Cardboard Box Backpackers

Top choice in Windhoek

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Hostels are hard to come by in this country but ‘The Box’ has been doing it for years, with a rep as one of Windhoek’s better backpackers. It has a fully stocked bar and a swimming pool to cool off in, and travellers have a tough time leaving. Rates include free coffee and pancakes in the morning, and there are free pick-ups from the Intercape bus stop.

If you do decide to motivate yourself, the city centre is just a short walk away, and the excellent on-site travel shop gives useful information and can help sort out your future travel plans.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Christuskirche

    Christuskirche

    0.84 MILES

    Windhoek’s best-recognised landmark, and something of an unofficial symbol of the city, this German Lutheran church stands on a traffic island and lords…

  • Daan Viljoen Game Park

    Daan Viljoen Game Park

    8.23 MILES

    This beautiful wildlife park sits in the Khomas Hochland about 18km west of Windhoek. You can walk to your heart’s content through lovely wildlife-rich…

  • National Museum of Namibia

    National Museum of Namibia

    0.67 MILES

    The excellent display on Namibia’s independence at the country’s historical museum provides some enlightening context to the struggles of this young…

  • Zoo Park

    Zoo Park

    0.71 MILES

    Although this leafy park served as a public zoo until 1962, today it functions primarily as a picnic spot and shady retreat for lunching office workers…

  • Trans-Namib Transport Museum

    Trans-Namib Transport Museum

    0.41 MILES

    Windhoek’s beautiful old Cape Dutch–style train station on Bahnhof St was constructed by the Germans in 1912, and was expanded in 1929 by the South…

  • Independence Memorial Museum

    Independence Memorial Museum

    0.95 MILES

    Opened in 2014, this museum is dedicated to the country's anticolonial and independence struggle. The first floor tells the story of Namibia under…

  • Heinitzburg Castle

    Heinitzburg Castle

    1.33 MILES

    Uphill from Robert Mugabe Ave are the three Windhoek 'castles', including the 1914 Heinitzburg, which today houses a hotel and fine restaurant. The other…

  • Owela Museum

    Owela Museum

    0.66 MILES

    Part of the National Museum of Namibia, located about 600m from the main building, exhibits at the Owela Museum focus on Namibia’s natural and cultural…

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Nearby Windhoek attractions

1. Owambo Campaign Memorial

0.41 MILES

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…

2. Trans-Namib Transport Museum

0.41 MILES

Windhoek’s beautiful old Cape Dutch–style train station on Bahnhof St was constructed by the Germans in 1912, and was expanded in 1929 by the South…

3. Old Supreme Court

0.58 MILES

Dating from 1908, the gabled brick Old Supreme Court was a court from 1920 to 1930, when the legal system was changing from the German to the South…

4. Gathemann’s Complex

0.59 MILES

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…

5. National Art Gallery

0.65 MILES

This art gallery contains a permanent collection of works reflecting Namibia’s historical and natural heritage. The collection displays works by…

6. Owela Museum

0.66 MILES

Part of the National Museum of Namibia, located about 600m from the main building, exhibits at the Owela Museum focus on Namibia’s natural and cultural…

7. Turnhalle

0.66 MILES

The Turnhalle was built in 1909 as a training hall for the Windhoek Gymnastic Club, though in 1975 it was modernised and turned into a conference hall. On…

8. National Museum of Namibia

0.67 MILES

The excellent display on Namibia’s independence at the country’s historical museum provides some enlightening context to the struggles of this young…