Garub Information

Garub is a tiny and atmospheric railway settlement in southern Namibia, best known today for the remarkable wild horses that roam the surrounding Namib Desert. Set beside the stark railway line between Aus and Lüderitz, it consists of little more than a waterhole, railway infrastructure and a small shelter overlooking the desert, yet it has become an intriguing stop for travellers exploring this remote corner of the country.

The origin of the name Garub is associated with the Nama language and is generally understood to refer to the area’s water source. In such an exceptionally dry landscape, the presence of water has always been significant, and Garub developed around a reliable spring and railway watering point. The railway reached the area during the German colonial period, linking the interior with the important Atlantic port of Lüderitz.

Garub’s most famous residents are its feral horses. Their precise origins remain uncertain, although several theories link them to horses abandoned or released during the upheavals of the First World War and earlier colonial period. Over generations, they have adapted remarkably well to the desert, travelling considerable distances between water and grazing. The Garub waterhole provides one of the best opportunities to observe them, particularly during the cooler parts of the day.

The viewing shelter allows visitors to watch the horses without disturbing them, while the surrounding plains offer an excellent chance to appreciate the stark beauty of the southern Namib. Oryx, springbok and other desert-adapted wildlife may also be encountered, and the open landscape is particularly photogenic around sunrise and sunset.

Garub lies in the Karas Region, within the broader Namib Desert landscape between Aus and Lüderitz. The railway and scattered remains of its former infrastructure provide a reminder of the settlement’s practical origins, while the horses have given the place a new identity as one of Namibia’s most unusual wildlife destinations. For travellers, Garub is less about a conventional town than a memorable encounter with animals surviving against one of the world’s harshest natural backdrops.