Windhoek was the starting point for my way-too-short Namibia run in 2024. I was there to speak at the Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Challenge and Summit, so the first part of the trip happened in meeting rooms, with name badges, hotel coffee, and conference talk that was actually fairly interesting. Tourism is a major economic driver in most African countries, with potential to grow much bigger and create jobs. Millions of jobs. These are things I like talking about!
Still, panels and keynote speeches are not what draw me to a place. Don’t get me wrong: I may love the topics, but the thrill lies in the adventure and exploration. And you don’t find those at conference centers.
I still got some time to discover a bit of Windhoek and, more importantly, some time beyond it.
Windhoek – Pleasant Pitstop, Not the Main Destination
Attending a conference and then heading back to the airport was never my style. Especially not in a country I’ve not visited before. Once done with the conference, I headed off with a few other delegates for a fast post-conference loop through Spitzkoppe, Swakopmund, Walvis Bay, and Sandwich Harbour. Great, but small itinerary. Too few days. Plenty of reason to return.
The first thing that hits you in Windhoek is how orderly it is. The German heritage still shows, and not subtly. The streets are clean. Traffic lights seem to mean something. Things happen where they are supposed to happen. Quite often when they are supposed to happen too. After enough time in African capitals, that feels borderline weird.
The German colonial leftovers are all over the place. You see them in the architecture, the street names, the food, and the general atmosphere. You are never far from a bratwurst, a decent lager, or a building that looks like it drifted in from somewhere near Bavaria and decided to stay.
Windhoek may not be packed with major attractions, but it does have the Gibeon meteorites in Post Street Mall. These are real chunks of an iron-nickel meteorite that fell over southern Namibia in prehistoric times. At roughly 4.5 billion years old, they are about as old as anything you are likely to come across between shops and errands.
Food-wise, Windhoek is fine. That is about as enthusiastic as I can honestly get. You can eat well enough, and if German food is your thing, this is probably the best place in Africa for it. A few places do a decent job. Still, this is not a city I would travel for just to eat.
Nightlife exists too, but that is not why you come here either. Decent music. Good mood. Small scale. Which suits the place. You can go out, have a few drinks, and still function properly the next day.
That is Windhoek. Clean, orderly, and easy to deal with. You land, get yourself sorted, and move on before the rest of Namibia starts opening up properly. Don’t miss the sauerkraut! The city is not the main event. In Namibia, it doesn’t need to be.
And before dunes, Atlantic fog, granite hills, and some very serious hours on the road, that is not a bad place to begin.
Auf Wiedersehen, Windhoek. We’ll meet again soon!