Swakopmund is an attractive town sandwiched between the desert and the Atlantic coast. It is situated 280 km straight west of Windhoek on gravel road or 360 km on tarred road. Called Swakop by the Namibians, this has always been the country’s most popular holiday resort. In more recent years it has also become known for a host of adventure activities: quad biking, sand boarding, skydiving, hot air ballooning, deep sea fishing, beach angling, camel riding, sundowners in the desert and more.
A special feature is the dune belt along the road to Walvis Bay, 30 km south of Swakopmund. The seemingly lifeless sand sea is the habitat of specially adapted fauna like the web-footed Palmato gecko, the Namaqua Chameleon and a miniature dinosaur posing as a dancing lizard to protect its feet from the burning sand, or the golden mole, cartwheeling spider, Sidewinder adder and beetles which drink fog at night.
Swakopmund offers plenty of restaurants, cafés, great shopping opportunities, art galleries, a museum, a small snake park, an aquarium and a Crystal Gallery with a 14 ton crystal cluster dug out on a farm near Karibib. Namibians love this town for the mild climate and fresh salty sea air, beautiful parks and neat gardens.
The colonial history is still in evidence through a number of well-preserved buildings dating back to early last century. Founded in 1892, Swakopmund was intended to become the main harbour of German South West Africa because the natural harbour at Walvis Bay was already in British possession.
