Hello, hello, my dear readers! 🙂
Just a bit more than a year ago I was publishing my article « What to do in Windhoek? » with nothing less than 10 recommended activities to experience while visiting (or living in!) the Namibian capital city. And, guess what? Now it is time to share with you 10 more special places to visit in Windhoek! Indeed, I had time over the last months to continue my investigative journey through the city and try out for you some of its gems. And while some events that were mentionned in my first article already no longer exist (RIP the Good Food Market), I can promise that there are, still, a lot of things to discover here. Without further adue, here comes part 2 of « What to do in Windhoek? »!
I have to say, I was at the same time intrigued but also a bit skeptical about the whole « township tour » experience. As interesting as it sounded, I obviously also did not want to do tourism around poverty and promote this kind of voyeurist attitude. But I thought « KatuTours » was different. First of all, it has a too great of a name to be evil. And second, it is a social company run by Anna, a very passionate Namibian university professor, who knows the history of this place and the reality behind it. She takes the tourists around Katutura not by car, which according to her would be offensive and seen as a « human safari » experience, but by bicycle! And, I can tell you, going around Katutura with yellow jackets and 8 people on the bikes (3 guides and our group of 5 participants) was quite an adventure. We learnt a lot along the way and I think people were more looking at us than we were looking at them (we were actually the curiosity!). The whole experience lasted for more or less 3 hours and felt safe throughout the journey thanks to our very thoughtful guides. We ended the trip in a local market to eat « kapana », the iconic Namibian streetfood (sew below). Price is 750 namibian dollars per person. Highly recommended!
While living in a city you sometimes don’t know what is happening right next to you and one needs the visit of their friends to realize: « What? There is a train museum in Windhoek?! ». Oh, yes my dears, and it is actually much more than that. The Transnamib museum is a must to visit during your stay here! It is not a museum even, it is a travel through time, when Namibia still had a developped railway activity as well as its own flight company. Dixon, the museum curator, will welcome you in this magical place located just on the corner of the current Windhoek train station (which is nice to see for itself as the station is stuck in time!). Upstairs, in each room, you will soon find out that they kept everything from the rail company: machines, tickets, stickers, menus… They even did a reproduction of one of the train cabin inside so you can experience how it used to be. There is also a small museum shop at the end full of actual ancient goodies that used to be in service while the company was still running. I think the entrance was 20 namibian dollars per person. In short, it’s just great.
- Take a tour around the art galleries
I know, I know, Windhoek is not known to be « the arty city » of the continent but hey, as small as it may be, the artistic scene is living indeed! So, I do recommend you to make a detour and discover it. I recently discovered for example The Project Room, a small gallery located right in the center of the city (next to the Franco-Namibian Cultural Center) which has new exhibitions every month or so (and you can also buy some of the art to take home if you’d like!). Another great gallery is Bellhaus gallery, also with new exhibitions regularly, located on the Southern Industrial neighborhood, with possibility to have a delicious lunch there on weekends! Finally, the Namibian Arts Association is another great place to discover local artists curated with love and attention. Entrance is free. Not to be missed!
- Have a walk in Farm Windhoek
Living in Windhoek, you soon realize that most of the time (if not: all the time) you go from one place to another almost exclusively by car. This is why it is needed to go for walks sometimes or even hikes just to exercice a little bit and remember how those two legs work. We already mentionned « Avis Dam » and the « Yellowstone » as places to go for a walk, now let me introduce you to the endless trails of Farm Windhoek! You can go there for hikes or with your bikes, get a map and go around the property while enjoying the nature and the nice fresh air. And when you are done, you can also take a look at the sock shop (yes, it is a thing!) and/or enjoy a nice cold milkshake (a real highlight after any good hike, am I right?!). Entrance is 50 namibian dollars per person (I think). What else?
Even though Windhoek might not be the most urban city on the planet, it does feel good once in a while to escape the thrilling street (no, I did not forget an « s ») of the capital to enjoy a bit of nature. And, luckily, you don’t need to go really far to do so! Only a few kilometre away from Windhoek, many farms will offer you calm, nature and plenty activity to explore it! One of them is TowerBos: a wonderful and well maintained area where you can hike, but also bike, and, most importantly here, experience e-biking. On the contrary to e-sport, e-biking does include an actual physical activity as it is not a video game but nothing else than an electric moutain bike. It is the perfect way to try mountain biking withtout any training and (almost) any sweat. You can rent the bike directly at TowerBos and explore further the area than on foot: beware, you may even encounter giraffes, wildebeests, or even a baboon family on the way 🙂 I forgot the price of the rental but it is maybe 500 namibian dollars per person for half a day? Oh, and afterwards you can have a swim in the pool and a ice cold beer. Why are you not on the way already?
