Ombo Rest Camp

The site of battles between German settlers and local tribes, Okahandja (10 minutes’ drive) is a town dotted with war graves and history. Amid the last few colonial buildings and a spread of useful shops, the town’s craft markets are famed for their traditional woodcarvings: a great place for gifts to take home. If you feel like getting energetic, the Kaiser Wilhelm Mountains are here too for a hike. Half an hour from the site, Gross Barmen hot springs is a swish place for a trip, especially after days out in the bush; alongside the steaming waters there are spa treatments, outdoor swimming pools and a restaurant and bar. To get stuck into the surrounding countryside, it’s 15 minutes' drive to the Von Bach Dam Nature Reserve, brimming with trails for hiking and biking through a wilderness of savannah and shrubland, spotting zebras, hartebeest, baboons and kudu. To cool off, head down to the dam for dips, sailing and windsurfing or bring your rod to fish for small- and large-mouth bass. If you’re heading south as part of a longer trip, or just fancy a contrast to the wilderness, the site is an hour’s drive from Namibia’s capital, Windhoek. It’s a compact green oasis amid the deserts, where incongruous German castles and church spires alternate with shiny office blocks; there are museums to mooch about, offering everything from colonial history to meteorites, minerals and railways, and enough stalls in the Namibia Craft Centre to send your luggage back way overweight.