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Waterberg Plateau Park
Rising as an island of colour some 200 metres above the surrounding African bush and savannah, the Waterberg Plateau, with its flamboyant brick-red sandstone formations and lush green vegetation, is without a doubt the main drawcard of the region.
The 405 km² Waterberg Plateau Park was proclaimed in 1972 as a reserve for endangered and protected species. The history of the park began on 15 June 1956 with the declaration of two portions of the plateau as natural monuments. This came to pass after representations were made to the then SWA Administration by the Kameradschaft Ehemaliger Deutscher Soldaten, members of the Scientific Society, the Monuments Commission, and other interested parties. The two areas – the Omuverume Plateau and the Karakuwisa Mountain Range – were, however, divided by farms that had been allocated to farmers in the past. The Omuverume Plateau is probably the only sandveld vegetation type that developed for many centuries without being disturbed, due to the vertical cliffs and flora there having reached a unique stage of climate development. Interestingly enough, the original motivation for the proclamation of the entire Waterberg Plateau as a park was to create a reserve for eland. It was reasoned that there were about 800 eland in the Waterberg area that moved from farm to farm and caused a nuisance. As soon as the farmers obtained ownership of the game on their land, the future of these eland would be in jeopardy because the farmers did not tolerate these animals on their land. How wrong this statement proved to be! It was only when farmers were granted ownership of their game, that game populations in the country began to flourish and increase.
Today’s Waterberg Plateau Park is home to some 25 game and over 200 bird species. Rare species such as roan and sable antelope, Cape buffalo and tsessebe occur in large numbers. Species such as black and white rhino are also firmly established on the plateau. The vegetation changes dramatically from acacia savannah at the foot of the plateau to lush green sub-tropical dry woodland with tall trees and grassy plains at the top. Ten fern species have been recorded at the Waterberg, of which one is endemic to Namibia and Angola. There is also an impressive range of flowering plants, including the conspicuous flame lily, Gloriosa superb.
At the foot of the Waterberg plateau a German military graveyard serves as a reminder of one of the darkest periods in Namibian history. During the German-Herero conflict of 1904 to 1907 this was the site of the historic Battle of Waterberg. On 11 August 1904 with Lieut. Gen. Lothar von Trotha at the helm, the German Schutztruppe attempts an aggressive encirclement tactic, surrounding the Herero south of the plateau and killing between 3 000 - 5 000 Herero combatants.The Germans fail to complete the encirclement and most of the Herero manage to escape southeasterly into the waterless Omaheke. The Germans aggressively pursue and then cut off any escape route, forcing the Herero to flee east into British Bechuanaland (now Botswana). During the exodus tens of thousands of men, women and children die of thirst and hunger as they have to travel through the Kalahari Desert to reach the safety of British Bechuanaland.
At the eastern extremity of the park is the Okatjikona Environmental Education Centre, a facility run by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism that provides the opportunity for visiting groups, mainly schoolchildren, to learn about the importance of environmental conservation.
The superb natural beauty of the Waterberg can be enjoyed by vehicle on a guided game-viewing tour conducted by NWR or on easy walking routes along the base of the plateau.
