Waterberg Plateau Park, National park with sandstone plateau in central Namibia.

Waterberg Plateau Park is a national park in central Namibia, 68 km south-east of Otjiwarongo, centred on the Waterberg, a table mountain rising above the Kalahari plains. Its cliff face of reddish-orange rock is split into tall vertical pillars and columns, topped by a thin line of green vegetation, with scrubby slopes below.

The area was designated as a protected park in the 1970s and became crucial for saving species on the edge of extinction. Conservation efforts established here have successfully restored populations of large animals that once faced complete disappearance.

The first inhabitants were the San, who left rock engravings believed to be several thousand years old. A small group of San still lived a traditional lifestyle on the plateau until the late 1960s. The foothills were also where the Herero lost their last major battle against German colonial forces in 1904.

The park lies 68 km south-east of Otjiwarongo. The plateau is largely inaccessible from below, so visitors explore the foothills and lower slopes on foot or by vehicle. The Bernabe De La Bat rest camp at the base provides accommodation; bring water and supplies as services are sparse.

The oldest rock layer of the Waterberg is over 850 million years old, and dinosaur tracks were left on the plateau some 200 million years ago. The plateau itself was declared a National Monument in 1956, sixteen years before the surrounding land became a nature reserve.