Oranjemund, a town with 8,000 inhabitants, owes its existence to diamond mining. After diamonds were found in the area in 1936, Oranjemund was founded by the Consolidated Diamond Mines of South West Africa (CDM), which is part of the De Beers Group.

The mining town was privately owned by the diamond company NAMDEB (50:50 participation of the Government of the Republic of Namibia and the De Beers Group) until August 1, 2011 and was run by the Oranjemund Town Management Company. Due to its remote location, Namdeb provided the residents, most of whom worked for this company, with an exceptionally good infrastructure and a variety of leisure activities.

In 2011, the city was transferred to the state, with NAMDEB taking over the security of the city’s services until further notice. Until 2017, Oranjemund remained a closed city and access for non-residents was only possible with a special permit. It was not until October 21, 2017 that Oranjemund was opened to the public.

On March 5th, 2025 we visited this town on our trip to the south of Namibia and along the Orange River. The barrier where you used to have to show your ID was open. But even today there are still signs everywhere pointing to the restricted area (Sperrgebiet), en la zona prohibidawarning against entering the area. We first took a detour to the Ramsar area, where we saw three Pied Kingfisher and countless pelicans and cormorants.

We spent most of the afternoon in the Jasper Museum, where we learned more about the town and its history. We have now set up our tents in the Op my Stoep Lodge, where you can also eat very good food. We’re hungry!

PS: If you want to know more about NAMDEB and diamond mining, read here.