The length of stay depends on the number of activities. If the town is visited shortly before Etosha, a brief visit is recommended due to park closing times (sunset) and as travellers will be impatient to get to the park. If the town is visited after the trip to Etosha, a day and an afternoon, night and morning is a possibility to allow for the Hoba Meteorite, Otjikoto Lake and some of the town’s attractions. This is particularly recommended for mineral collectors.

Tsumeb is a fully fledged town with:
* 24 hours petrol stations with tow in services
* Vehicle repair garages
* Banking facilities
* Wide range of stores
* Restaurants, cafes and bars


  Branch with Bureau de Change
  Cnr. Main Street & Jordaan Street
  Mon - Fri: 08h30 - 15h30
  Sat:  08h30 - 12h00
  Hours may vary.

Itinerary
Use the opportunity to see some of the attractions in the surrounding area such as Otjikoto Lake and the Hoba Meteorite.

Malaria
Impalila Island falls within the malaria area. Travellers should see basic malaria precautions and guidelines

Clothing
Travellers should be prepared for cold and high heat. In winter (May to September) the nights may be cold but midday may be warm to hot. In summer the temperature may rise to over 35 C.

Restock and refuel
Use the opportunity to restock the coolbox, refuel, check water, oil and tyres. Bear in mind that shops in Etosha have a limited range of supplies.

In Tsumeb
* Minerals
* Tsumeb Museum
* Arts and Crafts Centre
* Cultural Village

Near Tsumeb
* Hoba Meteorite
* Otjikoto Lake

Tsumeb, founded as a mining community, sits above a major mineral pipe. With over 240 mineral specimens, Tsumeb is considered by many as one of the greatest mineral localities in the world. The town museum features displays on the minerals found in the Tsumeb mine.

Some of the mineral species found at Tsumeb:
* Azurite
* Angelsite
* Aragonite
* Bayldonite
* Calcite
* Cerussite
* Copper
* Cuprite
* Dioptase
* Dolomite
* Duftite
* Ludlockite
* Malachite
* Mimetite
* Mottramite
* Olivenite
* Rosasite
* Smithsonite
* Tennantite
* Willemite
* Wulfenite

The Tsumeb Museum lies in Main Street, Tsumeb, next to the Lutheran Church and opposite the park. 

The museum houses excellent displays of:

• the area's rare minerals and mining history
  
• Bushmen and Himba artefacts
  
• details the history of the German colonial forces in the area
  
• arms and artefacts retrieved from Otjikoto Lake 

Open:
Monday to Friday: 09:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 17:00
Saturday: 09:00 to 12:00
Sunday & Public Holidays: CLOSED (For groups of a minimum of 10 guests and under the condition of a minimum 24 hour prior reservation, special arrangements can be made)

Entrance Fees:
Monday to Saturday
Adults: N$ 25
Children under 14 years of age: N$ 3
Sunday & Public Holidays by special pre arrangement: N$ 25

Contact details:
Tel: +264 - (0)67 - 220 447
E-mail: tsumus@iway.na

Note: Entrance fees were provided on the 12.02.2010 and are a guideline only and may change without advance notice.

The Arts & Crafts Centre is run as a charitable organisation. The Centre gives local people an opportunity to earn incomes by selling their handiwork. It also provides training to artists.

Located at the southern entrance to town, the cultural village is a community project that gives travellers a look at the cultures and lifestyles of rural Namibians, as well as their histories. Local foods are available, including ‘oshikundu’, a drink made from millet, know locally as ‘omahangu’. Crafts are on display and available for sale.

Hoba Meteorite, a national monument, lies about 67 km south east from Tsumeb on the farm Hoba West. It is said to be the largest yet discovered. The meteorite is of particular interest to those who are interested in astronomy and geology, but a visit is also a useful way to break the journey. Allow for a one hour visit.

There are two legends about Otjikoto Lake: firstly, that it is bottomless and, secondly, that its depths contain a safe with 6 million gold Reichsmarks. What is known is that German forces, on the brink of surrender to Union troops during World War 1, dumped weapons and ammunition into its depths. Some of this material was retrieved and has been placed in the Tsumeb Museum, and some remains in the depths of the lake as a museum for certified divers.

