Palm-lined streets, seaside promenades, fine accommodation, a pleasant
summer climate and decent beaches. Welcome to Swakopmund - Namibia's
premier holiday resort! During the summer holidays and long weekends,
thousands of Namibians flock to the coast, and this human migration
happens for a number of reasons;
Swakopmund has a real holiday feel to
it and everyone wants to be there; during the December holidays, the
cool Namibian coast offers relief from the intense heat of the interior;
and more importantly as far as the tourist is concerned in these modern
times, Swakop has changed, and has become the countries leading
adrenaline destination, with a wide range of activities to suit all ages
and (most) egos.
The area of
Namib desert around Swakopmund is named the West Coast Recreational Area. And
recreation is the towns number one draw card.
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| Sand boarding |
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There are countless
pursuits to help you spend your time, and money. For those interested in
adventure activities Swakopmund offer, sandboarding, quad biking, dune
carting, parachuting, hot air ballooning, shark fishing, deep sea
fishing and beach angling to name but a few. For the more sedentary
there are restaurants, cafes, art galleries, museums, a snake park and
aquarium.
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| The Mole |
The main beach area is called the Mole, and is the result of a largely
unsuccessful attempt to construct the artificial harbour (as South
Africa owned the only natural harbour in the area at Walvis Bay).
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| Jetty | |
The
towns most iconic symbol is the Swakopmund jetty, initially used as
mooring for ships it later became a popular are for anglers and walkers,
it has fallen into disrepair on numerous occasions and has been subject
to several attempts to rescue it from complete dereliction. Recently
large scale work has been completed on the jetty which now proudly
boasts a small restaurant and bar area.
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| Marine Memorial |
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Buildings and monuments of note in Swakopmund include the
Hohenzollern Building, the
Marine Memorial,
the
War memorial in memory of those killed in World War 2,
Princess Rupprecht House originally a military hospital now a private
guest house.The Kaserne buildings originally served as a barracks and
is of a similar design to the Alte Feste in
Windhoek and
Fort Namutoni in
Etosha. The old
Swakopmund Prison is still fully operational and provides budget accommodation for the criminal fraternity of the Namibian coast.
True to its German traditions early mornings and evenings in
Swakopmund can be cold throughout the year, as the cold Atlantic Ocean
meeting the Namib Desert creates a fog bank. This coolness is often a
relief from the heat of the rest of Namibia, but does mean that
Swakopmund is not the tropical sunbathing mecca that most people
imagine.For day trippers a visit to the
Cape Cross Sea Colony is worth a visit as it offers a taste of the Skeleton Coast and the
seals are worth a visit. The Welwitschia drive is an interesting way to
spend a few hours and introduces you to some of the fauna and flora of
the Namib Desert. Bird lovers can pay a visit to the Swakopmund Salt
Works or the
Walvis Bay Lagoon, which in season is frequented by thousands of flamingos.
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In 1899, architect FW Ortloff's sea wall - better known as the Mole -
was intended to enhance Swakopmund's poor harbour and create a mooring
place for large cargo vessels. Unfortunately, Mr Ortloff was unfamiliar
with the Benguela Current, which sweeps northwards along the coast,
carrying with it a load of sand from the southern deserts.Within less than five years, the harbour entrance was choked off by a
sand bank and two years later, the harbour itself had been invaded by
sand to create what is now called Palm Beach. The Mole is currently used
as a mooring for pleasure boats.
In 1899, architect FW Ortloff's sea wall - better known as the Mole -
was intended to enhance Swakopmund's poor harbour and create a mooring
place for large cargo vessels. Unfortunately, Mr Ortloff was unfamiliar
with the Benguela Current, which sweeps northwards along the coast,
carrying with it a load of sand from the southern deserts.Within less than five years, the harbour entrance was choked off by a
sand bank and two years later, the harbour itself had been invaded by
sand to create what is now called Palm Beach. The Mole is currently used
as a mooring for pleasure boats.
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