Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
When the wind blows - which is most of the time - the final 10km into Lüderitz may
be blocked by a barchan dune field that seems bent upon crossing the road. Conditions do
get hazardous, especially if it's foggy, and the drifts pile quite high before road crews
clean them off. Obey local speed limits, and avoid driving at night if possible.
WILD HORSES
On the desert plains west of Aus live some of the world's only wild desert-dwelling horses . The origin of these
eccentric equines is unclear, though several theories abound. One theory suggests that the horses are descended
from Schutztruppe (German Imperial Army) cavalry horses abandoned during the South African invasion in 1915,
while others claim they were brought in by Nama raiders moving north from beyond the Orange River. Yet anoth-
er theory asserts that they descended from a load of shipwrecked horses en route from Europe to Australia. Still
others maintain that the horses descended from the stud stock of Baron Captain Hans-Heinrich von Wolf, the ori-
ginal owner of the Duwisib Castle.
These horses, whose bony and scruffy appearance belies their probable high-bred ancestry and apparent adapta-
tion to the harsh conditions, are protected inside the Diamond Area 1. In years of good rain, they grow fat and
their numbers increase to several hundred. Their only source of water is Garub Pan, which is fed by an artificial
borehole.
If not for the efforts of a few concerned individuals, the horses would probably have been wiped out long ago.
These individuals, led by security officer Jan Coetzer of Consolidated Diamond Mines (CDM), recognised that
the horses were unique, and managed to secure funding to install the borehole at Garub Pan. At one stage, the
Ministry of Environment & Tourism (MET) considered taming the horses for use on patrols in Etosha National
Park, though the proposal fell through. There have also been calls to exterminate the horses by individuals citing
possible damage to the desert environment and gemsbok herds. So far, however, the tourism value of the horses
has swept aside all counter-arguments.
The horses may also be valuable for scientific purposes. For instance, they urinate less than domestic horses,
and are smaller than their supposed ancestors. The horses are also able to go without water for up to five days at a
time. These adaptations may be valuable in helping scientists understand how animals cope with changing climat-
ic conditions.
LÜDERITZ
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Before travelling to Lüderitz, pause for a moment to study the map, and you'll realise the
fact that the town is sandwiched between the barren Namib Desert and the windswept
South Atlantic coast. As if Lüderitz's wholly unique geographical setting wasn't impress-
ive enough, its surreal German art nouveau architecture will seal the deal. Something of a
colonial relic scarcely touched by the 21st century, Lüderitz might recall a Bavarian vil-
lage, with churches, bakeries and cafes.
