My Favourite Ghost Town – Bogenfels

Happy Travel Tuesday everyone! As much as I’ve promised myself I will never travel abroad again, I am also a big fat liar and I can’t wait to go overseas again! I’ve made the beautiful picture that Mr John took of me in Venice, my screensaver at work. I love to look at the blue of the water and remember how the plants waltzed among the steps. When you finally go to a dream destination, you realise how easy it was (not the saving and the money of course!) but the logistics. We really can go to our dream locations if we set our minds to it.

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Another one of my dream locations is my day dream location. It’s the kind of place you need to hire an Around About Cars 4×4 to get there because it’s a LITTLE out the way. But it’s worth all the mission.

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This is a very special place to me because, as a child, I had the privilege of visiting Bogenfels ghost town. Never heard it of? It’s no wonder. Bogenfels is a ghost town in the heart of the Sperrgebiet (forbidden territory), in the Namdeb diamond mining area of Namibia. It lies 3kms from the coast line and is a small, beautiful, forgotten village. Namibia used to be a German colony, this is why there is a German influence on the names, and German is still spoken in Namibia today.

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The ‘pink house’ is a ghost house that has been maintained for people to visit. I went to the Pink House for my standard 5 prefects’ camp. A few kilometers away lies the beautiful Bogenfels arch, a spectacular rock formation that is a national monument and precious, precious piece of nature.

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Bogenfels also hosts a bowling alley, the Germans were very fond of a little Friday night shindig at the alley.

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My family no longer lives in Namibia any more, therefore, I don’t know when I will ever return to this incredible moonscape, but I love to think of the dried up pans, the sand to the ceilings, the sounds of the metal rafters gently banging in the wind, the little mouse that lives under the braai, the jackals that eat our left over bones, the crows that circle above and the white, white light that always sets along the coast line. And let me not forget to mention the stars. There’s no justifying how beautiful the sky is at Bogenfels.

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I like to think of Bogenfels when I’m in taking in a beautiful view or even in a bustling city. We always feel like the world is only where we are, so if I’m in Cape Town, that’s where it’s at. If I’m in London, that’s where it’s at. But the truth is that it’s all happening, all the time, at the same time. I find magic in that.Namibia will always be a really special place to me and I hope to visit again one day in the future. I’m REALLY overdue for a visit in the North, but the South will always be in my soul.

If you’ve ever been to a ghost house, please let me know in the comments below. I’d LOVE to hear about your experiences in the Namib desert!

To rent a car with Around about Cars and explore this incredible region of South Africa click here: Car Rental South Africa.

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  1. says: Trevor

    Afternoon. I find your photos of Bogenfels settlement really wonderful, and I think you were very brave to venture down to the beach close to the foot of the arch. I was too wary of doing that when I visited the place. Yes. I agrre with your comments about the wonderful sandy harsh solitude of the Sperrgebiet. Adolph Jensch is the only artist who did justice to the bare haunting landscape.

    1. HA! Thanks so much Trevor! It’s incredible at the bottom but has also been off limits for many years (depends on who you visit with).
      I will look up Adolph Jensch as I’m not familiar with his works. Thank you for the tip!