Conveniently accessible from Kupferquelle Resort, the Hoba meteorite is one of the numerous tourist activities close to Tsumeb and a pleasant day trip away where you can pack in a tour of the famous meteorite and a leisurely picnic. Just 75 kilometres from Tsumeb, the Hoba meteorite is well worth a visit with family, also from an educational point of view.
Your comfortable stay at the Kupferquelle Resort, known for its affordable luxury, lets you choose from beautiful chalets and campsites, guaranteeing you impeccable service from amicable staff and an Olympic sizes swimming pool to refresh you.
We are ideally placed, allowing you to plan the best itinerary to cover all the tourist activities in and around Tsumeb.
About the Hoba meteorite
The Hoba meteorite close to Grootfontein, Namibia, is the world’s heaviest and largest single-piece metallic meteorite on earth and was first discovered by a hunter, Jacobus Brits near the Farm Hoba West in 1920, which is at the edge of the Kalahari plai in Northern Namibia.
When he took a sample of the meteorite to the SWA Maatskappy in Grootfontein, it was established as a meteorite. Nobody knows how it arrived at this spot, although it is believed that it was over 80 000 years ago.
The meteorite’s age is estimated between 190 million and 410 million years. There is no crater as it fell at a terminal velocity of about 320 metres per second. It is flat on both sides. When first discovered, it was 66 tonnes but scientific samples and vandalism has reduced it to 60 tonnes. No doubt it made a deafening noise when it fell, considering its weight!
It is composed of 82% iron and 16% nickel, with traces of cobalt and other metals and referred to as an “ataxite”. The dimensions of this cuboid rock are three by three metres and the thickness is one metre.
After vandals began to chip at it and take away mementos, it was declared a national monument in 1955. When you walk around the Hoba, traces of sawing, drilling and smelting are visible from samples taken. While some were officially taken for scientific reasons, much of it is a result of visitors hunting for trophies.
There is a visitor’s information board and office along with a short nature trail and a pleasant picnic spot. It is a nice place to visit and you will also find a kiosk selling cool drinks, snacks and souvenirs. We recommend carrying a picnic basket and enjoying it there.