Gaborone
It’s an interesting kind of history when your nationalist heroes are three guys who argued your country should continue to be a protectorate of Africa’s…
Must-see attractions in Botswana & Namibia
Windhoek
The former administrative headquarters of German South West Africa have been given a new mandate as the Namibian parliament building. As a fitting homage…
Botswana
Before leaving Serowe, hike to the top of Thathaganyana Hill, where you’ll find the Royal Cemetery, which contains the grave of Sir Seretse Khama, the…
Swakopmund
In 1899, architect FW Ortloff’s sea wall (better known as the Mole) was intended to enhance Swakopmund’s poor harbour and create a mooring place for large…
Botswana
The Khama III Memorial Museum outlines the history of the Khama family, one of the most important dynasties in Southern Africa. The museum includes the…
Swakopmund
This gabled building, on the corner of Garnison and Bahnhof Sts, was constructed in 1908 as a private school. When the funds ran out, the government took…
Windhoek
Windhoek’s first German primary school was built in 1908, and opened the following year with a class size of 74 students. Notice the curious turret with…
Damaraland
Originally called the Kliphuis or stone house, Franke House is one of Outjo’s earliest buildings and now houses the town’s museum. It was constructed in…
Botswana
Mannyelanong Game Reserve is an important breeding centre for the endangered Cape Griffon vulture, which nests in the cliffs. (In case you were wondering,…
Windhoek
Along Independence Ave are three colonial-era buildings, all designed by the famous architect Willi Sander. The one furthest south was built in 1902 as…
Swakopmund
The single-storey Prinzessin Rupprecht Heim, on Lazarett St, was constructed in 1902 as a military hospital. In 1914 it was transferred to the Bavarian…
Walvis Bay
With permission from the public-relations officer of the Portnet or from the Railway Police – beside the train station near the end of 13th Rd – you can…
Botswana
Housed in the 100-year-old Government Camp, the Supa-Ngwao Museum includes a prison and a police canteen, and has moderately interesting small displays…
Gaborone
Botswana's National Museum closed in mid-2016 for a much-needed overhaul. Prior to the closure, the collection itself was fairly modest, with plenty of…
Windhoek
At the entry to the train station parking area, you’ll see the Owambo Campaign Memorial, which was erected in 1919 to commemorate the 1917 British and…
Swakopmund
In 1855, the Berlin printer Litfass came up with the notion of erecting advertising pillars on German street corners. For the citizens of early Swakopmund…
Botswana
On the Gweta–Orapa track, 27km south of Gweta, is Green’s Baobab, which was inscribed by the 19th-century hunters and traders Joseph Green and Hendrik…
Namibia
At the train station stands Locomotive No 41, which was manufactured in 1912 by the Henschel company of Kassel, Germany, and then brought all the way to…
Windhoek
This art gallery contains a permanent collection of works reflecting Namibia’s historical and natural heritage. The collection displays works by…
Helvi Mpingana Kondombolo Cultural Village
Namibia
This complex, located 3km outside the town on the road to Grootfontein, showcases examples of housing styles, cultural demonstrations and artefacts from…
Swakopmund
Thanks to the narrow-gauge railway to the coast, the colonial company Otavi Minen und Eisenbahn Gesellschaft (OMEG), which oversaw the rich Otavi and…
Damaraland
This monument commemorates the 19 October 1914 massacre of German soldiers and officials by the Portuguese near Fort Naulila on the Kunene River in Angola…
Namibia
At Sambiu, east of Rundu and 30km along the Okavango River road, is a Roman Catholic mission museum, which exhibits crafts and woodcarvings from Angola…
Botswana
Near Solomon’s Wall are the Motloutse Ruins, a Great Zimbabwe–era stone village that belonged to the kingdom of Mwene Mutapa. There's not a whole lot to…
Walvis Bay
The town museum is located in the library. It concentrates on the history and maritime background of Walvis Bay, but also has archaeological exhibits, a…
Lüderitz
This museum contains information on the town’s history, including displays on natural history, local indigenous groups and the diamond-mining industry…
Swakopmund
This park houses an array of serpentine sorts. The owner knows everything you’d ever want to know – or not know – about snakes, scorpions, spiders and…
Namibia
There are a few examples of German colonial architecture, including the 1910 Kaiserliches Postampt, the old post office. There's an information office…
Swakopmund
This operational lighthouse, an endearing Swakopmund landmark just off Strand St, was constructed in 1902. It was originally built 11m high, but an…
Okavango Delta
Blink and you'll miss it. First Bridge is more useful than interesting – depending on its state of repair, an alternative track alongside may serve the…
Namibia
In the town cemetery, off Okavango Rd, you can wander the graves of several Schutztruppe soldiers who died in combat with local forces around the turn of…
Botswana
Tuli Block’s most famous feature is Solomon’s Wall, a 30m-high basalt dyke cut naturally through the landscape on either side of the sandy riverbed.
German Evangelical Lutheran Church
Swakopmund
This neo-baroque church was built in 1906 to accommodate the growing Lutheran congregation of Dr Heinrich Vedde – it still holds regular services.
Swakopmund
The imposing, fort-like Alte Kaserne was built in 1906 by the railway company, and now houses the Hostelling International Youth Hostel.
Botswana
There is a small, dusty museum at Main (Rhino) Camp with a handful of ethnographic exhibits and wall-sized quotes about the rock art.
Swakopmund
The 1912 baroque-style Old German School was the result of a 1912 competition, which was won by budding German architect Emil Krause.
Namibia
This church is at once an important landmark and a spiritual focal point for the local community.
Namibia
A significant local landmark that dates back to the earliest German settlement here.
Namibia
Houses the graves of fallen chiefs, killed in battles with the Nama and the Germans.
