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.

History

The town was founded in 1892 as the main harbour of German South West Africa and named after the Swakop River, which German settlers first wrote as Swachaub; the form Swakopmund, "mouth of the Swakop", came in when the district was proclaimed in 1896. The Woermannhaus of 1906, with its Damara tower, is now a public library (Wikipedia, Swakopmund).

What to look for

• 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.

Before you go

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.

Key facts