Swakopmund: Namibia's coastal adventure town

Why visit Swakopmund

After days of heat and gravel, Swakopmund is where road trippers rest, eat well and do something thrilling. The cold Benguela current keeps the coast cool, so pack a warm layer even in summer. The town is walkable, safe by day and full of good restaurants, galleries and craft shops.

Things to do

**Living desert tours** are the highlight for many visitors: guides read tracks in the dunes and find the small creatures that survive on fog, from chameleons to sidewinder adders and dancing white lady spiders. **Quad biking, sandboarding and skydiving** operators work from the dunes just outside town. A **scenic flight** over the Namib to Sossusvlei and the shipwrecks of the coast is expensive but unforgettable.

In town, walk the **Mole** and the **jetty**, browse the **Swakopmund Museum**, see the **Kristall Galerie** with its huge quartz crystal cluster and visit the **National Marine Aquarium**. The **Woermann House** and the old **railway station**, now a hotel, show the town's colonial past. North of town, the **Moon Landscape** and the **Welwitschia Drive** reveal plants that live for well over a thousand years.

Walvis Bay

Walvis Bay is Namibia's main port and the base for **lagoon cruises**, where Cape fur seals clamber on board and dolphins ride the bow wave, with oysters and sparkling wine as a classic finish. The **lagoon promenade** is lined with flamingos for much of the year. The guided four by four trip to **Sandwich Harbour**, where dunes fall straight into the Atlantic, is one of the most spectacular drives in Africa and should only be done with an experienced operator, because of tides.

Food and drink

Seafood is the star: Walvis Bay oysters, kingklip, kabeljou and fresh calamari. **The Tug**, inside an old tugboat by the jetty, and **Jetty 1905**, at the end of the pier, are classics for dinner. **Village Café** and **Café Anton** suit breakfast and cake. In Walvis Bay, **The Raft** sits on stilts over the lagoon.

Where to stay

The town centre and the streets near the beach put you within walking distance of restaurants. Vogelstrand and Long Beach between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay suit families wanting self catering houses near the sea. Book ahead for school holidays and December, when Namibians flock to the coast.

Staying safe

Swakopmund is relaxed, but theft from cars and opportunistic crime happen. Use guarded parking at night, do not walk empty beaches alone after dark and be wary of people offering to watch your car for money. The fog makes the coastal roads slippery and visibility poor, so drive carefully in the early morning.

Getting there

Swakopmund is around four hours by tarred road from Windhoek. Walvis Bay Airport has domestic flights and some regional links, including to Cape Town and Johannesburg. From Sossusvlei, the gravel road via the Kuiseb and Gaub passes and the Tropic of Capricorn sign takes most of a day, with a cinnamon roll stop at Solitaire.