Many tourists don’t stop in Windhoek and when they do, they often stay in the city center. But to experience the « real Namibia », or, at least, the Namibia of a majority of people, you should go to the Single Quarters in the Katutura township for a taste of kapana, the national street food. There, the market is open every day from early morning to late night (we do recommend to go during day time though). You will find a few stands selling local products such as spices (like the kapana spice that gave its name to the dish!), delicacies like the mopane worm (in a dry version, ready to be cooked!), different types of oil, and a few crafts like baskets. But, most importantly, Single Quarters is famous for its kapana stalls where a dozen of people are braaing – grilling – thin slices of steaks (the cow is cut on the spot, beware sensitive souls!) all – day – long. You can buy a portion for 50 namibian dollars and then chose amongst the other sellers for a « salsa salad » master (they cut the onions so fast it is even more impressive than the meat). Do not forget a fatcake to accompany as well as a cool drink. Then, you can sit in one of the table to enjoy your meal, without fork or knife, local way oblige! Bon appétit!
Well, you know how it is in small communities where there are just not so many activities to try: you start trying them all! And this is how I ended up going on an archery day for my friend’s birthday in Monte Cristo farm just outside of Windhoek. Which was actually quite fun. To be perfectly honest, the place is in desparate need of a bit of a maintenance, but I have to say, I feel that its abandonned style makes it even more of an interesting place to visit. Be careful not to get lost on the trails though and do enjoy the cold beer afterwards! I also forgot the price for this one but it is probably not too expansive (sorry I am a terrible travel blogger!). Just go check it out for yourself and let me know 🙂
When my parents came to visit me in Windhoek and were telling me about the City of Windhoek museum they had read about in the guide book, I genuinely could not believe it. If there was such a place, I would have known about it for sure after more than a year and a half living here! And, well, apparently I was wrong as such a place exist on Robert Mugabe avenue, right in the city center. The museum is quite small with few artifacts but it explains very well the story of the city, most specifically during apartheid times. For once there is a lot of text and historical photos. Fun fact: the museum was sponsored by Vantaa, a finnish town that happened to be twined with Windhoek. The museum also offer free stickers. Let’s go!
You are going to think that I am cheating a little bit now as I mention more places outside of Windhoek than inside really, but, I could not not tell you about Daan Viljoen park as it is so close to the city! You can even go there with taxi! There, you can not only hike, but you are also almost garanteed to see many giraffes very close by as they are hanging out next to the hiking trail. The shortest walk is only 3km in total and you can also see a lot of other type of animals or birds. The daily entrance is 200 namibian dollars for tourists and 130 for SADC nationals (according to: the internet – cause I forgot to write it down obviously). A nice escape!
Once every month, you can immerse yourself in the afrikaans culture during the Boeremark, also known in english as the farmers market. Usually held the first saturday of every month (more or less), Afrikaaners from Windhoek’s surrounding farms are selling handmade products such as meat, bread, cakes, and even crafts. There are around 30 stands (completely approximate) and the atmosphere is very family-friendy. I was expecting a bit more activity but to be honest it was nice to just hang out and to listen some afrikaans music (did I tell that I really like afrikaans music?) while having a nice breakfast. The entrance is only 20 namibian dollars for parking and it last from early morning to 13:00. Check when the next market is coming!
- Bonus : find the best sundowner spot in Windhoek
When you are done with all those activities, it is time for you to finally relax! And what is the best way to do so if not while enjoying a nice cocktail while watching a beautiful sunset? Namibians have a word for this: it is called a sundowner, and it is a must-do! Whether it is from the Skyview restaurant on the top floor of the Independance museum, from the water tanks on the hills of Klein Windhoek behind the botanical garden (yes, there is also a botanical garden but I have never been there yet, oups), or from the rooftops of the Avani and the Hilton hotel, finding the best sundowner spot is a quest worth drinking for.
I hope you enjoyed reading about activities in Windhoek (okay, I have to admit, with surroundings included…) and will have a wonderful stay here! Don’t hesitate to share in the comments your favorite activities as well, and, who knows, maybe see you in a year for part 3? (if I manage to find more things to do, it might start getting a bit difficult!) 🙂
Le Ponpon sur la Garonne 