Blutkoppe is a special Namibian destination. You will need a permit to camp here, and if you want more luxurious accommodation you will have to bring it along yourself. Awesome Chapters do offer the use of an off-road caravan or tents for camping in locations like these. The feeling of being the first person here is quite strong, as it is quite desolate. We have a day tour to this destination!

The campsites are quite private, as they are located far (>500m) from each other, and mostly un-occupied for most of the year. There are campsites all around the foot of the mountain, as well as nestled in between the two ranges. The central camp sites are protected from wind in almost all directions. Ablution is provided either by “long drop” or chemical toilets maintained by the Langer Heinrich mine, and there is no running water.

There are quite a few things to do at Blutkoppe, and at the top of the list is the rather easy climb up to the natural caves.While the climb up is easy, please take care as medical attention is quite far away, there is no cellphone reception and the nearest civilization is 100km away.

These caves are located on the Northern range of the Blutkoppe. As Blutkoppe is situated in open desert it gets quite hot during the day, even during Namibia’s winter months. The best time to see the caves would be very early in the day.

The wind erosion on the inside of the caves

Wind erodes the roof of the cave into beautiful shapes. The views from these are quite impressive, and on clear days one can see the Langer Heinrich mine in the distance, as well as appreciate the wide open desert around Blutkoppe.

An impressive quiver tree on the Western side of Blutkoppe

Dead tree by some interestingly shaped granite.

Blutkoppe is also home to a fair bit of game, and I have personally seen Oryx, Ostrich, Zebra, Giraffe and the fox in the picture above. There are reports of a leopard in the nearby Tinkas.