Swakopmund Things to Do

  Typical Germanic architecture,...
by CatherineReichardt
 
  • Typical Germanic architecture, Swakopmund
      Typical Germanic architecture,...
    by CatherineReichardt
  • Southern Atlantic
      Southern Atlantic
    by Assenczo
  • The main beach, Swakopmund.
      The main beach, Swakopmund.
    by nigelw6443
  •   Things to Do
    by DAO
  •   Things to Do
    by DAO
 

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Adrenalin rushes in Namibia's adventure capital!

by CatherineReichardt

Swakop is the undisputed adventure capital of Namibia, and the ultimate destination for a Boys Only weekend (although I suspect that the girls will be queueing up for many of these activities too)!The area around Swakop boasts a bewildering range of outdoors activities ranging from dune surfing ... to skydiving ... to beach fishing ... to ballooning over the Namib ... to quadbiking over the dunes. In fact the only notable exception in bungee jumping, and then only for lack of a sufficiently high place from which to fling yourself!Obviously such adventure activities don't come cheap. However, compared to what you'd pay elsewhere, the prices are not unreasonable and add a completely different dimension to Namibia's traditional gamespotting and photographic options.For those without their own transport, all reputable service providers should arrange pickups from town provided that you...

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The Swakop River in flood - a VERY rare sight!

by CatherineReichardt

Glancing at a map of Namibia, you'll notice that several of the towns end in the suffix '-mund', which means 'mouth' in German, indicating that this is the point where a river meets the sea. Except in most cases, there's no river to be seen ....Namibia has no permanent rivers, except for those which delineate its borders: the Orange in the south and the Kunene/Kavango system in the north. However, the interior is crisscrossed by a series of ephemeral streams and rivers that only carry flow after rain (and usually then, only after a particularly heavy downpour). These flash floods arise with no warning - often as a response to storms a long way high up the the catchment which you may not be aware of and their destructive power is terrifying. I recall watching a river come down in flood when I was working out of Opuwo in the Kaokoveld in 1993, and the spectacle was aweinspiring: the only...

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Relish Swakop's Germanic architecture

by CatherineReichardt

There's no escaping the fact that Swakop (nobody calls it Swakopmund) is so German that it's almost more German than Germany ... in a turn of the century kind of way.One of the absolute delights of visiting this bizarre little outpost of Germanity is the wonderful architecture. Windhoek also has some lovely examples of German colonial architecture, but they are scattered among more recent - and distinctly less lovely - modern architecture, whereas the centre of Swakop is dominantly colonial. It is encouraging to note that some relatively modern buildings have incorporated German colonial themes, which makes for a pleasingly harmonious whole.The other joy of photographing Swakop's architecture is the amazing light, especially in the early morning and late afternoon. Because of the cold Benguela current that flows just offshore, the Namibian coast is usually foggy and direct sunshine is...

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Seafood so fresh it tries to escape the pot!

by CatherineReichardt

It would be sacriligious to visit Swakop and not sample the seafood!Dining al fresco on local seafood and washing it down with an icy glass or two of locally brewed beer as you look out over the ocean has to be one of the most pleasant ways to while away a few hours in Swakop. People get particularly excited by the excellent oysters and crayfish - a local form of lobster- (available in season, October - April) which are both generously proportioned and extremely reasonably priced by first world standards.There is obviously much game on the menu in different incarnations from massive steaks to carpaccio. Most menus will feature springbok and gemsbok (oryx), and will sometimes offer kudu: all delicious! And of course, German cuisine means pork - scrumptious in every imaginable form from massive eisbeins through crispy schnitzels to more sophisticated fillets - usually with a cream sauce.A...

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THE BEST SKYDIVING IN AFRICA !

by DAO

Well I figured that since they had been in operation for 10 years and had a 100% safety record this would be a good idea. Ok, actually this is one of the craziest things I have ever done. Ground Rush Adventures is a class act. If you have ever wanted to skydive, these are the guys and this is the place to do it. They offer the highest tandem freefall in Africa. You just can’t believe the scenery below, then you jump out of a perfectly working airplane. What a blast! Of course I was glad they have a bar when you get down. I don’t remember how much I paid for the beers, but they were cold. You get free collection and redelivery to your hotel. They have 2 video options. Go for option 2 so you have lots of copies of everything. Go on – JUMP!

