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Easy Link To This Page |
The B1 is Namibia's main north-south road. It runs from
Oshikango on the Angolan Border some 1520km to the Namibia / South
African Border for the Western Cape at Noordower. Cape Town lays a
further 685km south.
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Grunau |
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Grunau is more of a small settlement at the side of the rail
track situated about 140km north of Noordoewer, where the junction
with the B3 road takes you 160km to the Namibia / South
Africa Border at Ariamsvlei and on to the other regions of South
Africa. The location of Grunau makes it a convenient and popular
place to over-night. It also serves as a good spring-board for
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visiting the Fish River Canyon. It's about 100km drive to the
Resort at Ai-Ais.
There are limited vehicle repair facilities in Grunau and it's not a
place to go shopping, so you should top up with provisions in a
major town before departing on your journey.
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Karas Region Grunau |
| 27º44'S
- 18º23'E |
| Population below 500 |
Road Distances from Grunau
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Cape Town |
Katima |
Keetmanshoop |
Springbok |
Swakopmund |
Windhoek |
Accommodation
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832 |
2195 |
157 |
274 |
997 |
639 |
Attractions in the Grunau and Noordoewer
Districts
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Ai-Ais Hot Springs Resort offers an ideal stay over
right along-side the Fish River at the lower end of the Canyon.
Accommodation ranges from luxury apartments to shaded camp sites with
water and power The resort is closed during the summer (and rainy season
) months owing to the heat and possibility of flash flooding. Time
Budget 4-6hr+
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Fish River Canyon is 2nd only to the Grand Canyon in size and is one
of 'Africa's Must Sees'. Here you can see where the waters of the Fish
River have, over a period of 1,000 million years cut through the
surrounding hard rock to a depth of over 550 meters. There are sections
of the canyon that are about 27km in width. There is a NWR camp site at
Hobas. Time budget 2hrs+
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Noordoewer Namibia Border Post
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Welcome to Namibia |
The bridge over the Orange River |
Namibia Immigration Post |
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The high cliffs on the south side of the river shine through a variety of shades
of blues and reds during sunrise or sunset Temperatures here are usually warm
and 50°c
is not uncommon in the summer months. If you're planning a canoe or rafting trip, take the
advice of your tour leader with regards to how you should be
equipped.
As a small border town
Noordoewer makes for a popular over night stop for road weary
travellers. There are fuel stations, limited repair facilities, but
no banks or Bureau de Change. On your left hand side driving north
you will see a small township in which many of the huts and houses
have been built from river reeds.
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Reed Hut |
 A mirage lake |
 No - it's not water, but dried salt crystals |
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About 80kms north of
Noordoewer you will see on the west side of the road what appears to
be a lake in the middle of the desert. In reality this is a salt pan
giving a mirage effect. Even when you are quite
close to the 'lake' the shiny layer of salt deposits on the sand
reflect the blue sky. It looks just like a lake of water. Even if you are
driving a 4x4, don't try driving across the salt pan. Your vehicle tracks
would make the pan look ugly. Plus, only a couple of centimetres below the
surface lays a nice deep layer of black mud, into which your vehicle will
sink and will need assistance to get free.
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Road Distances from Grunau
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Cape Town |
Katima |
Keetmanshoop |
Springbok |
Swakopmund |
Windhoek |
Accommodation
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685 /
426 |
2048 /
1273 |
304 /
189 |
126 /
78 |
1162 /
722 |
799 /
496 |
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