Okahandja, Namibia – Southern Africa: Part VIII

On our way back to Windhoek after our stay in Otjiwarongo, we first stopped in Omaruru and later on in Karibib. You can read more about these places in our previous blog post. After a very short stop in Karibib, we continued onward toward Windhoek, but we did decide to make a short visit to the town of Okahandja, which was on the way to the capital.

Okahandja

We stopped shortly in quaint Okahandja to see what this medium-sized town had to offer. It also goes by the nickname Garden Town of Namibia, although it’s an industrial town. It was once more Google Maps who led the way and we headed towards the German Fort that we saw on the map. Arriving there we found that it had been converted into a military museum. Once more our thought destination was closed and it didn’t look like the museum ever had been open. We were at least able to see a tank that had been parked on the field outside before continuing onward, circulating with the car to see if we would find something of interest.

Okahandja is famous for its craft markets that can be found next to the two roads leading into the city. But we did not feel like stopping, as we had already visited a craft marked in Umaruru.

Von Bach Dam Nature Reserve

From Okahandja we continued to the Von Bach Dam Nature Reserve just outside of the town. After a few minutes of driving, we reached a gravel road that looked like it was leading nowhere. There was just a very steep hill. But once we had made it up the hill, we soon arrived at the gates of the Von Bach Dam Nature Reserve. Here we paid a small entrance fee. Apparently, they thought that I looked Namibian, as they charged us the price for the locals and not the tourist price.

We drove the short distance to the edge of the dam and went to stretch our legs for some time. There was not so much to see on the side of the dam that we had ended up at. But it was a nice view and it was the first time during our time in Namibia that we actually saw water in a lake. All other lakes and rivers we had seen next to the roads had been dry. Apparently, the dam is a very popular spot among locals for water sports, angling, and bird-watching.

Back at Arebbusch Guest Lodge

After the stop in Okahandja and at Von Bach Dam Nature Reserve we continued back towards Windhoek. Back on the B1 we headed to the capital and were there in almost no time at all.

We were once more staying at the Arebbusch Guest Lodge in Windhoek. This is the same accommodation that we had our first night in Namibia and we actually ended up in the small house just next to the previous one. Again we had dinner at the restaurant, hamburgers this time. After a long day of driving it was not long before we ended up in bed, sleeping soundly. We still had one day left in Namibia to look forward to.

Here you can read more about Okahandja >>

Join Us in Exploring Southern Africa

Here are all the posts belonging to the series about our trip to South Africa and Namibia. Read the parts by clicking on the links below:

• Part I: Doha, Qatar
• Part II: Johannesburg, South Africa
• Part III: Traveling To Namibia
• Part IV: Otjiwarongo, Namibia
• Part V: Cheetah Conservation Fund, Namibia
• Part VI: Etosha National Park, Namibia
• Part VII: Omaruru, Namibia
• Part VIII: Okahandja, Namibia
• Part IX: Windhoek, Namibia
• Part X: Cape Town, South Africa
• Part XI: Castle of Good Hope, South Africa
• Part XII: Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden, South Africa
• Part XIII: Two Oceans Aquarium, South Africa
• Part XIV: Mariner’s Wharf, South Africa
• Part XV: Groot Constantia, South Africa
• Part XVI: Boulders Beach, South Africa
• Part XVII: Cape Point, South Africa
• Part XVIII: Chapman’s Peak Drive, South Africa
• Part XIX: Table Mountain, South Africa
• Part XX: Swellendam, South Africa
• Part XXI: Plettenberg Bay, South Africa
• Part XXII: Birds of Eden, South Africa
• Part XXIII: Port Elizabeth, South Africa
• Part XXIV: Good Bye Africa!
• Part XXV: Trip Summary

Join us as we explore Southern Africa