A journey back in time: Discover the secrets of Waterberg Plateau Park
Travelling to the Waterberg Plateau Park resembles a journey back in time. This holds true both in a geological sense and in the context of Namibia's history.
From a scientific perspective a visit to Waterberg feels like a trip to the past, providing a rare glimpse into the genesis of the earth. The birth of the ancient sandstone formation can be traced to the Triassic period up to 200 million years ago, when dinosaurs ruled the planet. Some of these prehistoric reptiles left their legacy in the form of foot impressions embedded in the sandstone on top of the plateau, a permanent testimony to the millions of years the massif has endured.
GeologyCreated when pressure in the earth's crust lifted the so called Karoo layers millions of
years ago, the plateau owes its elevated position to the resistance of the hardy sandstone against the forces of weathering. As a result the table mountain towering about 200 meters above the surrounding plains remains as a relic of the sedimentary rock that was raised above the landscape below. The product of the seismic forces that gave rise to the Waterberg is imposing and visible from afar: The table mountain is about 48 kilometres long and between 8 and 16 kilometres wide - impressive measurements by any standard.
The most striking feature of the formation is the vertical cliff that surrounds the plateau like a halo and divides it into two separate and clearly visible strata. These two layers comprise a lower one of about 350 meters consisting of a conglomerate of various sediments and a top section of sandstone which forms the perpendicular cliffs of between 70 and 75 meters en-circling the plateau.
This characteristic Geology is generally considered to be responsible for the name Waterberg. It refers to the phenomenon that the permeable sandstone of the plateau absorbs rain water which seeps through the porous rock until it reaches the impervious clay layers beneath and emerges further down the slopes in form of various fountains. It is this steady flow of water which supports the seemingly subtropical flora on top of the highland giving it a lush green appearance contrasting sharply with the acacia savannah at the bottom of the plateau.
Animal sanctuaryAnother trait of the unique crown of cliffs surrounding the mountain is that this natural barrier makes the plateau virtually inaccessible and thereby creates an ideal haven for animals. This attribute was one of the reasons the area was declared a national park in 1972 creating a protected area of 405 square kilometres that serves as a sanctuary for rare and endangered animals.
In the following years several artificial watering places were set up on the plateau and some rare species released, among them sable, white and black rhino, eland, and buffalo. In addition the park harbours many other common antelopes, including kudu, impala, gemsbok, klipspringer and steenbok as well as predators like leopard, cheetah, brown hyena, caracal and black-backed jackal. Of particular interest to ornithologists are the over 200 species of birds, including the only colony of the rare and endangered Cape vulture in Namibia who benefit from a feeding programme near Okarakuvisa.
In 1984 the plateau was proclaimed a wilderness area ensuring that it retains its pristine character. The untouched nature of the park is what attracts most visitors, who can explore the area on foot using one of the many nature trails that meander around the Waterberg Rest Camp situated at the foot of the mountain and named after the first director of Namibia's Department of Nature Conservation, Bernabé de la Bat.
Hiking trailsAmong those trails the one winding to the roof of the mountain is the most popular, leading to a viewpoint on top of the plateau which rewards the hiker with a magnificent panorama of the surrounding area. For adventurous visitors there are unguided hikes available on the plateau. Some of these walks require several days and lead past basic huts where hikers can spend the night. Furthermore nature lovers can accompany an armed game warden on one of the guided hikes on top of the plateau offering a perfect opportunity to explore the diverse flora and fauna of the area. The hikes have to be booked in advance and participants need to bring and carry their own provisions and sleeping bags.
For less energetic travellers who are unwilling or unable to investigate the plateau on foot, park rangers offer game drives to the top of the highland. While endangered species roam freely in the natural enclosure created by the cliffs en-circling the plateau sightings of rare animals are not guaranteed as the vegetation is rather dense and the shy animals often elusive. Game drives leave in the early morning as well as mid afternoon and can be booked at a fee at the camp office. Private vehicles are not allowed to drive to the top of the plateau.
Camp SiteNestling at the foot of the plateau lays the Bernabé de la Bat Rest Camp, managed by Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) and considered by many to be one of the most attractive in Namibia. The camp huddled directly beneath the towering cliffs above was designed to blend in with the surroundings. As such little of the natural vegetation was disturbed and reddish brown sandstone bricks were used during construction of the facilities that echo the colour of the rocky outcrops guarding the camp.