Also of interest is the fact that Guinas and Otjikoto contain a critically endangered species of fish, the Otjikoto tilapia, which evolved and was discovered in Lake Guinas and then translocated to Otjikoto Lake.

* Tsumeb can be reached in a small 2 X 4 sedan.
* If onward travel is on gravel roads a 4x4 may be required in the rainy season.

* Etosha National Park (Von Lindequist Gate)
* Oshakati
* Otjiwarongo
* Waterberg
* Okahandja
* Windhoek
* Rundu
* Tsumkwe

Etosha National Park (Von Lindequist Gate)
Etosha (Von Lindequist Gate) to Tsumeb is approx. 99 km
* From the Von Lindequist Gate take the C83 to the B1 turn off (approx. 25 km)
* Turn right into the B1 and follow it to Tsumeb (approx. 74 km)
The entire route is on tar road.
En-route attraction: Otjikoto Lake

Oshakati
Oshakati to Tsumeb is approx. 285 km
* From Oshakati take the B1 south east to Tsumeb (approx. 285 km)
The entire route is on tar road.

Otjiwarongo
From Otjiwarongo to Tsumeb is approx. 181 km
* From Otjiwarongo drive north on the B1 to Otavi (approx. 119 km)
* From Otavi drive north on the B1 to Tsumeb ( approx. 62 km)
The entire route is on tar road.

Waterberg
Waterberg to Tsumeb is approx. 274 km
* From Waterberg drive south on the D2512 to the C22 turn off (approx. 24 km)
* Turn right into the C22 and continue to the B1 turn off (approx. 41 km)
* Turn right into the B1 and drive to Otjiwarongo (approx. 28 km)
* From Otjiwarongo drive north on the B1 to Otavi (approx. 119 km)
* From Otavi drive north on the B1 to Tsumeb ( approx. 62 km)
The D2512 is gravel road. The rest of the route is tar road.

Windhoek
Windhoek to Tsumeb is approx. 418 km
* From Windhoek drive north on the B1 via Okahandja to Grootfontein (approx. 237 km)
* From Otjiwarongo drive north on the B1 to Otavi (approx. 119 km)
* From Otavi drive north on the B1 to Tsumeb ( approx. 62 km)
The entire route is on tar road.

Rundu
Rundu to Tsumeb is approx. 309 km
* From Rundu drive south west on the B8 to Grootfontein (approx. 252 km)
* From Grootfontein drive north west on the C42 to Tsumeb (approx. 57 km)
The entire route is on tar road.
Detour attraction: Hoba Meteorite

Tsumkwe
From Tsumkwe to Tsumeb is approx. 335 km
* From Tsumkwe drive west on the C44 to the B8 turn off (approx. 225 km)
* Turn right into the B8 and follow it to Grootfontein (approx. 53 km)
* From Grootfontein drive north west on the C42 to Tsumeb (approx. 57 km)
The C44 is gravel road and the B8 is tar road.

Tsumeb Airport (FYTM)
South: 19 degrees 16’ 00”
East: 17 degrees 44’ 00"
Length: 1,470 meters
Width: 17 meters
Elevation: 4,353 feet
Direction: 12/30
Surface: Tar

Kempinski Mokuti Lodge
Approx. 99 km north of Tsumeb and 200 meters east of the Von Lindequist Gate
56 deluxe rooms, 34 safari club rooms, 8 safari Suites & 8 etosha suites, spa, gym, several conference venues, tennis courts, reptile park & petrol station.

Ohange Lodge
Approx. 32 km south of Tsumeb
10 bungalows, 6 self catering rooms and a campsite. Bungalows overlook a waterhole. Night and day game drives as well as morning and sundowner guided walks.

Onguma Bush Camp
Approx. 99 km north of Tsumeb and 200 meters east of the Von Lindequist Gate
3 twin bungalows, 3 twin rooms, 1 family suite (4 beds), waterhole, mid range. Ideal base for families to explore the Etosha National Park.

Onguma - The Fort
Approx. 99 km north of Tsumeb and 200 meters east of the Von Lindequist Gate
12 luxury mini suites overlooking Fisher's Pan , 1 luxury fort suite, around waterhole. Located on the 20,000 ha private Onguma Game Reserve.

