Swakopmund is Namibia’s main seaside resort on the Atlantic Ocean coast. The town has avenues of palm trees and colourful gardens.
Swakopmund is Namibia's second biggest town and traditional "summer capital" is one of the most surreal places in the country. The town is a mixture of Bohemian and Bavarian, home to artists, hippies, strait-laced descendants of German settlers, Herero women in Victorian dress, and hard-bitten miners, game rangers, safari operators and fishermen.
It's often the place to get some rest and recreation after a dusty trip to the desert dunes of Sossusvlei or the Namib-Naukluft Park. there's plenty to do and great places to stay.
Getting there
You can get to Swakopmund through the Namib Desert, one of the world's largest wilderness areas. Windhoek has international air links.
Windhoek's Hosea Kutako International Airport is 42km east of town. To get to Swakopmund drive along the B6 towards Gobabis. You can hire a car from the airport. You can also use the local buses to get from one point to the other.
Windhoek's railway station is just off Bahnhof Street
Accommodation in Swakopmund
Giardino Hotel
• Luxury rooms with telephones
• excellent wining and dining; bar; tranquil garden; safe parking
Beach Lodge
• At the beach, 5 km to centre
• sea views
• TV; very comfortable rooms; balcony; pool
Restcamp Sophia Dale
• Affordable rondavels 12 km from Swakopmund
• self-contained; camping/caravan sites
• Upmarket, affordable self catering apartment with seaview
• 200m to the beach.
Restaurants in Swakopmund
Erich's Restaurant has very good international cuisine with emphasis on fresh seafood
Kückie's Pub - A long established sociable pub where excellent food is served
The Lighthouse Pub & Restaurant. At the jetty. Stunning view of the sea from the terrace. Specialities: steaks and seafood
Swakopmund Attractions
Swakopmund’s tannery has kudu leather shoes
There is a section of towering dunes for recreational purposes - sand boarding and skiing, quadbiking, camel rides and off-road driving.
Boat excursions to see dolphins and seals, shorebased angling
The town is surrounded by the Namib-Naukluft Park
spins on the casino's roulette wheels
many pubs and restaurants, to an assortment of drama, music and cultural events.
Historical buildings like the Old Provincial Court
The Lighthouse was built in 1902 and is 21 metres high
The museum next to the lighthouse shows interesting exhibits of the local history.
Aquarium of Swakopmund different fish species, stingrays and sharks are found. The fish are fed at by divers
Climate
In Swakopmund it is much cooler than inlands. The weather is usually too cold for swimming. The town has fog until noon.
