Usakos

In its heyday Usakos was a thriving town on the outskirts of the Namib Desert. It formed an important link between the coast and central Namibia along with neighboring town Karibib with its railway line forming part of the Otavi line. Today an old steam locomotive, Class NG No.40, marks all that remains of the old times. When the road between Windhoek and Swakopmund was tarred around 1968/9 and steam locomotives introduced, it signaled a halt to the town’s lifeline. Although still a great pass through with a filling station, shops and remnants of old architecture, the town’s growth has been stunted. Karibib owes its existence to the rich deposits of marble as well as Namibia’s only gold mine. The town started off with a population of 4 in 1899. Home to the Karibib Marble and Granite Works as well as the Henckert Tourist Centre, the town also boasts a filling station and quaint shops with the Karibib Railway Building being a national monument, the Namib Oasis just outside town is the perfect halfway reststop on the way to the coast.