History and Development of Düsternbrook
Around 1850, the area of present-day Düsternbrook Guest Farm was first recorded by early explorers such as Chapman and Baines, who referred to it as Otjihorongo (“the place of the kudu”).
Otjihorongo lay along the old Bay Road – an ox-wagon route used to transport supplies from the coastal town of Walvis Bay to the central regions of the country. Following the outbreak of lung sickness, a natural spring at Otjihorongo known as “Dabi Poort” was used under the control of Jonker Afrikaner as one of the first veterinary quarantine stations in the region. Oxen were not allowed to pass this point and had to be sent back to Otjimbingwe; instead, new, “clean” oxen had to be purchased from Jonker Afrikaner.
The purpose of this station was to prevent the spread of lung sickness introduced from South Africa. Oxen travelling from north to south had to be exchanged here with healthy animals.
In 1908, Captain-Lieutenant Matthiesen purchased the farm and named it Düsternbrook, after a suburb of the German port city of Kiel. In 1942, the property was sold to the Vaatz family, and in 1949 the farmhouse was renovated and expanded to its present form.
Located near Windhoek, Düsternbrook Guest Farm today covers approximately 14,000 hectares. Originally, the farm operated as a cattle and dairy enterprise.
Following the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in 1962 and the resulting restrictions on cattle sales, Marga Vaatz, the mother of the present owner, established Namibia’s first guest and hunting farm.
Her aim was to create an income independent of cattle farming while placing economic value on wildlife. This marked the beginning of agricultural diversification in Namibia, elevating the value of wildlife alongside – and eventually beyond – livestock.
It also marked the beginning of a broader, forward-looking development in the country: the sustainable use of wildlife, the emergence of guest farms and later lodges in protected areas, and the establishment of communal and private conservancies. The underlying economic principle was clear: income generated from wildlife in a given area should remain in that area to support its continued development. This approach proved highly successful.
Today, Namibia is home to more than 200 guest farms and lodges, over 300 hunting farms, as well as numerous communal and private conservancies.
After approximately twelve years, Marga Vaatz discontinued the guest farm, and for the following two decades the property was again used primarily for cattle farming and sustainable hunting.
In 1986, Johann Vaatz took over the farm, and in 1993 he reopened the guest farm operation. With the goal of becoming less dependent on rainfall and reducing pressure on the land, the farm has increasingly shifted towards the sustainable use of wildlife. Cattle farming was gradually reduced in favour of game species that are far better adapted to the natural environment.
In addition to indigenous wildlife such as kudu, oryx, warthog and Hartmann’s mountain zebra, Johann reintroduced species such as ostrich, giraffe, wildebeest and Burchell’s zebra, which had existed in pre-colonial times but had disappeared due to overhunting. He also introduced other Namibian species such as eland, sable antelope and impala, which had not previously occurred in the area due to the absence of natural water sources.
Today, since 2015, further species such as waterbuck and hippo have been added and thrive very well supported by an extensive system of water points and reservoirs. Important to know: no game specs may be introduced if the area and water dams have been inspected by the the department of Nature Conservation.
