Waterberg Park

The Waterberg Plateau Park is located 280 km north of Windhoek. The mountain owes its name to the springs surfacing on its lower slopes, and the lush vegetation that grows here contrasts sharply with the thorn savannah of the surrounding plains.

The plateau itself is one of the most interesting geological sites in the country. Some features such as dinosaur tracks and petrified dunes make it almost a must stop for travellers on the way further north to Etosha Park. One of the reasons for establishing the park was to protect and resettling endangered species (black and white rhinoceros, buffalo, roan and sable antelopes). It is also not unusual to encounter leopards, rock dassie, klipspringer, tsessebe, wild dog, lesser bush babies and cheetahs. The only Cape vulture colony in Namibia lives in the Karakuwisa mountain on the western edge of the Waterberg Plateau.

The plateau rises more than 200 metres above the surrounding plains with a width of between 8 and 16 kilometres and a length of about 49 kilometres from south-west to north-east. The average altitude of the plateau is between 1650 and 1700 meters above sea level.

The area is also rich in a plant life. The total of approximately five hundred plants have been recorded in and around the park.

The geology of the plateau is as interesting as history of the area. The eroded sedimentary rock which forms it was deposited during Karoo Age about 220 to 180 million years ago.

A Rhenish mission station was established at the Waterberg in 1873, than later destroyed during Nama/Herero wars and rebuilt again in 1891. During 1904 in time of Herero Uprising the battle between Hereros and German Colonial forces took place at the Waterberg. As a reminder of this event a graveyard can be seen in the vicinity of the camp.

The rest camp offers comfortable accommodation in family nad bush chalets. There is a petrol station and a shop at the camp as well as a restaurant in old police station building. Camping sites are also available.

Activities
loading map...
Do you have questions or need information?