The recently refurbished lodgings can accommodate over 200 people and offer 69 chalets sleeping between 1 to 4 people that are equipped with a hotplate, refrigerator and kettle. There are also shaded camp sites with communal ablution facilities as well as a petrol station and a shop available where frozen meat, tinned goods and curios can be bought. The restaurant, bar and kiosk are housed in what used to be a Rhenish mission station, constructed in 1873 and later destroyed. In 1891 the historic structure was rebuilt and in 1908 converted to a police station before being turned into a restaurant when the rest camp was established in 1989. Other amenities include an open air swimming pool with a spectacular view of the plateau.
Because the camp site is not fenced and there are various paths extending from the site through the bush, guests regularly come into contact with game wandering around freely in the environment. While this offers the chance of viewing animals like the diminutive Damara Dik-Dik foraging around the camp it does pose some danger as well. This is particularly true for the many baboons that frequent the bungalows on a regular basis looking for food.
Turbulent historyIn close proximity to the camp an old graveyard can be seen as a testament of one of the most tragic events in Namibian history occurring at the Waterberg. It was here at the foothills of the mountain that in August 1904 about 40.000 Herero were surrounded by troops of the German colonial forces and almost annihilated. The surviving men, women and children were forced to flee eastwards in the direction of the British protectorate Bechuanaland (today Botswana). During their retreat thousands of Herero were killed by pursuing soldiers of the Schutztruppe and many others perished due to a lack of food and water while crossing the Kalahari Desert.
While the old cemetery serving as the last resting place of more than 70 soldiers of the Schutztruppe is a painful reminder of one of the darkest chapters in Namibian history there are other more uplifting remnants of the past to be found at Waterberg. These are the inheritance of the San people who were the first human inhabitants of the area and left rock engravings believed to be several thousand years old concentrated around a large waterhole at Okarakuvisa on top of the plateau.
Being situated between Windhoek and Etosha the Waterberg Plateau Park is often treated as a mere stopover between these two destinations. Considering its diverse flora and fauna and its rich natural history the park is however a most rewarding attraction in its own right and deserving of a more prominent position among the many places of interest Namibia has to offer.
For further information:
Namibia Wildlife Resorts
Email: [email protected]
From a scientific perspective a visit to Waterberg feels like a trip to the past, providing a rare glimpse into the genesis of the earth. The birth of the ancient sandstone formation can be traced to the Triassic period up to 200 million years ago, when dinosaurs ruled the planet. Some of these prehistoric reptiles left their legacy in the form of foot impressions embedded in the sandstone on top of the plateau, a permanent testimony to the millions of years the massif has endured.
GeologyCreated when pressure in the earth's crust lifted the so called Karoo layers millions of
years ago, the plateau owes its elevated position to the resistance of the hardy sandstone against the forces of weathering. As a result the table mountain towering about 200 meters above the surrounding plains remains as a relic of the sedimentary rock that was raised above the landscape below. The product of the seismic forces that gave rise to the Waterberg is imposing and visible from afar: The table mountain is about 48 kilometres long and between 8 and 16 kilometres wide - impressive measurements by any standard.
The most striking feature of the formation is the vertical cliff that surrounds the plateau like a halo and divides it into two separate and clearly visible strata. These two layers comprise a lower one of about 350 meters consisting of a conglomerate of various sediments and a top section of sandstone which forms the perpendicular cliffs of between 70 and 75 meters en-circling the plateau.
This characteristic Geology is generally considered to be responsible for the name Waterberg. It refers to the phenomenon that the permeable sandstone of the plateau absorbs rain water which seeps through the porous rock until it reaches the impervious clay layers beneath and emerges further down the slopes in form of various fountains. It is this steady flow of water which supports the seemingly subtropical flora on top of the highland giving it a lush green appearance contrasting sharply with the acacia savannah at the bottom of the plateau.
Animal sanctuaryAnother trait of the unique crown of cliffs surrounding the mountain is that this natural barrier makes the plateau virtually inaccessible and thereby creates an ideal haven for animals. This attribute was one of the reasons the area was declared a national park in 1972 creating a protected area of 405 square kilometres that serves as a sanctuary for rare and endangered animals.
