Lake Otjikoto- Travel Tips

What to See, How to Plan & Tours

Reviews of Lake Otjikoto

• Johanna Ithindi

  3

  Reviewed: 2025-02-23

  If the area can be well maintained it great place for stopovers, especially for those traveling long distances.

• DDS S

  5

  Reviewed: 2020-01-25

  Such a beautiful place with interesting history, the depth and width of this lake is still unknown. This lake is a national treasure, in the time of war, when the German's troops found out they won't be fighting anymore, they threw their weapons in this lake, where some of which were recovered but some are still in the lake such as 8 fields cannons, 2x3, 7 cm automatic machine guns maxims, 2x3.7 cm revolver guns, 4x7 cm mountain guns, 3x6 cm mountain guns. The water in this lake is fresh water. They wanted to know which river have connected with this lake, so they put a dye and it was discovered that the dye came out in Hentis Bay. It is a great place to visit, the assistants were super nice and it isn't that expensive, it cost N$ 30.00 for adults and N$ 20.00 for children which is in range of $1.70-$2.50.

• Jarred Koen

  5

  Reviewed: 2019-12-19

  Incredible location, a short drive out of Tsumeb. One of the few lakes in the country and has an awesome rich history going back to the early 1900s. Along with a standard mysterious hidden treasure at the bottom of the lake (no way of know if it's actually there) this is a must see.

• John deVil

  3

  Reviewed: 2019-01-16

  In as far back as 1851, the explorers Galton and Andersson measured Otjikoto’s depth as 55 metres, an accurate assessment, as was proved by subsequent plumbings. Yet the notion still persists that Otjikoto and its sister lake Guinas are bottomless, that it is perilous to swim in them, as there are strong undercurrents, and that the two lakes are linked by subterranean passages. Otjikoto boasts a spectacular underwater cave under one of its overhangs, in which there are stalagmites and stalactites, formed when the lake had a lower surface level. Suggestions that the two lakes are linked by underground passages are unfounded, as there is about 8 m difference in the surface levels, Otjikoto being the lower of the two. On occasions when the level of one or the other has risen because of good rains in the catchment area, the other has remained at the same level. Halfway between Tsumeb and Grootfontein is the largest subterranean lake in the world. It is called Dragon’s Breath, has roughly the size of two rugby fields, and is situated 100 m underneath the ground. This lake is “bottomless” in the sense that because of its slanting cylindrical shape, it has been impossible to measure its depth accurately. Because of its situation, however, within a hill with its mouth at the crest and very steep walls down to the water surface, access is difficult. Both lakes are home to an unusual species of dwarf bream fish that breed in their mouths ?

• Kaitlyn Fogarty

  3

  Reviewed: 2018-07-30

  I thought it was nice to walk around, but not that big of a highlight. It’s a few dollars ($4 or 50 rand) per person to enter.