Windhoek, the Capital

Windhoek, the Capital for A Full Day or Overnight Visit

 

Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, is the perfect place to finish your safari adventure or take a day off during your stay for some souvenir or luxury goods shopping. The drive to the capital is two and a half hours from Ozondjahe. It is possible to experience the city in one day however plan an overnight stay for a more relaxed pace and to enjoy all that Windhoek has to offer.

For an overnight stay in Windhoek there are a couple large international luxury hotels right in the center of town as well as several very quaint bed and breakfast inns that are well located close to the city center, making them ideal for walking around the center of town, shopping and visiting restaurants.

Windhoek is located at the geographic center of the country surrounded by rolling hills and home to approximately two hundred thousand people. It is an extremely small capital city by most standards however it is also extremely clean and safe by comparison as well.

The centre of Windhoek is characterised by German style buildings, a lasting reminder of Namibia’s early colonial history. The center of town has a European cafe culture vibe; laid-back and eclectic. There are lots of people sitting at the many outdoor cafes and restaurants, which serve traditional German food for the most part, especially beer from the local brewery, which is made respecting high German standards.

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On Independence Avenue there are several shops offering luxury goods at prices unavailable in the U.S. and Europe for items like elegant ostrich, crocodile or python skin handbags. There are shops with high quality leather and fur goods from every conceivable kind of animal for every purpose from outerwear to home furnishings. You can find Indigenous swakara lamb skin coats , buffalo or elephant skin wallets and ostrich leg belts. There are a few fine jewelry boutiques featuring many rare and colorful gemstones that are native to Namibia, especially tourmalines and diamonds. You can find loose stones to set in a custom design created for you by your jeweler at home or pieces that have already been in made into stylish modern jewelry. Post Street Mall is a pedestrian only “street” that shoots off from Independence Avenue, the main road through the city center. Post Street Mall is filled with bustling shops and street market stalls filled with curios of every imaginable variety.

Away from the cafes and shopping within the center of town, guided tours are available of many of Windhoek’s main sites of interest. There are several early buildings such as the Alte Feste (Old Fort) which is now Namibia’s National Museaum, in front of which stands the iconic Reiterdenkmal (equestrian memorial), as well as Christuskirche (Christ Church) the Lutheran parish from 1896 and Tintenpalast (the parliament buildings) which are of particular historical importance. Katutura, is the suburb built on South Africa’s apartheid policy in the 1950’s which is now a crowded mix of people from different cultures living together in peace and harmony. The same can be said of the entire city.

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