In the following years several artificial watering places were set up on the plateau and some rare species released, among them sable, white and black rhino, eland, and buffalo. In addition the park harbours many other common antelopes, including kudu, impala, gemsbok, klipspringer and steenbok as well as predators like leopard, cheetah, brown hyena, caracal and black-backed jackal. Of particular interest to ornithologists are the over 200 species of birds, including the only colony of the rare and endangered Cape vulture in Namibia who benefit from a feeding programme near Okarakuvisa.
In 1984 the plateau was proclaimed a wilderness area ensuring that it retains its pristine character. The untouched nature of the park is what attracts most visitors, who can explore the area on foot using one of the many nature trails that meander around the Waterberg Rest Camp situated at the foot of the mountain and named after the first director of Namibia's Department of Nature Conservation, Bernabé de la Bat.
Hiking trailsAmong those trails the one winding to the roof of the mountain is the most popular, leading to a viewpoint on top of the plateau which rewards the hiker with a magnificent panorama of the surrounding area. For adventurous visitors there are unguided hikes available on the plateau. Some of these walks require several days and lead past basic huts where hikers can spend the night. Furthermore nature lovers can accompany an armed game warden on one of the guided hikes on top of the plateau offering a perfect opportunity to explore the diverse flora and fauna of the area. The hikes have to be booked in advance and participants need to bring and carry their own provisions and sleeping bags.
For less energetic travellers who are unwilling or unable to investigate the plateau on foot, park rangers offer game drives to the top of the highland. While endangered species roam freely in the natural enclosure created by the cliffs en-circling the plateau sightings of rare animals are not guaranteed as the vegetation is rather dense and the shy animals often elusive. Game drives leave in the early morning as well as mid afternoon and can be booked at a fee at the camp office. Private vehicles are not allowed to drive to the top of the plateau.
Camp SiteNestling at the foot of the plateau lays the Bernabé de la Bat Rest Camp, managed by Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) and considered by many to be one of the most attractive in Namibia. The camp huddled directly beneath the towering cliffs above was designed to blend in with the surroundings. As such little of the natural vegetation was disturbed and reddish brown sandstone bricks were used during construction of the facilities that echo the colour of the rocky outcrops guarding the camp.
The recently refurbished lodgings can accommodate over 200 people and offer 69 chalets sleeping between 1 to 4 people that are equipped with a hotplate, refrigerator and kettle. There are also shaded camp sites with communal ablution facilities as well as a petrol station and a shop available where frozen meat, tinned goods and curios can be bought. The restaurant, bar and kiosk are housed in what used to be a Rhenish mission station, constructed in 1873 and later destroyed. In 1891 the historic structure was rebuilt and in 1908 converted to a police station before being turned into a restaurant when the rest camp was established in 1989. Other amenities include an open air swimming pool with a spectacular view of the plateau.
Because the camp site is not fenced and there are various paths extending from the site through the bush, guests regularly come into contact with game wandering around freely in the environment. While this offers the chance of viewing animals like the diminutive Damara Dik-Dik foraging around the camp it does pose some danger as well. This is particularly true for the many baboons that frequent the bungalows on a regular basis looking for food.
Turbulent historyIn close proximity to the camp an old graveyard can be seen as a testament of one of the most tragic events in Namibian history occurring at the Waterberg. It was here at the foothills of the mountain that in August 1904 about 40.000 Herero were surrounded by troops of the German colonial forces and almost annihilated. The surviving men, women and children were forced to flee eastwards in the direction of the British protectorate Bechuanaland (today Botswana). During their retreat thousands of Herero were killed by pursuing soldiers of the Schutztruppe and many others perished due to a lack of food and water while crossing the Kalahari Desert.
While the old cemetery serving as the last resting place of more than 70 soldiers of the Schutztruppe is a painful reminder of one of the darkest chapters in Namibian history there are other more uplifting remnants of the past to be found at Waterberg. These are the inheritance of the San people who were the first human inhabitants of the area and left rock engravings believed to be several thousand years old concentrated around a large waterhole at Okarakuvisa on top of the plateau.
Being situated between Windhoek and Etosha the Waterberg Plateau Park is often treated as a mere stopover between these two destinations. Considering its diverse flora and fauna and its rich natural history the park is however a most rewarding attraction in its own right and deserving of a more prominent position among the many places of interest Namibia has to offer.
For further information:
Namibia Wildlife Resorts
Email: [email protected]
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