Waterberg

Waterberg Plateau Resort

Young Sable Antelope

Southerly section of the Waterberg Plateau

The Greater Waterberg Plateau is flat topped mountain of sandstone 48km in length, between 8 to 16km in width, and looms 1700m over the flat savannah. It is a most impressive formation, and was the venue for Namibia's first great struggle for freedom from colonialism - The Battle of Waterberg.

 

The Park is home to a variety of animals including Baboons, Cheetah, Gemsbok, Giraffe, Brown Hyena, Leopard, Black and White Rhino, Roan Antelope, Sable Antelope, Tsessebe, Warthog, and Cape Buffalo have been introduced from the Addo Park in South Africa. Snakes that can be found in the park include: African Rock Python, Dwarf Python, Black Mamba, Boomslang, and Puff Adder. More than 200 species of Bird have been recorded

 

The Bernabe De La Bat Resort is fully equipped for tourists needs with accommodation ranging from luxury bungalows to camping. The 'Old German Police Station' now serves as a restaurant. There is a swimming pool, guided game drives, hiking trails etc. The resort is managed by Namibia Wildlife Resorts and is a popular stay-over venue for those who have been touring the north of Namibia.

Private vehicles are not allowed onto the Waterberg Plateau, but Game Viewing drives are available at 07h00 and 14h00. Book at the resort office.

Boomslang

From the top you can see forever and ever..

Shaded camping

Bungalows

 

The formation: 300 million years ago the continent of Gondwana was near to the South Pole and what is now Namibia was in the grip of an ice-age. Glaciers moved their way slowly across the land scouring the ancient Damara bed rock. Gondwana  began its slow, but steady movement northwards by plate tectonic process and the ice began its melt leaving deep layers of rock debris (Dwyka Sequence) and ice-melt water in the depression that had been carved out. The lake that had been formed collected the sediments that were washed into them and in areas the conglomerates, sandstones and shale were up to 500 meters in depth. The movement of the continent continued northwards bringing with it climate change until about 200 million years ago the lakes dried out and wind-blown sands were being deposited to depths of several hundreds of meters. About 130 million years ago Gondwana began to break-up and the land masses of South America and Africa began to separate. Many areas of Namibia experienced volcanism. A fault zone stretching from Omaruru to Waterberg to Grootfontein was affected and the ancient Damara bedrock thrust upwards forming a great ridge. Since those times ongoing wind and water erosion has reduced the height of the Waterberg. The rocks are porous and therefore there are no water points on the top of the plateau. The rains that fall over the large area of the plateau either run off or soak through the permeable layers or sandstone. The top of the Waterberg Plateau has a thick layer of wind blown sand on it which require a 4 x 4 to negotiate the roads and pathways.

 

Dinosaurs on the Waterberg: In 1999, on the top of the Waterberg, the fossilized remains of one of the oldest known of dinosaurs from the early Jurassic Period 200 to 146 Ma years ago. Massospondylus grew to a length of about 6 m. The forelegs, although used for walking on, are much shorter than the hind legs. It is thought that this dinosaur could have also walked and run by using just its hind legs. A replica can be seen in the ► Geological Survey Museum in Windhoek.

The Waterberg Resort lays within a National Park area, so there are entrance fees payable to the Ministry of Environment and Tourism. The accommodation and facilities at Waterberg are managed and operated by Namibia Wildlife Resorts

Local Area Attractions

► Battle of Waterberg      ► Dinosaur Tracks    ► Geological Survey Museum        ► Otjiwarongo

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Waterberg Plateau Resort

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