Introducing Swakopmund

It can be an eerie feeling entering Swakop, especially out of tourist season when the city, sandwiched between Atlantic rollers and the Namib Desert, feels like a surreal colonial remnant. Some find it soothing, others weird – personally we have a leg in either camp. The people of Swakopmund are a quirky mix of German-Namibian residents and overseas German tourists, who feel right at home with the town’s pervasive Gemütlichkeit, a distinctively German appreciation of comfort and hospitality. With its seaside promenades, half-timbered homes and colonial-era buildings, it seems that only the wind-blown sand and the palm trees distinguish Swakop from holiday towns along Germany’s North Sea and Baltic coasts.

One thing Swakopmund isn’t is boring. It’s Namibia’s most popular holiday destination, and there are myriad attractions for enjoying the great climate including surfing, fishing, lolling around on the beach and finding ways to terrify yourself – it’s the adventure sports capital of Namibia.