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any of Namibia Wildlife Resorts’ establishments have carved their footprints into the memory of this country. Resorts such as Okaukuejo, Namutoni, Duwisib and Gross Barmen, each have a rich legacy, well-preserved today. This autumn, TNN looks back on the history and heritage of ten of these establishments. “We are what our past has made us…” Immerse yourself in the memories.
GROSS BARMEN
A Rhenish mission station, of which the ruins still remain, was built on this site in 1844. Missionaries named the station “Great Barmen” after the station’s headquarters in Germany. The mission station in Windhoek was “Barmen”. The original name, however, was Otjikango, meaning large fountain in Otjiherero. Today, nestled on the banks of a tributary of the Swakop and a short distance west of Okahandja, this resort still features hot mineral springs.
/AI-/AIS HOTSPRINGS
Situated at the southern end of the Fish River conservation area, /Ai-/Ais means “scalding hot” in Nama, which refers to the hot springs found in this harsh, stony landscape. Along with the Fish River Canyon, it was first proclaimed a nature reserve in 1968. In 2003, Namibia’s first president, Dr Sam Nujoma, and the former president of the Republic of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, signed a treaty that officially established Namibia’s first transfrontier conservation area, namely the /Ai-/Ais Richtersveld Transfrontier Park.
HALALI
Opened in 1967, Halali’s name is a German word that is used to announce the end of the hunt by bugle. The only hills in Etosha Park are situated at Halali and were once strategically used by colonial German soldiers to operate a heliograph device to signal their comrades at Fort Namutoni. This also elucidates the name of the waterhole Helio.
NAMUTONI
Travellers who first came upon Etosha Pan in 1851 camped at Namutoni’s waterhole. In 1897 Namutoni became a control post during an outbreak of rinderpest. Thereafter, it remained a frontier post for monitoring trade with Ovamboland. The original fort was constructed during 1902 and 1903, but was burned to the ground in the following year by a group of Ovambo warriors led by Ondonga Chief Nehale, after whom the waterhole was named. The fort was rebuilt in the original design in 1906 and declared a national monument in 1949.
OKAUKUEJO
In the beginning the only inhabitants of this site were the nomadic Haikom Bushmen. The rest camp started as a military outpost founded in 1901, while the tower was added in 1963. In 1953, the first game ranger, BJG de la Bat, arrived and soon afterwards became the Director of Nature Conservation and Tourism in Namibia. Today Okaukuejo is known for its awe-inspiring wildlife and fertility. Colourful legends abound, but it is said that the name, originally Okakwiya, means “the woman who has a child every year”.