Onguma Tented Camp
Approx. 99 km north of Tsumeb and 200 meters east of the Von Lindequist Gate
7 twin ‘Meru style’ luxury tents surrounding waterhole. Guided game drives into Etosha. Game and night dirves on the private Onguma Game Reserve.

Onguma Tree Top Camp
Approx. 99 km north of Tsumeb and 200 meters east of the Von Lindequist Gate
Intimate camp with 4 chalets at the height of the tree canopies, overlooking a waterhole.

!Uris Safari Lodge
Approx. 25 km from Tsumeb en route to the Von Lindequist Gate
14 guest rooms incl. 7 double rooms & 7 family rooms. Ideal for guests with an interest in gemstones and minerals. Offers weddings, conference facilities and wellness & beauty treatments.

Tsumeb, the last major town before Namutoni is an excellent place to stock up before the journey into Etosha. But a closer look at the town reveals a treasure trove for mineral collectors, with over 240 specimens found in the area. And for those who want to spend more time in the area, there is the possibility of trips to the Hoba Meteorite and Otjikoto Lake.

The name Tsumeb comes from the Hain//om Bushman word 'Tsomsoub', which means 'to dig a hole which collapses again', and from the Otjiherero word 'Otjisume', which means 'place of the frogs'.

During summer, the temperature rises to approximately 30 C. In winter temperatures during the midday range between 18 and 25 C, however temperatures can fall below 0 C at night and in the early morning.

A huge mineral pipe stretches downwards, for at least 1,300 m from the base of Tsumeb. The pipe lies in the Precambrian Otavi dolomite which has an age of between 740 and 750 million years. It is believed that the rock in the pipe was formed by sand that seeped through with water into the same karst formation as Otjikoto Lake. However some believe that the rock may be volcanic.

The ore is polymetallic, with elements of copper, lead, silver, gold, arsenic, germanium and zinc. It also contains rare and unique minerals, much prized by collectors, such as feinglosite, leiteite and ludockite.

The area has long been the site of mining. In the 20th century, much of the ore was removed by cut and fill methods. Mining is still a mainstay of the economy of Tsumeb, but on a reduced scale.

The Tsumeb landscape was once dominated by a rugged hill 12 m high, 40 m wide and 180 m long, consisting of solid malachite, azurite and other minor copper secondaries. This 'Green Hill' was called by the local Owambos Otjisume 'the place of the green algae'.

It is not known when mining of Otjimuse or the 'Green Hill' began, but it is known that the Bushmen mined mainly the malachite and traded it with the Owambo people. By turning termite hills into furnaces the Owambos formed copper rods. These copper rods were fashioned into jewelry or tools, and bartered. The trade between Bushmen and Owambo continued for some time until the Owambos found other copper deposits in the Otavi Mountains and began their own mining.

The earliest written records of mineral deposits in the Otavi area can be found in the diary of Sir Francis Galton in 1851. In 1857 Rhenish missionaries noted the trade between the Bushmen and Owambos. In 1875 two Americans noticed the copper ore near Otavi, sent samples to Cape Town and were advised to start digging for ore. The Owambos however, took a hostile attitude and the two men had to leave. The knowledge of copper deposits in the Otavi Mountains became known to the world and stimulated interest. The deposit at Tsumeb was still a secret.

In 1893, Matthew Rogers who had been sent by London on an expedition to the Otavi Mountains discovered the Green Hill and stayed for about one year. Rogers sank two shafts, each 20 m deep and concluded that it was the best mineral deposit he had ever seen. His assessment would prove to be most accurate, as Tsumeb was to be one of the richest mines in the world.

In February 1893, the South West Africa Company sent out Dr. G. Hartman.  As the preliminary exploration of the Otavi mineral deposits consumed most of the capital the Otavi Minen-und Eisenbahn-Gesellshaft (OMEG), with financing from several German banking groups, was founded on the 6th April 1900.

In August 1900 OMEG sent Christopher James to evaluate the potential of the Tsumeb deposit. By March 1901 he had sunk 38m of shaft and had started crosscutting. On 13 August 1901 he made his preliminary report. According to his report there were over 200,000 tones of high grade ore and over 190,000 tonnes of low grade ore. He had also identified that the western end was copper rich and the eastern lead rich. His report was also the first to mention the presence of minerals such as chalcocite, galena and cerussite. He recommended building a railroad from the Walvis Bay to Tsumeb. James estimated a mine life of just over eight years, a huge underestimate as the mine was open for over 80 years.

