Swakopmund

Swakopmund is one of the most distinctive towns in Africa, a surreal, quirky pocket of German colonial charm set incongruously where the towering dunes of the Namib Desert meet the cold, misty Atlantic Ocean. Founded as a German colonial port, it retains half-timbered buildings, a lighthouse, bakeries and a genteel seaside air, and today serves as the adventure capital of Namibia, a hub for desert activities like sandboarding, quad-biking, skydiving and scenic flights over the dunes and coast.

What you actually see

• The German colonial architecture - the quirky old buildings and lighthouse.
• The desert-meets-sea setting - the dunes running down to the Atlantic.
• The adventure sports - the sandboarding, quad-biking and skydiving.
• The dune and coast flights - the scenic flights over the Namib.

When to go

Year-round, though the coast is often cool, misty and windy thanks to the cold Atlantic current, quite different from the desert inland; layers are wise any time. It is a pleasant, cooler base and a hub for adventure and the surrounding desert and coast.

Honest expectations

The coast is often shrouded in cold sea fog and can be surprisingly chilly and grey, quite unlike the hot desert just inland, so pack layers. Its German colonial character, while charming and quirky, is a legacy of a difficult colonial history. It is more a comfortable adventure base and a curiosity than a place of grand sights, well placed for the desert and coast around it.

Nearby

Sossusvlei, the Skeleton Coast, Walvis Bay and the desert are within reach.