Khomas, Namibia

State guide with cities, regions, and key information.

NamibiaAfrica
Introduction
Khomas is the small central-Namibian region built around the capital Windhoek and the surrounding Khomas Hochland — the mountainous plateau rising to 2 000 m that gives the region its name. It is geographically among the smallest of Namibia's fourteen regions (37 000 km²) but demographically the largest, with about 500 000 of the country's 2.6 million people living within its borders — almost all of them in Greater Windhoek. The region is the country's administrative, political and economic centre. The Hosea Kutako International Airport is technically in Khomas (45 km east of central Windhoek), and the Eros Airport sits inside the city. The B1 highway runs the length of the region north–south, the B6 east to the airport and the South-African border, the B2 west to Swakopmund and the coast, and the C26 / C28 are the scenic gravel passes through the Khomas Hochland to the Namib. Khomas is where every Namibian itinerary begins and ends.

Discover Khomas

Windhoek (≈ 480 000 in Greater Windhoek) is the demographic, political and economic centre of Khomas and of the country as a whole. It sits in a basin on the central plateau at 1 700 m and operates as the country's only proper city — every national institution, the only international airport with intercontinental traffic, every major hotel chain, the country's best restaurants, the central Namibian Craft Centre, and the start and end of nearly every self-drive itinerary in the country. The Wilhelmine architectural personality of the centre — Christuskirche, Alte Feste, Tintenpalast, the three Klein Windhoek castles — comes from the 1884–1915 German colonial period. The Independence Memorial Museum opened in 2014 on the hill behind the Alte Feste presents the country's pre-colonial, colonial and independence history across five floors. Klein Windhoek and Olympia hold the city's better restaurant scene — Joe's Beerhouse, The Stellenbosch Tasting Room, Leo's at the Castle in the Heinitzburg, Käpps in Swakopmund's Konditorei tradition. Katutura township on the city's western edge dates from a 1959 urban-restructuring period and today holds the demographic majority of the city; it is best explored on a guided township tour.

Travel Types

Windhoek — Capital & National Centre

Wilhelmine architecture, the Independence Memorial Museum, Joe's Beerhouse, the Namibia Craft Centre and the only proper restaurant-and-hotel scene in the country.

Daan Viljoen & Khomas Hochland Game Farms

Daan Viljoen Game Reserve 24 km west of Windhoek with springbok, gemsbok, eland and giraffe; Gocheganas, Heja and the wider belt of private game farms in the Khomas highlands.

Khomas Hochland Gravel Passes (C26 & C28)

Scenic gravel descents from Windhoek to the Atlantic via the Bosua Pass and the Gamsberg viewpoint at 2 347 m — 4–5 hour drives that end at Swakopmund or Walvis Bay.

Hosea Kutako Airport & B6 Corridor

Namibia's only intercontinental airport 45 km east of the city; the B6 continues to the Trans-Kalahari Border Post (Mamuno) and on to Botswana — a Visa-on-Arrival entry point.

Auas Mountains & Avis Dam Day Walks

The Auas range south of Windhoek with hiking trails and the Heja game-farm reserve; the Avis Dam on the eastern edge of the city as the local cycling and birdwatching reservoir.

Heroes' Acre & National-Memorial Sites

Heroes' Acre 12 km south of the city as the national-memorial garden; the Old Location Cemetery near Penduka as a small memorial site.

Khomas — Practical Travel Notes
  • •Greater Windhoek (≈ 480 000 people) is the only city of any size in Khomas and the only place in the country with consistent intercontinental flight access, full hotel chains, the central Namibia Craft Centre and a real restaurant scene. Outside Greater Windhoek the region is sparsely populated farm-and-game-ranch land.
  • •Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH) is 45 km east of central Windhoek on the B6 — a 35–45 minute drive depending on traffic. No rail link. Transfer options: pre-booked shuttle (around N$ 250–350), fixed-rate taxi (around N$ 500–600), or rental car collected at the airport. The drive crosses the Auas–Onyati ridge with good summer afternoon views over the Hochland.
  • •Most international visitors collect their rental 4x4 at the airport rather than at a Windhoek city desk — the airport has all the major chains (Avis, Europcar, Bidvest, Asco, Drive Africa) with longer hours than the city offices. Inspect the spare tyre and the recovery gear (jack, wheel-nut wrench, recovery boards) before driving away.
  • •The Khomas Hochland gravel passes (C26 and C28) are dramatic but slow — allow 4–5 hours from Windhoek to the coast, and do not attempt the steep upper sections in a small sedan after rain. The Gamsberg viewpoint on the C26 at 2 347 m is one of the country's most panoramic mountain-to-desert overlooks.
  • •Daan Viljoen Game Reserve is open daily from 06:30 to 18:00 (gate closes at sunset); the entrance fee is paid at the gate (around N$ 80 adult). The loop drive takes about 90 minutes for a careful game-viewing pace. The Wag-'n-Bietjie hiking trail is well-marked and can be walked without a guide.
  • •Heroes' Acre, 12 km south on the B1, is open daily — access is free, but no shade or food is available on site, so visit in the early morning or late afternoon and bring water.
  • •Windhoek is safe by Southern-African standards in the day; walking the central streets after dark is discouraged in favour of taxis or Bolt/Lefa. Avoid Katutura township at night without a local guide; daytime township tours are well-organised and safe.
  • •Mobile coverage is reliable on the B-roads and at the airport; intermittent on the C-roads of the Hochland interior. Carry printed copies of bookings, the rental contract and emergency contacts for inland drives — do not rely on the phone screen at the moment you need a document.
  • •Card payment including contactless is universal in Windhoek and at the airport. Smaller Hochland farm lodges and the Spitzkoppe-area community sites take cash only. ATMs are abundant in central Windhoek (on Independence Avenue, in the Wernhil/Maerua/Town Square/The Grove malls) and at the airport — both N$ and ZAR work.
  • •Khomas's climate is mild and dry: 270+ days of sunshine, cool winter mornings (down to 5 °C in June and July at 1 700 m elevation), warm summer afternoons (28–32 °C from October to March) with afternoon thunderstorms in January and February. The region's altitude makes it noticeably cooler at night than the lower coast or southern desert.
  • •The region operates primarily in English (the official language) with German widely spoken in the older central businesses, Afrikaans common as a second language, and Oshiwambo and Otjiherero widely heard in Katutura township. International visitors find English universal in tourism, government and the airport.
  • •Sunday in Windhoek is quieter than weekdays — many smaller shops and some restaurants close, the malls remain open with reduced hours, and the Khomas Hochland game-farm restaurants generally open for lunch. Plan grocery shopping for Saturday afternoon if catering for a Sunday departure.
Cities in Khomas

1 city with detailed travel information

Windhoek