Waterberg Plateau Park: Introduction
The Waterberg Plateau is situated east of Otjiwarongo in Northern Namibia and towers over the surrounding plains, approximately 200m in height. This extraordinary gigantic rock, 20km wide and 50km long consists of porous sandstone, also sometimes referred to as 'The Lost Eden', due to the fact that the vegetation is lush and green and once animals get to the top they have no way of getting down.
Situated here is a public resort with camp sites, chalets and cottages with beautiful views over the surrounding savannah. Inside the resort visitors can go on walks on marked paths leading around the plateau and up to the edge, from where you will require a guide. The plateau itself can be explored on a Nature Conservation guided, game-viewing vehicle.
Locate the Waterberg Plateau Park
How to get there & Best time to visit
How to get there
Waterberg Plateau Park is about 300km/185mi northeast of the capital, Windhoek, and 320km/200mi southeast of Etosha National Park. The driving time from Windhoek is around 3½ hours* and it’s about 4 hours* from Etosha. The nearest major town is Otjitwarongo, which is nearly 90km/55mi away.
The park can be visited on an organized tour or independently on a self-drive safari, but self-drive within the park itself is not allowed. Only guided game drives are allowed. The road to the park is usually accessible for normal 2WD cars.
Many visitors start their self-drive or organized safaris by way of 4x4 vehicles in Windhoek. Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH) is 40km/25mi east of Windhoek, and is the primary entry point into Namibia.
There are no scheduled domestic flights to Waterberg Plateau Park. There is an airstrip here for charter flights. Tour operators will usually book charter flights on your behalf as part of your tour package.
Best time to visit
For wildlife viewing, the drier months from July to September are the ideal time to visit Waterberg Plateau Park. Animals seek out water during this time and tend to stay around those sources. Foliage also shrinks back in the hotter months, which makes wildlife watching easier.
Waterberg Plateau Park has a warm, semi-arid climate. Like most such climates, there is a significant contrast in temperature between night and day. Annual rainfall is generally low, usually occurring as heavy thundershowers. The summer months of November to April constitute the Wet season. Rain is absent during the Dry season, which occurs in the winter months of May to October.