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Skydiving and sandboarding in Namibia

by Kramer01

If you go to Swakopmund, you HAVE TO do sandboarding and skydiving! Sandboarding can be done lying down. So you don't need to be a ski/snowboard expert to do this. Also, doing it lying down is faster than standing up. We reached speeds of up to 80 km/h (50mph)! If you follow the directions the instructors give you won't fall or eat sand. And it's fairly cheap. It's only 20-25usd for about 4 hours (including a lunch and the drive to and from the sand dunes-which takes about 15 minutes each way)Skydiving. A word that can scare many of us. Many would not even consider doing this at home, let alone doing it in Africa - where safety is not always a top priority. But the people working at the small airport are experts from all around the world and they wouldn't do it if it wasn't safe for them. My instructor said that Namibia has high safety regulations for skydiving and that they had a safety...

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Dune 7

by smirnofforiginal

It is a really famous dune. I am not sure why but it looms just off the C14.You can climb it but, coming from Sossusvlei, we had had our fill at climbing dunes and, as magnificent as dune 7 is... it had no comparison to the spectacular dunes e had just come from!There is apparently a picnc area at Dune 7 but take your own water and plenty of it.Also I should point out another difference between this dune and the ones at Sossusvlei - this one has the sea breeze.... so the sand bloooows and I did not find that pleasant!

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The bird paradise

by smirnofforiginal

We drove up and down and around and about 'Walvis Bay Lagoon', 'the bird paradise' and 'the salt works' were what we were looking for. The single most important coastal wetland for migratory birds in the whole of Southern Africa. My guide book made this 45,000-hectacre Walvis Bay Lagoon sound grand and we thought perhaps there would be an announcement of the area... a sign, a something. But no, an industrial road which leads down to the salt works and with a sewage plant just over the other side!It really is nothing to look at with no atmosphere at all and yet... the birds are pretty awesome.Flamingo after flamingo and a whole host of others from pelicans to damara terns, chestnut banded plovers to sandpipers and waders. I wanted to go on the Eco-Marine-Tours that I had read about which run kayaking trips... or I wanted to to on a Mola Mola Safari to see dolphins and seals.... I wanted...

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Walvis Bay

by smirnofforiginal

Walvis Bay is apparently the country's 2nd largest city after Windhoek. It was a most confusing city to try to find anywhere!!!Walvis Bay has a HUGE salt works and there is obviously a very large fish industry here too.I don't think I found anything here to charm me. I found it rather a dull city. However, Walvis Bay is home to one of the largest flocks of flamigoes in the whole of Southern Africa and it is because of the flamingoes that we were here!(also an ideal place to get that petrol tank back up to maximum capacity!)

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Not enough to do

by Assenczo

Swakopmund can be your rest day after or before gruelling travel circumnavigating this huge country. The town attractions on offer such as the lighthouse museum and the aquarium do not seem unique or special. May be for somebody who has not seen similar venues is going to be informative at best. What most people do is adventure sports which in turn prove the statement above. What there is to see is outside the city on the Skeleton coast looking at seals or shipwrecks but this is not the city itself. It is hard call Swakopmund a beach vacation spot because the water of the Atlantic Ocean is freezing. Actually the Benguela current brings freshness strait from Antarctica. That said, there are always kids who seem to be brave enough to swim in any water and you might notice some fans of cold water dipping for health purposes; rather interesting considering that this is the Tropic of...

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Fun things to do in Swakopmund
 
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Questions and Answers

janiebaxter profile photo

Q:  I am visiting Swakopmund end November - Cape Cross and Kayaking in Pelican Point. I have heard it is cold which I am really... 

carteki profile photo

A: The weather should be quite warm, but the water will still be chilly +- 10'C. This is probably why they mentioned that it was cold. If you are going Kayaking with a... 

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