Travel Comments - Backpacker Guide through Southern Africa - Southern African Safari Highlights Swakopmund

Swakopmund

Swakopmund – "the most German town out of Germany". A sentence often said by travellers who came across Swaopmund. And indeed, Swakopmund is very German. The architecture in the centre of town, German traditions and German bakeries and butcheries all over the place. And you will hear people talking in German wherever you go. And not all of them are actually tourists...

Lonely Planet is saying in one of their Namibia guide books: “This Teutonic atmosphere contributes to the town’s pervasive Gemütlichkeit (a destinctively German appreciation of comfort and hospitality)”.

Although Swakopmund is quite known outside Namibia, the city is actually only the 5st largest in Namibia. It has only a little more than 30,000 inhabitants. Windhoek is obviously the biggest city in Namibia (and the capital of course) with roughly around 300,000 people residing there, followed by Rundu (in the North), Walvis Bay (just South of Swakopmund) and Oshakati (almost bordering Angola).

But Swakopmund has more things to offer than this. The town is known as the "adventure capital" of Namibia. You can do skydiving, sandboarding, surfing (in the pretty cold Atlantic Ocean), quadbiking and much more! Check it out!

Beside the adrenaline sports, you can also join a tour to the Townships of Swakop, visit the brewery, the Namib, the museums or stroll through the streets and enjoy the pretty unique (for Southern Africa) architecture...

NEW - Day Trips / City Tours - NEW
Click here to book a daytrip and/or tour in Swakopmund - Ocean cruises, quadbiking, sandboarding, horse riding etc.!

to get a streetmap (online) of Swakopmund click here.

How to get there?

As always in Namibia, the easiest option to get around is by car - like in South Africa renting a car is no problem at all. It is slightly more expensive, but thats it. The drive from Windhoek to Swakopmund is pretty easy - no problem at all!

If you don't want to rent a car you can also join an organised tour to get to see the beach town of Swakopmund.

An other option is taking the train from Windhoek to Walvis Bay via Swakopmund (timetable 2008). If you want to go there by bus your can take Townhoppers - Namibia Shuttle.

Hitchhiking might be an alternative too, but check with your accommodation staff/locals if it is ok to do.

See the tra:mag routes tour suggestions!

Sand boarding & Stand-Up Sand boarding Tourbeschreibung & Buchungsformular auf Deutsch! »
Surfed on ocean and on snow? Well everyone has done that too. So why not surf on sand now? Yes, At Namib Desert feel free to experiment your wild side and try a game of Sandboarding. If you are good at water surfing or snowboarding you must try this game. Applying the same principle, you will quickly pick up the art and easily slide down the dunes. Namib is reputed for having the highest sand dunes so you can be assured of having the time of your life. If you are a beginner, don’t worry because surfing on sand is much safer than surfing on water or snow. You won’t have to worry about drowning or falling down steep slopes. After falling few times on soft sand, you will soon learn the art and learn to surf like a professional. Who knows it might even help you try water surfing and snowboarding later. So head over to Namib Desert and surf down the lofty dunes as long as your energy can sustain!

Quad Biking Tourbeschreibung & Buchungsformular auf Deutsch! »
Up for a game of Quad Biking through the wild sandy expanse of Namib Desert? It will be not easy for the dunes of Namib Desert are the world’s highest. But try this game! Being one of the most challenging it will also be your ride of a lifetime. So gear up your bike, pump the accelerator and meet every challenge the desert brings. Zoom up the dunes, slide down below and splash some sand. Don’t worry even if you a beginner, you will be a pro once coaching finishes. Even for the pro, it is no less thrilling. Remember, you are up against the highest sand dunes in the world. Riding 35 km long with sand blowing in your face with nothing but yourself to rely on – this truly is an exceptional experience. Starting from Swakop River Mouth, cut through plains and plunge into the land of mountainous dunes. In the end come back with a soaring pride for having “Quad Biked” through the towering dunes of Namib Desert.

more tours & activities in Swakomund - Township tours, quadbiking, sandboarding, horseriding, skydiving...

Paragliding off the Dunes from Mutcluck on Vimeo.

Daytours in Swakopmund:

Sand boarding & Stand-Up Sand boarding »
Quad Biking »
Horseback Riding »
and much more ...

Namib-Naukluft Park
The Namib Naukluft Park is one of the largest nature conservation areas in the world, containing mainly arid and semi-arid ecosystems. It covers an area of nearly 50 000km², stretching along the southern part of Namibia's coastline from Walvis Bay to Lüderitz.

Spitzkoppe
The Spitzkoppe, also known as the "Matterhorn of Namibia", is a group of bald granite peaks located between Usakos and Swakopmund in the Namib desert . The granite is more than 700 million years old and the highest outcrop rises about 1784 meters (5857 feet) above sea level . The peaks stand out dramatically from the flat surrounding plains. The highest peak is about 700m above the floor of the desert below. The only available accommodation at the Spitzkoppe is the NACOTBA Spitzkoppe campsite.