Gross-Barmen Hot Springs

Nestled between green lawns, the gross barmen hot springs are located in a paradise that every tourist should visit while in Namibia. Formerly known as the Otjikango otjinene which was a Herero word meaning big fountain, it was named gross Barmen by the tourists who opened it up. The hot springs come out of the ground at a depth of about 2500 meters with a 65 degrees Celsius but it keeps on cooling and by the time it gets to the thermal bath it has cooled down to around 40 degrees Celsius.

The Gross Barmen was set up in the year 1884 by two missionaries who went by the names of Carl Hugo and Heinrich Kleinschmidt. The Gross Barmen was however abandoned during the Anglo-German war and from that time, it has not been renovated ever since and that is the ruin that you get to see when you get to the Gross Barmen resort.

It was occupied by different missionaries besides the ones who opened it and their main aim was to spread the gospel to the locals so that they could leave behind their cult ways and one of the missionaries had succeeded but that was the time that Maharero came and the locals joined him in a bid to fight for their independence from the colonialists who had taken over their land and their freedom. Located just 100 kilometers away from the capital city of Namibia Windhoek, the hot springs are a destination that you should not miss out on while on a safari to the country.

The Gross Barmen resort is a project that was set up by the Namibian wild life resorts and it was set up to help with boosting the tourism industry in the country. The resort was built around the thermal hot springs that keep on boiling and it is also next to the Swakop River. The spa was built with special facilities that include the following:

• Camping sites, these are situated in all over the resort and tourists can also head out and enjoy a night outside the chalet rooms and enjoy a night outside while gazing at the stars.
• An indoor and outdoor thermal pool, this has been used by many tourists who come in with the different ailments and they have been healed from their ailments.
• The resort also has several accommodation facilities which come in form of bush chalets and family chalets and these need to be pre-booked if you want to enjoy your stay at the springs.
• They also have a spa and wellness where you can relax from.

The Gross Barmen hot springs are the main tourist attraction in the Gross barmen hot springs resort and due to its strategic location that is surrounded by palm trees gives the place a sense of calm that every one that needs to get away from the busy noisy Centre and get a place that is both peaceful and calm. It is a good get away for all those with families as it has a children’s park where they can play from and the resort also provides children related activities that can keep them busy while you also enjoy your own activities.

When you get to the hot springs, you are provided with different treatments and massages that help to treat the ailments and it also helps you relax especially after a long and stressful day. The gross Barmen resort and hot springs are the perfect place to go for a weekend with your family and you do not necessary need to have a tour guide with you. This is majorly a stopover for tourists who are in the country before they continue to the different parts of Namibia for a safari and that is why it is better for all those that are self-driving through Namibia.

Explore the Von Bach dam

The Von Bach dam is also a resort that was set up for the relaxation of tourists who are coming from the capital city of Namibia Windhoek and it is a perfect place for all those that love water sports. These can be arranged with the managed prior to your arrival so that you find when everything is ready.

Visit the Herero people

The Herero people are one of the many tribes that make up the tribes in Namibia and some of them live around the Gross hot springs and they are the ones that named it Otjikango Otjinene. They have a rich culture that every tourist in the country should experience and some of these include:

• The Herero have always been polygamous people and the men are allowed to get any number of women that they can get and the first wife can always assist in choosing the girls that she is going to cook with.
• The Herero women are the caretakers of the family and as the men head out to hunt, the women cook and care for the homestead and that is why they are always in charge of everything that is found in a homestead and not the man.
• The Herero have a festival that they always carry out almost every year and when you visit them during this time, you will find the women all dressed in their traditional wear which are in form of Victorian dresses that used to be put on by the German wives and they are always red in color adorned with an accessory of a hat is horn shaped and this represents the cows that they rare and this is always carried out on the last weekend of August. It is held to commemorate all those that fought their peace and you should not miss out on this.
• When it comes to heritage, every child gets their heritage from the father’s side but as earlier on noted about how women are in charge of their homesteads, the children get all their wealth from their mother’s side.
• The Herero people believe in a supreme being that they cannot see but you will find that there is a fire almost in every homestead and this fire has someone that takes care of it. The fire is set for ceremonies in their communities and they are also used as a way of communicating with the spirits of their loved ones.

The hot springs can be visited at any time of the year and since they are just an hours’ drive from Windhoek, all tourists can take time and make a stopover if not to explore the hot springs then to at least relax and get some medicated massages before they continue to the other tourist destinations within the country. The pricing will be determined by the resort management but just note that one has to at least spend a night at the resort before making other plans.

It is sometimes confusing as many expect the hot springs to be independent of the Gross barmen resort but you cannot visit one without seeing the other which is why as you make your itinerary, make sure that you include the Gross Barmen hot springs and believe me you will not regret your stay here.