Climbing Spitzkoppe Namibia

How I (almost) Ascended Spitzkoppe

May 27, 2011 |

Author SafariFelix

When I first saw the huge rock formation shining resplendent in the evening sun, I was fascinated by the unique shape of this mountain in the middle of the steppe. I grew up very close to Alps and spent basically every weekend of my childhood skiing, hiking or climbing in the mountains. Although I was used to mountains the idea of hiking this huge hill in this very remote place in the beautiful landscape of Namibia inspired me.

The Mission

Without much preparation we grabbed a backpack full of fruit, water and a cell phone (which hadn´t any signal) and started running towards Spitzkoppe. When we arrived at the foot of the mountain, we couldn’t find any trail or tracks that could have guided us. So we kept walking around those strange and at the same time beautiful rock formations and came very close to some zebras.

All of a sudden one of my friends spotted something unnatural. On top of a little hill we descried a small tower build out of stones. We climbed up to this artificial stone collection and as soon as we reached it, we discovered another one 50 meters up the hill.

We crossed little canyons, scrambled up steep rock faces and crawled through some impressive tide caves and tunnel formations always looking for the next mark made by other hikers. It was super exciting to pave our own way up Spitzkoppe. The mountain got steeper and steeper and it was always a new challenge to spot the next mark. We found a lot of different caves and holes to walk in.

The Failure

After 1 ½ hours of exhausting hiking we reached a platform which appeared to be kind of a balcony of a big and very remote cave of former inhabitants. This cave was so amazing with its big holes, which appeared to be natural windows. You could really imagine how people could’ve lived in these kind of caves in the Stone Age. The view from the platform was so stunning, that I can´t describe it in words. We could even see various herds of animals in the distance moving eastwards.

The summit was probably another 100 meters up. By the look of things the only way that would have brought us forward was to climb out of one of those windows and shinny a vertical wall further up. The only thing was that below this wall was a 500 meters deep sheer.

It would have been way too dangerous to try this without any safety equipment. We decided to cancel our mission and upturn before the sun went down.

Spitzkoppe Facts

Nomad Tour 0778 300x199 How I (almost) Ascended Spitzkoppe

Because of its shape Spitzkoppe is also known as the “Matterhorn of Namibia”
The highest outcrop rises about 1784 meters (5857 ft) above sea level
During the first World War a soldier of the imperial “Schutztruppe” supposedly soloed the peak and made fire on the summit. What he may have burned remains a mystery.
In 1971 the peak was climbed in 4 hours by a party led by J.W. Machant from the University of Cape Town Mountain and Ski Club
A coulpe of years ago a Hollywood film company erected a high game fence, which cuts off the surrounding area and bares the entrance to the Spitzkoppe. This is the reason why the popular circumnavigation of the great Spitzkoppe is no longer possible. But you can find plenty of other ways to hike up the hill.
Ancient rock paintings – millions of years old – were found in this area. Among them are the famous Bushman-Paradise and the Rhinoceros wall which proves that these creatures lived in this region millions of years ago.
Rock climbing is impossible in summertime because of the sun, which heats up the mountains enormously.

Since the day our Mission failed, I can´t stop thinking of going back with proper gear and ascending the summit of Spitzkoppe. The area around the mountain is beautiful and surrounded by smaller rock formations. Nature designed little natural swimming pools in the rocks during the rainy season. Check it out - it is so worth it!