A Bird Watchers Paradise
The Erongo Mountain range, just a few hour's drive north of Windhoek, is a beautiful area, and a wonderful place to spend the first or last few days of your holiday in Namibia, especially if you are an avid bird watcher.
Rising 2216m, the mountains are home not only to a vast array of bird life, but also plant, reptile and mammals that are endemic or near endemic to Namibia. These include the rosyfaced lovebird, the Damara rockrunner, the white-tailed shrike, the Ruppell's parrot, Hartmann's zebra and the Angolan dwarf python. Other rare, although not endemic, species have also found refuge in the mountain area, including the peregrine falcon, the striking black eagle and the booted eagle, all of which are believed to breed in the area.
The granitic mountain range is a volcanic region, originating some 150 million years ago. The volcano collapsed on its magma chamber, allowing the basin to fill with slow-cooling igneous material. The result is a hard granite-like core, which has withstood the erosion that washed away the surrounding rock. The mountains are also a source for exceptional minerals such as aquamarine, topaz and fluorite.
There are several caves and rock painting sites in the area, thought to date back at least 2,700 years.