Swakopmund

Namibia’s second biggest town and traditional “summer capital”., You approach the
town through the endless expanses of the Namib Desert, one of the world’s largest
wilderness areas. Then, through the mists (it is almost always misty in the morning and
late afternoon). Swakopmund exudes romance and history, a rich cultural melting pot
of old and new.

Night time entertainment ranges from sophisticated spins on the casino’s roulette
wheels, through raucous parties at the many pubs and restaurants, to an assortment
of drama, music and cultural events. Just outside town is the extraordinary
Moon Landscape, a seemingly never-ending series of bizarre hills that look like
pictures taken of Mars, or the Sea of Tranquillity. It is best visited at sunrise or sunset.

For botanists, there is the lure of the fields of what have been called “living fossils”, the
giant Welwitschia mirabilis.

These extraordinary trees never grow more than two metres above the ground, but
the bigger specimens have underground stems which are up to four metres wide. The
tree has just two leaves, which droop in opposite directions. If one of the leaves dies,
the plant dies. The oldest living specimen has been dated at 2 000 years old, while the
average age of the youngsters is between 500 and 600 years old.

Just outside Swakopmund, a section of towering barcan dunes have been set aside for recreational purposes – sand boarding and skiing, quad biking, camel rides and
offroad driving. Swakopmund also offers a host of other attractions, including excursions
by boat to see dolphins and seals, shore based angling (some of the best in Africa),
skin diving, surfing or just simply lazing on the beach. And, of course, the town is
surrounded by the Namib Naukluft Park, one of the most bewitching desert wilderness
areas in Africa.