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| Christus Lutheran Church |
Hotel Pension Christoph |
The hills of Windhoek |
Wonderful architecture in Swakopmund |
June 7 and 8/September 4 and 5
Accommodation: Once again we stayed with Amanda at the Hotel Pension Christoph
which is extremely comfortable and reasonably priced at N$495/double per night, including
breakfast and is within walking distance to the CBD, although it is not
adviseable to walk anywhere in Windhoek after sunset. Amanda will
also organise a pick-up at the international airport which will cost
about N$200 to N$220 for the 40-kilometre trip.
Dining: The Christoph
presents a hearty (English/German) breakfast, but does not serve
lunch or dinner so we ate on the upstairs balcony of the Ocean Basket (situated in the Town Square) and at Cafe Schneider,
both of which serve excellent and reasonably priced fare.
Tips: Whilst
in town don't forget to pay a visit to the Christus Lutheran Church, a
magnificent structure built around 1907. Be careful when you are
withdrawing money from ATMs as a lot of shifty-looking characters hang
around these machines. And remember, throughout Namibia you
cannot purchase alcohol in retail outlets after about 1.00PM on
Saturdays.
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The Skeleton Coast
Swakopmund more |
June 9, 10 and 11/August 18, 19, 20 and 21
The Seagull B & B
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Accommodation: Like last year we stayed with the very affable Keith at the Seagull B&B in unit 5, which comprises a bedroom with television, another room, which is
more of a bedsitter with cooking facilities, and an ensuite. The
Seagull is situated in Strand Street right across the road from the
mighty (and cold) Atlantic Ocean.
At N$285/room per night for Unit 5 it is great
value and an extra bonus is that you get to talk to Keith who is a
walking encyclopedia on Namibia. If you want to know where to go, how
to get there, what to do and see, then he's the man to ask!
Be warned, if you're
planning to stay there, book early as it's very popular with overseas as well as local tourists. |
The Old Brewery |
Dining: There are numerous places in which to drink and dine. We usually had lunch at the Village Cafe or the Hansa Backerei,
both of which are situated in the main street and reasonably priced.
The bakery is the best for cakes, and the cafe for atmosphere and
snacks.
For drinks we went to the Lighthouse Pub and Restaurant (yes, it's still there despite rumours last year that it was going to be demolished to make way for apartments), the Strand Hotel, (next door to the Ocean Basket and with a great view of the Atlantic), the new Old Brewery pub (opposite
the Lighthouse pub) or the Bacchus Taverne.
Sadly, the Strand seems to attract a few street
vendors trying to sell souvenirs which spoils the atmosphere. It will
be closed for renovations from April 1 to end of 2009. The Old
Brewery has just opened and is a German-style establishment with lots
of memorabilia. |
The Bacchus Taverne |
The
Bacchus Taverne, situated opposite the Europa Hoff Hotel is an old
established German-style pub, which, like the Old Brewery, sells
snacks. All of these pubs are well worth visiting, especially the
latter two.
For our main meal at night we usually went to the Ocean Basket which is so very reasonably priced and serves a variety of delicious seafood, the Mandarin Garden Restaurant and Takeaway or the Cape to Cairo Restaurant.
We hadn't been to the Mandarin Gardens before and were very pleasantly
surprised. The staff are friendly (especially the owner), the interior
is tastefully decorated and the food is very well presented
and delicious. |
Cape to Cairo Restaurant
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The
Cape to Cairo Restaurant, in a side street off the main drag, serves a
variety of dishes from all over Africa, however it is a little
expensive, and the staff leave a lot to be desired. Maybe they
need to undertake a course in hospitality!
Tips:
Swakopmund, like other towns on the Skeleton Coast, has a diverse
climate. It can be very cold and damp, especially when the mist rolls
in, or it can be very hot - even in winter when we were there., so be
prepared.
Also, many of the
shops close down from about 1.00PM on Saturday, and all day Sunday.
Even some of the coffee shops are closed on Sundays. Some of the
business houses also close between 1.00 and 2.00PM!
