Lake Otjikoto

Lake Otjikoto is situated close to Tsumeb on the way to the Namutoni entrance of the Etosha National Park. Once hidden, the lake was exposed by a large dolomite cave that collapsed and although it is just 102m in diameter, it is over 142m deep in some areas. The area was home to much fighting during World War 1 and the German troops; rather than surrender their weapons to the over-powering British, threw all of their weapons and artillery in the lake. The lake still contains some of the weapons and artillery although most were recovered prior to the lake being declared a National Monument in the late 1980’s. It is now illegal to remove anything from the lake. The name of the lake is derived from Herero language and means deep hole. There is a small kiosk that sells cooldrinks, curios and wooden carvings to visitors. A small entry fee is also charged.