May 2025

Visiting a castle and camping next to a hotel in Helmeringhausen

After a very windy and sleepless night at Sesriem near Sossusvlei (read here), we were ready to hit the road before sunrise.

At the garage where we refuelled our ‘bakkie’, the owner just gave us one look while sliding two chicken & mushroom pies across the counter: “Rough night, huh?”  he asked. We just nodded our heads; it was time to get away from this wind (which, by the way, was still raging fiercely).

The road ahead did not look promising

We were now on our way to Helmeringhausen where we had booked one night at the hotel’s campsite. This was the very same road we had travelled the previous day which was in such a poor condition. The good news (and we could do with a bit of good news) was that the road had been graded in the meantime. It was now much easier to drive, and the only obstacle was the sandstorm that struck us repeatedly!

The road was now smoother and easier to drive

Sandstorm

At one point, I said to Berto that it was interesting to see mist in the distance while we were so far from the sea. He quickly corrected me by saying: “That’s not mist, it’s a cloud of dust!”

Not mist, but a large cloud of dust

Driving through the dust

Duwisib Castle:

Although we had to drive 273km/169 miles to our campsite in Helmeringhausen, we decided to take a detour to the well-known Duwisib Castle. The castle is only 20km/12 miles from the small village of Betta, where we were the previous day, and we felt that an extra 40km/24 miles wouldn’t really make a difference on an already long travel day.

Arriving at Duwisib Castle

Upon our arrival, the castle was closed. After walking around the castle a few times, a man from a nearby house came walking towards us. To our surprise, he had the key with him to unlock the castle’s front door.

The front door of the castle

The castle was built in 1909 by ‘Baron’ Captain Hans Heinrich von Wolf, a German military officer, but has been owned by the government since 1979. After finding earlier articles on the internet, it appears that tourists could stay here, but it seems the castle has not reopened its doors for accommodation since Covid in 2020.

Our first impression was that the castle is not really looked after anymore, which is a pity, because it must have been a beautiful place more than 100 years ago. But anyway, let’s show you what it looks like inside the castle of a self-proclaimed baron and baroness. (The Von Wolf couple had a luxurious lifestyle and named themselves baron and baroness.)

The Great Hall of Duwisib Castle

The story is told that ‘Baron’ Captain Hans Heinrich von Wolf built the castle for his wife, Jayta Humphreys, after they got married in 1907. When they settled in German South West Africa (now known as Namibia) in 1908, they began to build the castle with a strong resemblance to some of the existing German forts in Namibia. It was interesting to see large portraits of Hans Heinrich’s parents in the reception and not so much of him and his wife.

Major-General Ernst Hugo von Wolf & Caroline Louise von Wolf (parents of Hans Heinrich von Wolf)

Red sandstone was obtained locally, but most materials such as iron, wood, cement and even lamps were imported from Germany. It arrived by ship at the port of Lüderitz and was then transported for 300km/186 miles by ox wagons to the building site of the castle.

One of the bedrooms (not really “castle quality”, if I may say so)

Wash table in the bedroom

Dark wood furniture in the dining room

Another dining room

Old typewriter & wall decorations

We walked out to the courtyard which was apparently inspired by the cloisters of Western monasteries. It is also known as the courtyard spa – likely referring to the small pool at the far end of the courtyard.

Courtyard

Veranda in the courtyard

It was interesting to see the military phonetic alphabet on the outside of the rooms – a clear sign of the wartime period in which the castle was built.

Alfa, Bravo, Charli

Delta, Echo

Looking back towards the castle

Entrance to the castle from the courtyard

There is also a mezzanine from where you can gaze out over the barren landscape through the windows.

View from the mezzanine

View of The Great Hall from the mezzanine

The Von Wolf’s didn’t stay long in their castle. While travelling to Europe in 1914, WWI broke out. Hans Heinrich rejoined the German army and was killed in 1916. His wife could not bring herself to return to Namibia alone and never again laid claim to the castle. After several changes in ownership, the castle, as mentioned earlier, was acquired by the Namibian government in 1979 and extensively refurbished in 1991 as a tourist attraction.

A last look at the chandelier in The Great Hall

Leaving Duwisib Castle

We drove back to Betta where it was time to refuel the ‘bakkie’ again. It was also a good time to enjoy a cup of tea.

The road back to Betta

Refuelling our ‘bakkie’

Tea at Betta’s only restaurant (with a stunning green lawn)

Old rusted cars in Betta

We covered the last 103km/64 miles to Helmeringhausen quickly. To our surprise (and joy), it was warm and windless when we got out of our ‘bakkie’ – camping in the rooftop tent suddenly sounded quite appealing again.

Helmeringhausen:

What makes Helmeringhausen so unique is that it does not have an official governing body, as it is located on private land. All infrastructure, except for the roads, is part of Farm Helmeringhausen. That being said, here you will find a small airport, hotel (with adjoining campsite), shop, fuel station, and even a private agricultural museum. This is quite significant for a place that isn’t really … well, a place.

Main road in Helmeringhausen

Fuel station and hotel in Helmeringhausen

Upon our arrival at the Helmeringhausen Hotel, there was a large group of overseas tourists enjoying lunch. We decided to do the same before heading to our campsite.

The hotel’s green garden

Lunch was great

After we enjoyed a delicious lunch, the hotel manager took us to our campsite. He mentioned that we would be the only campers for the night and that we could choose any camping spot.

We loved our campsite

When we set up our rooftop tent, I said to Berto that it looked like we brought one of Sossusvlei’s dunes with us. The amount of red sand inside was just crazy. Fortunately, the weather forecast looked good for tonight.

Our rooftop tent is up again

While we were having lunch at the hotel earlier, I saw a sign indicating that they serve the best apple cake in Namibia. We thought we should be the judge of that and walked back to the hotel. And indeed, we enjoyed the most delicious apple cake we have ever eaten.

The best apple cake in Namibia is at Helmeringhausen Hotel

When we returned to our campsite, the staff had packed our ‘donkey boiler’ (geyser) with wood and made a fire so that we could take a hot shower. This was very welcome, as we had to wash quite a bit of sand out of our hair.

Donkey boiler making hot water for a much-needed shower

However, before we showered, we walked the short Sundown Trail to the top of the hill.

Walking the Sundown Trail

There is even seating at the top of the hill

View of Helmeringhausen

Our campsite

The sun is hanging low

On the way down

Back at the campsite, Berto made a fire, and we enjoyed a ‘braai’ – and we really enjoyed it because there was no wind!

‘Braai’ time

At sunset, the light slipped away slowly, but not before the sky changed into soft pastel colours. We gained a new appreciation for sunsets (and sunrises) in Namibia.

Sunset colours at Helmeringhausen

We absolutely loved our stay in Helmeringhausen – both the hotel and our camp site. I think it’s due to a combination of several things: tranquility, delicious food, friendly people, stunning views, and a great camping ground. But especially because there was no wind!

Next week (click here) we’ll take you to the Fish River Canyon where you can enjoy amazing vistas and then there’s the quirky Canyon Roadhouse (it’s not just weird, it’s weird with flair).