Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
MARIENTAL
063
The small administrative and commercial centre of Mariental is home to the large-scale
Hardap irrigation scheme, which allows citrus-growing and ostrich farming. For most
travellers, however, Mariental is little more than a petrol stop before heading out west to
Sesriem and Sossusvlei.
If you get stuck for the night, the well- established
Mariental Hotel
( 242466; Mar-
ie Brandt St; s/d N$350/480; )
has plush rooms with modern amenities as well as an
attractive dining room serving Namibian standards.
Intercape Mainliner (
Click here
)
buses travelling from Windhoek to Keetmanshoop
pass through Mariental (from N$250, three hours, four weekly).
HARDAP DAM GAME RESERVE
063
This
reserve
(per person N$20, plus per vehicle N$10; sunrise-6pm)
, 15km northwest
of Mariental, is a 25,000-hectare wildlife park with 80km of gravel roads and a 15km hik-
ing loop. Hardap is Nama for 'nipple'; it was named after the conical hills topped by
dolerite knobs that dot the area.
There are several picnic sites east of the lake, and between sunrise and sunset you can
walk anywhere in the reserve. Note that swimming isn't permitted in the dam.
Most travellers come for the
blue lake
, which breaks up the arid plateau landscape and
provides anglers with carp, barbel, mudfish and blue karpers. The lake also supports
countless species of water bird, including flamingos, fish eagles, pelicans, spoonbills and
Goliath herons.
To get to the reserve, you will need your own vehicle - take the signposted turning off
the B1, 15km north of Mariental, and continue 6km to the entrance gate.
BRUKKAROS
With a 2km-wide crater, this extinct volcano (1586m) dominates the skyline between
Mariental and Keetmanshoop. It was formed some 80 million years ago when a magma
pipe encountered groundwater about 1km below the earth's surface and caused a series of
violent volcanic explosions.
From the car park, it's a 3.5km hike to the crater's southern entrance; along the way,
watch for the remarkable
quartz formations
embedded in the rock. From here, you can
head for the otherworldly
crater floor,
or turn left and follow the southern rim up to the