Overall,
Swakopmund, with its extraordinary architecture and colours, is a must
to visit, as can be seen by the huge number of tourists, especially
from Europe. |
Walvis Bay more
August 22, 23, 23,25, 26, 27 and 28
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| Ana's Inn |
Casa Mia Hotel and Restaurant |
Walkway to the Raft Restaurant |
The famous shipwreck |
Accommodation: It was nice to arrive in Walvis Bay and be greeted by Andre at Ana's Inn,
which is situated at 26 Atlantic Street, only 500metres from Mola Mola
and the Raft Restaurant. The inn comprises of three rooms, all
with television, ensuite and an equipped kitchenette, and is very well
priced at N$285/double room per night. It is also very private
and secure, and boasts a swimming pool and braii area. We feel it is
the best place to stay in Walvis Bay; like the Seagull B&B in
Swakopmund, make sure you book early.
Due to unexpected electrical trouble with our vehicle we were forced to
spend an extra few nights in Walvis (we arrived on a long weekend
so had to wait until the Tuesday to have repairs done) so, due to
a prior booking at Ana's, we had to change accommodation to the Casa Mia Hotel and Restaurant.
Situated in Sam Nujoma Drive this hotel offers a variety of
excellent accommodation, but at N$520/room per night, including
breakfast, it was a little expensive.
Dining: For lunch, you can't beat Willie Probst for
great food at a reasonable price - sadly this closes about 3.00PM on
Saturdays and is closed Sundays and public holidays.
Late afternoon drinks were taken at the Raft Restaurant bar
which is perched on stilts at the edge of the lagoon, giving a
magnificent view of the sun setting over the bay, or in the Pilot's Bar
at the Casa Mia.
Our evening meals were taken at Crazy Mama's Restaurant, which
serves delicious pizzas and salads and is not expensive, the Casa Mia
Hotel's restaurant, which was a bit like Fawlty Towers and quite
expensive, or the Raft Bistro. Bistro
meals are served in the bar area where you pay a lot less than if you
dine in the main restaurant area. Unfortunately the Raft opening days
are irregular (it closes on public holidays in winter - we know that
for sure) so check before you decide on a night out.
Tips: Walvis
Bay is 'dead' from about 1.00PM on Saturdays and all day on Sundays.
If you're looking for somewhere to go then drive out to Dune 7 or
back to Swakopmund to see the shipwreck just a couple of kilometres
from town.
Henties Bay more
August 29 and 30
Eagle Flats lounge
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Accommodation: Again we stayed in one of the Eagle Flats
chalets which comprise of two bedrooms, a lounge, bathroom and a fully
equipped kitchen along with an attached lock-up garage. We paid
N$120/person per night which is excellent value for what you get
(there's even a hairdryer and an iron!)
Dining:
When we didn't feel like preparing our own lunch we headed off to
the recently renovated coffee shop in the arcade which also houses the
sealskin shoe shop. As it has only changed management in the last
few weeks the menu is limited, but the food is good. For what we feel
is the best 'fish meal' on the whole coast have a meal at Fishy Corner,
a very quaint restaurant situated in Benguela Street (next to
Spar). The meals are huge and absolutely delicious, but make sure you
make a reservation as it's a popular spot. If you're not into fish then
try the Eagle Steakhouse, almost adjacent to the Eagle Flats which serves great steaks. |
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Tips:
Henties Bay is only a small town, but if you're a fisherman then it's
'paradise' - a fish festival is held annualy about the last weekend in
August. Then in December/January the place is packed out as fisherman
from all over southern Africa converge - you would probably be lucky to
get accommodation there at that time.
If you drive out to the southern end of the bay you will find a track
which takes you right around the headland and beyond - a very pleasant
drive.
Then some 70 kilometres north is the seal colony of Cape Cross - a real
must to visit, but it's usually very cold, and blowing a gale, in
winter. |
Inland
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| Otavi Garden Hotel chalets |
Forget Me Not Coffee Shop,Rundu |
Mukusi bar manager Oscar and friends |
Mukusi Cabins |
June 12, August 31, September 1 and 2
Accommodation and dining: As usual we stayed at the Otavi Garden Hotel, (phone+264
67 234336)
in the hotel itself and not in the more expensive cabins. A
double room, with ensuite, costs N$230/night, including breakfast
which is exceptional value. The meals are basic, but fairly
inexpensive.
