OTJIKOTO AND GUINAS LAKES
Otjikoto and Guinas Lakes
condition, which can be viewed in the Alte Feste Museum in Windhoek, and canons and other armaments that were restored and are now displayed in the Tsumeb Museum.
Surrounded by legend and folklore are Namibia’s two ‘bottomless’ lakes – Otjikoto, distinguished by it emer-
One of the many legends that surround Lake Otjikoto is
ald-green waters, and Guinas, by its mystical inky-blue
that the body of Johannes Cook, a postmaster of Tsumeb
depths. Both lakes lie north-west of Tsumeb – Otjikoto 24
who drowned there in 1927, was never found because the
kilometres along the road and Guinas on a farm 32 kilo-
lake was bottomless. In fact, because Otjikoto is shaped
metres further west. Lake Guinas is therefore less acces-
rather like an upside-down mushroom, it is thought that
sible, and can be viewed only after obtaining the farmer’s
his body was caught under one of the overhangs.
permission. Both these lakes lie in the Otavi mountain-land, which conLake Otjikoto was discovered by the two explorers Gal-
sists of a thick succession of well-stratified dolomite and
ton and Andersson in 1851. At the time they measured
limestone about 700 million years old. Being carbonates of
its depth as 55 metres, an assessment that was proved ac-
calcium and magnesium, these rocks are soluble in water,
curate by subsequent plumbings (the depth varying from
especially if they contain some carbon dioxide. The rocks
33–90 metres). At 100 metres, Guinas is somewhat deep-
are criss-crossed by a system of solution channels that have
er. However, the legend that Otjikoto was bottomless per-
generally developed on joints, fracture zones or bedding
sisted. It was possibly this notion that led to the dumping
planes, which become partially filled with groundwater.
of a considerable supply of artillery and ammunition into
Now and then big cavities are exposed by weathering, or
its murky depths by retreating Schutztruppe, rather than
the roof caves in when it becomes very thin, as in the case
let the armaments fall into the hands of the South African
of Otjikoto and Guinas. These solution channels lead away
troops. Many years later, in co-operation with the Wind-
from them, although the two lakes need not necessarily
hoek State Museum, divers salvaged some of the equip-
be directly connected. The lakes are fed by water seeping
ment, among others an ammunition wagon still in perfect
through porous rock from southern Owambo.
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