Car hire Windhoek - european influences and African traditions

German architecture, German food and German festivals: at first sight it seems to be that Windhoek is a very European city.  It’s no wonder that visitors use the capital of Namibia as a place to start or end a holiday.  Those of you that have more time to spend in Windhoek will quickly notice the magic the city has to offer and that can be easily explored in your hired car.  Although, in the centre with its buildings, museums and monuments you are reminded of the German colonial era, take a tour in your rental car of the outskirts of Katutura and submerge yourself in the real culture and history of this modest population:  Local tour guides show their visitors their fantastic closely built together timber houses in Township Babylon, offer them a taste of Mopane caterpillar, show them the hairdressers or dressmakers where visitors can see some of their handiwork.  The tour usually ends in a traditional pub- a Shebeen.  Here, you will quickly make friends with a beer!  The locals love to tell visitors about their country, so don’t be afraid to ask!

A colourful culture to be experienced with a hire car

You can not completely block out the European influence in Windhoek- and you shouldn’t!  There are many fascinating buildings worth seeing such as The Tinten Palace (Ink Palace) which is the headquarters of the Namibian Parliament, the National Assembly and the Council of Ministers.  The Old Castle, a stronghold which now houses the National Museum as well as the statue of the Südwester Reiter, a monument that remembers the start of Colonial War in the 20th Century.  About 80km north of the capital on the motorway 1 which is great if you have cheap hire car , you will find the small resort of Okahandia.  Since the middle of the 19th century the commercial town with its 20,000 inhabitants has been an important centre of the Hereros, a traditional tribe.

In August every year the Hereros celebrate a festival in memory of their ancestors that are buried in the cemetery in Okahandia.  During the festival procession the women dress in brightly coloured Victorian clothing- a popular scene for photographers who travel here especially for the celebrations.  The Herero day is by no means a tourist event but is deeply rooted in a serious background.  South-west from Okahandia you will come across the thermal springs of Gross Barmen.  With a depth of over 2,500m, “healing” water that is around 65 degrees centigrade gushes out onto the surface.  In several of the inner and outer basins visitors can try out for themselves the effect the water has.

Taste the amazing landscapes and impressive landscapes with car hire

When you leave Windhoek and travel in a westerly direction, you will quickly find yourself in the African bush savannah:  The Daan Viljoen Wildlife Park in Khomas Highland offers several kilometres of safe footpaths – where you are unlikely to meet some of the dangerous bush inhabitants such as lions and hyenas.  However, you will be sure to see wildebeest, mountain zebras, red hartebeest and giraffes.  After a trek, the meadows near the reservoir offer a great place to relax and have a picnic.  South of Windhoek is a wonderful observatory where you can enjoy a superb view of the starry night sky of Namibia – there is scarcely another place where the stars appear as bright and as clear as here.  

East from Windhoek begins the Kalahari, a desert of predominantly red sand.  Those of you that have a little more time to spend there, it is worth taking a flight into the conservation area of the desert.  The Okavango Delta in the north-west of Botswana, east from Namibia is a green paradise in the middle of the inhospitable desert.  In the Okavango, where in some parts water runs the whole year round in the marshy landscape.  On the islands, in and on the water over 1,300 different types of plants grow and over 700 different types of animals live here.  Probably the most impressive residents are hippopotamus, lions, elephants, buffalo and leopards.


CarDelMar wishes you a pleasant stay in Windhoek with car hire!