Keetmanshoop
Travel Guide Africa Namibia Keetmanshoop
Introduction
Quiver Tree Forest 6
© Gelli
Keetmanshoop is a small town in the south of Namibia, though it is by far the largest settlement in the region and a good overnight stop or base for a day or so. Apart from the quiver tree forests, there isn't much of interest here for the intrepid traveller (unless you have a penchant for colonial architecture). It's a town on the road from Windhoek to the South African border and as such is most frequently used for its petrol stations. The only road to Lüderitz starts in Keetmanshoop.
Sights and Activities
Aside from the Keetmanshoop museum, which is based in the Rhenish Mission Church, the nearby quiver tree forests are often a stop-off for travellers in the area. Another worthwile attraction is a cheetah rehabilitation centre along the road to the quiver tree forest.
Getting There
By Train
There is a regular overnight train service with TransNamib, the national railway company of Namibia, from Upington in South Africa to Windhoek in Namibia via Keetmanshoop. The total trip takes about 26 hours. Although the domestic service from Keetmanshoop to Windhoek rides every day except Saturdays, the train between Upington in South Africa's Northern Cape province and Keetmanshoop only rides on two days: from Upington on Sundays and Thursdays at 5:00am arriving 11 and a half hours later in Keetmanshoop and from the latter on Wednesdays and Saturdays around 9:00am, taking well over 12 hours to reach Upington.
By Car
Most visitors will reach the town this way, being as it's placed on one of the few tar roads that exist in Namibia.
By Bus
Long distance coaches pass through Keetmans on a regular basis on their way between Windhoek and South Africa. Unfortunately the north-bound trip from South Africa arrives at a nasty hour of the morning.
Combies (shared taxis) travel regularly to Keetmans from various places in Namibia, including Windhoek, Lüderitz and Mariental. Combies also arrive in Keetmans from South Africa. There are also private shuttles that provide transport to and from Keetmanshoop.
Eat
- Uschie's - A humble, friendly, portly eatery near the main road into town, Uschie's is run by an old German couple. The restaurant offers a shockingly large amount of different hamburgers, all of them great. Just as massive (and famous in South Africa) are the Greek salads.
- Central Lodge, 5th Avenue (in the town centre). The meals are good value for money, even the light meals are quite big. Light lunch 50 N$, lunch 90 N$, steak 120 N$.
Drink
There is a nice pub in town, just behind the swimming pool, called Steamers where everyone is welcome. Nice atmosphere, especially on Friday and Saturday nights.
Sleep
- La Rochelle B&B is a comfortable option costing about N$200 for an en suite room with aircon.
- Bird's Mansions Hotel, 6th Ave, ☎ +264 63 22-1711, fax: +264 63 22-1730, e-mail: [email protected].
- Canyon Hotel, ☎ +264 63 22-3361, fax: +264 63 22-3714, e-mail: [email protected].
- Central Lodge, 5th Stree, ☎ +264 63 22-5850, fax: +264 63 22-4984, e-mail: [email protected].
- Quivertree Forest Rest Camp (about 15 kilometres northeast of Keetmans on the road M29).
- Bernice Bed and Breakfast, down a dirt road with out a street address, ☎ +264 63 224851. single/double rooms. N240/360
Keep Connected
Internet
There are Internet cafes in Windhoek, Swakopmund and Opuwo, and hostels often have access as well. Wifi is on the rise, but still not on the level of neighbouring South Africa.
Phone
See also: International Telephone Calls
Namibia's country code is 264. Each city or region has a two-digit area code. When calling long distance within Namibia, prefix the area code with a '0'. Mobile phones are very common and run on the GSM network, using the same frequency as Europe and the rest of Africa. Be aware that when you get off the beaten track signal can be erratic.
To avoid high costs, switch off data roaming and/or buy a local SIM card instead. Internet rates especially are extremely high still, but you will also save money on calling costs.
Post
Nampost is the national postal service of Namibia. It has post offices in most major cities and towns or postal services are incorporated within small shops in the smallest settlements. As for many countries in Southern Africa, services are actually fairly reliable but not very fast. Count on 2 weeks or more for postcards or letters to be send to countries in Europe or North America. Most post offices are open from 8:00 or 9:00am to around 4:30pm, with shorter hours (mornings) on Saturdays. Note that local variations may apply. For parcels, you might choose more expensive but faster companies like DHL, UPS, FedEx or TNT.
External Links
Keetmanshoop Travel Helpers
We don't currently have any Travel Helpers for Keetmanshoop
This is version 12. Last edited at 9:58 on Jul 30, 19 by Utrecht. 10 articles link to this page.
Except where otherwise noted, content of this article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License