The lake
Among hills.
Zairon — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Henning Sidow — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Zairon — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Zairon — CC BY-SA 4.0
Hardap is a wide lake behind a dam on the Fish River in central Namibia. Brown-green water spreads between low rocky hills, rocky islands stand in the lake, dark cliffs line the shores, and a clear sky sits over a dry plain. The dam was built between 1960 and 1963 and remained Namibia's largest for more than fifty years. It holds 320 million cubic metres and covers 25 km². It supplies drinking water to Mariental and nearby settlements, and much of Namibia's wildlife lives around it. Its name comes from a Nama word meaning «wart», after the low conical hills around it. You stand at viewpoints on the cliffs above the lake, walk the shores, watch birds on the water and see the sunset over the lake. The dam is about 18 km in a straight line northwest of Mariental. The sun is strong and shade scarce, so bring water and a hat, and keep back from the cliff edges.
Among hills.
Viewpoints.
Over the water.
Near Mariental, Hardap Region, central Namibia
«Wart» in Nama, after the hills.
Yes.