Lace up your hiking boots and explore the valley of Waterberg Wilderness on five demarcated trails. Various difficulties but all with stunning viewpoints. Below is an insight into the Andersson Trail and its namesake.
A Swedish explorer at Waterberg
This trail is dedicated to the famous Swedish explorer Charles John (actually Karl Johan, * 4. March 1827, † 5. July 1867) Andersson who wandered through the area of Waterberg Wilderness while looking for elephants on his exploration of northern Namibia.
Andersson was an explorer, hunter, trader and writer who ventured into the northern part of Namibia long before the founding of the German Colony (1884). 23-year old Andersson arrived on ship in Walvis Bay harbour on 20 August 1850 when accompanying Africa explorer Francis Galton. In 1851 they went on their exploration to Ovamboland and were the first Europeans to reach the Waterberg. They set up camp at the spring where the state-owned rest camp is situated today. While Galton was resting, Andersson explored the vicinity including the valley of Waterberg Wilderness with a local guide. The natives had told him that elephant cows liked to frequent the valley shortly before giving birth.
On 20 May 1851 Galton and Andersson camped at the Otjikoto lake near Tsumeb. Not long afterwards they were the first Europeans to explore the Etosha Pan. Today the entrance gate to Etosha south of Okakuejo is the ‘Andersson Gate’. 1867 Andersson achieved his long-time goal of being the first European to explore the Kunene. There, however, he fell severely ill and passed away on 5 July.
The trail – in the footsteps of Andersson
Running halfway up the slope through bush and tall trees, this trail offers a lot of shade and several viewpoints into the valley. Approx. 2.8 km, the trail is easy to hike with a halfway stop at the Andersson campsite. We recommend sturdy shoes, headgear and a water bottle. Explore the paradise of Waterberg Wilderness on the Andersson Trail and many other nature trails.
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Andersson Trail – info board at Waterberg Wilderness