Tips: There's
not much to do in Otavi itself (to put it mildly), but there are some
scenic drives from there and it's only about 140 kilometres to Etosha -
an easy drive and it's a lot less expensive to stay in Otavi than
in Etosha.
Rundu
June 13, 14, 15, August 14, 15 and 16
We are lucky in that we have good friends in Rundu so are able to stay with them.
Dining: We
have dined at the Omashare Hotel and Ngandu Lodge, both of which have
excellent menus. A new coffee shop has opened up in a new arcade
situated on main access road to the highway. Forget Me Not, run
by Piti and Diana, serves delicious snacks and main meals and has a
large range of fresh, homemade cakes and biscuits. It's the best venue
for lunch in the town.
Katima Mulilo
June 16, August 13
Accommodation and dining: Once again we stayed at the Mukusi
Cabins, located next to the Engen Service Station on the main highway.
There are different types of cabins available - ours cost N$400/night
and comprised two single beds, television and an ensuite. Breakfast is
not included in the tarrif, so it is rather expensive - but not as
expensive as some of the lodges in the area. Whilst the lunch and
dinner menu is basic, the food is good and reasonably inexpensive.
There is also a nice bar, run by the afffable Oscar!
Central Hotel
Lodge Inn |
Omaruru more
August 17
Accommodation and dining: We stayed here at the Central Hotel last
year and the hospitality (or lack of) hasn't changed much!! However, the
semi-detached chalets at the rear of the hotel are clean and very
spacious, and the rates at N$380/room per night, including a very nice
breakfast, are more than reasonable. The hotel also has an extensive
menu for an evening meal.
From all accounts Omaruru has become very
trendy all of a sudden - all the 'arty' types are taking up residence
in the community and the two delightful coffee shops are the 'in'
places!
Kombat
September 2
Whilst staying at Otavi we took a short scenic drive towards the mining township of Kombat and found the newly opened Lodge Inn - a
most impressive establishment which incorporates several single and
double rooms, swimming pool, a restaurant and large bar area, situated
on the main highway on the outskirts of the town. Manager Chris, along
with bar manager Michael, made us most welcome and we spent a very
pleasant couple of hours looking over the new site. A double room costs
N$250, excluding breakfast, so at that price it will definately
be on our 'must stay there' list for next year.
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Etosha Game Park
September 1
Whilst
staying in Swakopmund we visited the National Parks and Wildlife centre
to try to book a few day's accommodation in Etosha, but were told the
park was completely booked out until November this year. With this in
mind, as mentioned above, we decided to stay in Otavi and drive
to the park just for a day.
Arriving at Namutoni we found out the reason for not being able to get
accommodation - the whole place is being renovated and added to! Sadly,
this has resulted in an exhorbitant increased in rates, as can be seen here!
For example, last year we paid N$430 for a chalet housing two people, the rates for 2008 quote N$750 per person
(N$1500 for two) for a similar chalet. The prices now include
breakfast, but do not include the entry fee into the park which
are N$125 per person per day. In addition,from what we have been told,
none of the rooms now have cooking facilities and the braiis
outside the rooms/chalets have been removed. Residents of Namibia
are most upset at the huge increases as it will put a holiday in the
park out of reach of the majority.
Whilst the accommodation has changed, the rest of the park hasn't, so
we were once again able to enjoy a few hours seeking out and watching
the magnificent game the park has to offer.
Roads in Namibia
All
the roads we travelled along were tar sealed and in very good
condition. Of course, the roads in Etosha are dirt, but very well
maintained, unlike in the Serengetti, as you will read later. Click here for a road map of Namibia (courtesy of namibia-1on1.com).
Our travels took us from Windhoek to Swakopmund - Walvis Bay
- Swakopmund - Karibib - Otjiwarongo - Otavi - Rundu - Katima
Mulilo and on Victoria Falls. On our return to Namibia we travelled
from Victoria Falls to Katima Mulilo - Rundu - Otjiwarongo -
Omaruru - Karibib - Swakopmund - Henties Bay - Swakopmund -
Karibib - Otjiwarongo - Otavi - Namutoni - Otavi - Windhoek.
Back to home page here
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in Africa with essential
travel information and 100s of tours and safaris,
hotels and car hire throughout
the continent. |
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it is packed with all the information you require |
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