I got to Swakopmund by road with a very lively group of Kenyans and Tanzanians from the same tourism conference where I had been speaking in Windhoek. Just attending a conference and then flying back was never my kind of travel, and this was my first visit to Namibia, so that was a no-brainer.
After an early morning departure from Windhoek, the urban sceneries quickly turned into a flatter landscape and then open desert. Sand. Sky. Not much else. Pretty, but monotonous. Slightly shorter than Nairobi–Mombasa, but decent roads and little traffic. A quick but epic stop at Spitzkoppe to marvel at Namibia’s most famous granite arch and some pretty serious peaks. Then the coast. Then Swakopmund, neat and tidy, with cold Atlantic air, desert dunes, and distinctly German architecture.
Swakopmund – “German” Town in the Desert
The original, much bigger plan had been a proper Namibia road trip with a rental car: Sossusvlei, Lüderitz, Kolmanskop, Skeleton Coast. An ambitious plan, designed to be epic . Then, unfortunately, my business partner got stuck and couldn’t travel. So, change of plans. Luckily, this was a tourism conference, so I wasn’t out of options. Swakopmund became the anchor point of a shorter circuit instead. More to follow on my next trip to Namibia!
Swakopmund is a small, pretty town, cornered between the beach and the desert. Cover it by foot, and that’s your 10,00 steps that day, but not much more. The German colonial architecture is still omnipresent and gives the place a distinct character. Beautifully ornamented old buildings. Neat streets. Bakeries. Sea air. Cold Atlantic wind through the streets.
Desert on one side. Ocean on the other.
Walking around, sampling the street vibe is always a key part of the experience for me, and in this case, a good source of pictures from the trip. Together with the group from the conference, I joined a prosecco-assisted trip down to Walvis Bay and Sandwich Harbour, with a nice mix of marine exploration, dune bashing, sceneries, and views. Walvis Bay combines rich marine life a few tourists, while Sandwich Harbour is world-famous as the place where the ocean meets the world’s tallest sand dunes. Even for a much shorter trip than initially planned, that was good ROI.
Quad Biking: Some Unmissable Adrenaline
I was obviously not going to leave Swakopmund without taking a quad bike into the dunes. Charging over the sand right before sunset was exactly the thrill it was supposed to be. My only regret was not going for a second excursion. This one belongs on any to-do list in Swakopmund.
Swakopmund is not a place you go for vibrant nightlife. Seafood dining, on the other hand, is one of the things not to miss out on. Fresh oysters, solid fish, savoury prawns, good sushi, decent crisp, dry white wines from the big southern neighbour.
Seafood from cold waters usually has more taste, and on that point Southern Africa beats the equatorial regions quite comfortably. Swakopmund didn’t disappoint. I rarely eat twice in the same place when travelling, but Andy’s Sushi, Oyster & Fine Seafood Restaurant made me make an exception. The others were impressed enough, in any case, that I didn’t have much choice but to follow.
I was there in June, so the version I got was cool and slightly and a bit windy. I’m Norwegian, though, so no complaints.
Windhoek had been the conference stop. Swakopmund brought in sea air, a different climate, and what Nambians refer to as a “city”, with the amenities the urban life entails. A good base for a short exploration trip. Enough to do in and around it, especially if your idea of a good time involves dunes, engines, and a certain disregard for clean shoes.
So much more left to do and explore on my next trip, but for sure, I’ll stop over in Swakopmund on that one as well. There are still plenty of restaurants there waiting for me to explore them!
..and if you liked the pictures, you’ll love the video!
Quadbiking looks cool in pictures, but ten times better on video. The motion is the whole idea, so it kinda goes without saying, right? Anyway, I couldn’t help but make one from the desert right outside Swakopmund, so watch and enjoy! 🙂