ‘German South West Africa’. In WW1 Windhoek was captured by the SA troops and in 1990 it celebrated its independence and inauguration and has since become a popular Namibia safari destination.

As expected, Windhoek is filled with history making this area a popular Namibia safari region. Discovering the museums and the old buildings can prove to be a fascinating experience.

Have a look at our Namibia safaris that pass through Windhoek (Capital of Namibia). We also have other Namibian attractions that you might want to visit on your Namibia Safari.

• Etosha National Park
• Namib-Naukluft
• Mudumo National Park
• Caprivi Strip
• Fish River Canyon
• Kalahari Namibia
• Skeleton Coast
• Susuwe Triangle
• Waterberg Plateau Park
• Ruacana Falls and Epupa Falls
• Sossusvlei
• Swakopmund
• Damaraland
• Spitzkoppe
• Mahango National Park
• Twyfelfontein
• Namibia Wildlife Resorts
• Brandberg
• Namibia Animals