Based on this evaluation, in 1903 the Colonial Company obtained the mining rights to a large area around the Otavi Mountains, including Tsumeb. They also agreed to construct a railroad.

By 1905 work to rehabilitate the shafts and crosscuts excavated by James commenced . By 1906 the railroad from Walvis Bay to Tsumeb was completed and a new two-compartment shaft was being sunk. At this time the dumps were being hand sorted and it was realized that a substantial part of the ore was not of a sufficiently high grade for export. In order to smelt both high grade copper and lead ore, a smelter was build in 1907.

To begin with all mining was done by hand drilling and candle light with up to 20 crews employed, but in 1909 jack hammers were introduced. Export ore from the eastern side of the ore body averaged over 16% copper while smelting ore was derived from the western end. In 1911 the east and west pits were joined, the once 'Green Hill' had now been turned into a hole.

Just prior to World War I, the ore reserve increased and additional equipment was installed. Due to hostilities during the war production was brought to a virtual standstill.

In 1919 the candles and oil lamps were finally replaced with 500 carbide lamps and over 250,000 tones of ore were mined. However an underground fire, that burned for over a month, caused great concerns. The high heat from the fire even caused slags to form.

In 1922 No.1 Shaft was started and by 1926 No. 1 Shaft reached 16 Level. By 1930 reserves had been established on 17, 18 and 19 Levels and the output was over 200,000 tones of ore. In 1931, due to the World depression and low metal prices, mining was restricted to the upper levels to save costs. In 1932 mining ceased. With a gradual improvement in copper prices after 1937 mining recommenced and by 1938 was back in full swing. In 1940 with the outbreak of World War II mining ceased once again and Tsumeb was under military occupation till 1944.

In 1946 a consulting geologist from O'okeip Copper Company visited the mine to do a detailed appraisal. Based on this appraisal O'okeip Copper Company, on behalf of Tsumeb Mining Corporation (TCL), made a bid for the mine. In January 1947 mining engineers and other technical staff arrived in Tsumeb and with the help of OMEG skeleton staff soon recruited local labour to reactivation the mine. At first the dumps were once again hand sorted and the first trainload of hand-picked high-grade ore arrived in Walvis Bay on the 17th March 1947. Construction and re-equipping the mine coupled with de-watering began soon afterwards. When TCL took over the mine was 576 m below the surface and most of the ore on the upper levels had been removed. By June 1949 the mine had produced over 100,000 tones of ore.

Evidence soon emerged that the ore body widened considerably with depth and it was decided to go deeper. In 1949 the De Wet shaft with a hoisting capacity of 2,000 tones per day was started. In 1959 during water control drilling another deeper ore body was discovered.  The massive ore at the west-end of the pipe produced a million tones with 3.6% Copper, 26.7% lead and 12.4% Zinc. From 1957 to 1958 a drop in metal prices slowed mining activities, but planning went ahead to mine even deeper. A new internal shaft, No.6 shaft was sunk to 1306 m below surface and in 1962 was connected to De Wet Shaft. From 1946 to 1966 the mine had produced over 9 millions tones of ore and an estimated over 8 million tones of ore remained.

In 1988 the Gold Fields Group of South Africa took over from TCL. By 1990, the annual production was over 600,000 tones of ore with 13,000 tones of blister copper and 9,000 tones of lead with the ore reserves standing at 1.5 million tones. In May 1996 mining ceased at 1650 m below the surface due to insufficient high grade ore and high water inflow, which increased pumping costs. In June 1996, the De Wet Shaft was flooded when the pumps were switched off. Mining on the upper levels continued. In 1996 the miners went on a 2 month long strike and TCL went into liquidation and closed the mine. Smelting operations in Tsumeb however continued.

In October 2002 Tsumeb Specimen Mining (Pty) Ltd. resumed mining of the upper levels for specimens, however this stopped in 2004.

Today most of the active mining has moved to other nearby deposits, but limited ore processing is still ongoing on the mine grounds.

In the end the once 12 meter high 'Green Hill' had been turned into a 1,500 meter deep mine,  hoisting a total of 90 million tons of rich ore with a pure metal content of 4 million tons, half of which was copper.