Hardap Dam

Hardap was completed in 1963 across the Fish river and was the largest reservoir in Namibia until the Neckertal Dam was completed in 2018, holding water for irrigation downstream and supplying Mariental. A game reserve on the western shore holds oryx, kudu, hartebeest and black rhino in dry thornveld, and the water draws pelicans, flamingos and fish eagles. Fishing on the dam is a draw for Namibians, with carp, barbel and kurper. A resort on the escarpment above looks down over the whole basin.

History

The name comes from the Nama word for "nipple" or "wart", after the low conical hills around it. Built in 1963, the dam was the largest in the country for more than five decades, until the Neckertal Dam near Keetmanshoop, finished in 2018, overtook it (Wikipedia, Hardap Dam).

What's there

• The reservoir - for five decades the country's largest body of stored water.
• The game reserve - oryx, kudu and black rhino on the western shore.
• The birdlife - pelicans, flamingos and fish eagles on the water.
• The escarpment view - the resort terrace looking down over the basin.

When to go

March to October is the cooler window. Water levels vary sharply with the rains and the dam has both overflowed and dropped very low in recent years. Summer heat here is severe.

Before you go

Water level swings are dramatic and a low year makes the setting bleak. The resort has had periods of poor upkeep. The game reserve is small and sightings are modest.

Nearby

Mariental is southeast, and the Fish River Canyon is far to the south.