Flamingo - Travel & Tourism - Namibia’s quirky beach town
Swakopmund, one of Namibia’s must-see coastal towns, has a personality all its own. One of the first German settlements founded in the late 1800s, the silhouette of the town is defined by gabled Bavarian architecture painted in a rainbow of colours. These historical buildings house contemporary galleries, bakeries, African-themed gift shops, boutiques, high-end jewellers and apartments. The wide streets of the city centre lead directly to the Atlantic, towered over by a candy-striped lighthouse and the fringe of palm trees.
At independence in 1990, Swakopmund was still a very German-Namibian town, a beach resort for Namibians, where government leaders lived in summer. In the last twenty years the town has exploded as a tourist attraction, without losing the special atmosphere that distinguishes it from other beach towns in Africa. Today, new shopping arcades, restaurants and bars, and sports shops have opened, along with several new hotels and housing areas. The population is multi-ethnic and multi-cultural – it is not unusual to see a Himba woman in traditional dress sharing the supermarket line with a western-garbed Afrikaner.
The weather here is fresh, at least ten degrees cooler than in the adjacent desert, making Swakopmund a wonderful place to visit after trips into the bush. Why not jump into the surf to wash off that desert sand or wander the wide streets to poke into the shops? For dinner, try fresh oysters (of the best in the world), crayfish, or one of the varieties of ocean fish caught just hours ago.
Interesting shops to explore include Maid in Africa/Helping Hands, with bright hand-printed fabrics; Peter’s Antiques, with a variety of relics from the old Süd-West Afrika; or Ikhoba, with artistic hand-embroidered linens and bright handbags. Karakulia Weavers will demonstrate the hand looming of karakul rugs, and the many jewellers, including African Art Jewellers and Herrle Herma, offer fine pieces made using Namibian gemstones. There are several craft centres in Swakopmund, along with a daily outdoor market featuring handmade items. Be careful at the informal market to purchase goods made in Namibia, rather than those imported from Asia or other African countries.
There are more than a dozen boutique hotels and bed-and-breakfasts in Swakopmund. One of the newest is the seven-room Villa Margherita, in the charmingly renovated Dr Schwietering Haus (1908–1913). Italian owners Amelio and Claudine have overlooked no detail in providing guests a comfortable setting and their in-house restaurant, Il Tulipano, is where the best Italian specialities are served. (Around the corner is Paola Caprari’s Pane Fresco bakery and coffee shop, an aromatic haven for freshly baked pastries and espresso).
Architect Piet Odendaal’s Secret Garden is a hidden behind a peach-coloured wall and offers eight rooms opening onto a tranquil garden. The Beach Lodge, the only hotel right on the beach, now has its own excellent seafood restaurant, The Wreck. One of the best-loved older hotels is the Schweizerhaus, where Café Anton serves some of the yummiest desserts in town. On the edge of the city, The Stiltz is an unusual accommodation establishment where individual chalets are built on pilings up above the sand.
Looking at today’s vibrant seaside town, it’s hard to imagine the hardships faced by early colonists who arrived on Namibia’s shores almost 125 years ago to find a vast desert in front of them and very few native Namibians to teach them the skills necessary to survive in the harsh environment of the Namib. They founded a small settlement and their descendants still live in Swakopmund today. Don’t miss the opportunity to pay this must-see town a visit.
From desert to mountains to sea Swakopmund positions visitors to take day trips to some of Namibia’s important natural wonders. Get up early in the morning, spend the day touring, and return in time for a walk on the beach or a seafood dinner.
The Cape Cross seal colony is the largest breeding colony in Southern Africa for the South African fur seal. Just 130 km north of Swakopmund, it is an amazing sight to see, as seals by the thousands give birth, fish for their dinner and jostle in an enormous pile in the sand. There is a small gift shop on the premises with items made from sealskin. The Skele-ton Coast Park to the north of Cape Cross may be visited with a permit.
Henties Bay, between Swakopmund and Cape Cross, is the place to pick up the bait for angling (shore fishing) on the nearby beaches, a favourite pastime of both Namibian and visiting fishermen. Henties Bay is also home to the best-stocked shop selling sealskin shoes and other goodies.
Inland from Henties Bay are many desert areas to be explored by four-wheel-drive vehicle. The famous and unique welwitschia plant grows here – some plants being more than 1 500 years old. Various desert and mountain day trips in this area include the Messum Crater, Moon Landscape, Spitzkoppe and Omaruru River and environs, popular for quad-biking, hiking and picnicking.
Sandwich Harbour, to the south of Swakopmund, is part of the most important wetlands in Southern Africa. Here in this lagoon surrounded by pearly sand dunes you may see a flock of flamingos or any number of other coastal and freshwater birds. (Four-wheel drive only, permit required).
On boat tours of the Walvis Bay lagoon you are likely to encounter dolphins, seals, flamingos and a variety of coastal birds. Fresh oysters and sparkling wine, along with other snacks, celebrate the end of the cruise.
Experience the Namib Section of the Namib-Naukluft Park, which is inland from Swakopmund. A German fort and soldiers’ graves left over from the colonial wars can be explored, as well as game viewing – among the species seen in the park are gemsbok, springbok, ostrich and many smaller creatures. Pack a picnic lunch and dine under a camel-thorn tree. Don’t forget you need a permit to drive into the park.
Ride a camel into the desert or take a quad-bike trip on the dunes – these are only two of the many modes of transport available around Swakopmund. There are also tours by small plane, guided four-wheel drive trips, and horse-riding safaris that leave from Swakopmund.
