Swakopmund and Sandwich Harbour

Today I explored the quaint town of Swakopmund in the morning. In December and January, it is a popular holiday getaway for people living in the capital, Windhoek, but in October it was a pleasant, sleepy town with some fine colonial German architecture, dating from the 1900s. Unlike all the other places I had visited in Namibia, the weather was overcast and even a bit chilly.

It may also be the last city in the world that still has a “Kaiser Wilhelm” Street.

The Alte Apotheke on Kaiser Wilhelm Street

I strolled around, enjoying the sensation of walking after many days spent in the car, as well as the small-town laid-back atmosphere. Lots of guinea fowl wandered around the town’s parks, obviously feeling very safe. In most other places they would have ended up on a restaurant plate, but maybe Swakopmund’s excellent seafood keeps them safe from this fate.

Guinea fowl roaming free in the park and Swakopmund lighthouse

I also visited the local market where some tribeswomen posed for a photo for me.

Swakopmund Market Tribeswomen — Ladies from the local market in Swakopmund

In the afternoon I had booked a tour of the area. The route went through Walvis Bay, another of Namibia’s small cities, which had a colony of flamingos wading just off its shoreline.

My tour continued towards Sandwich Harbour, a national park accessible only by 4×4. At first the scenery was pleasant but unremarkable, a little bit like the Skeleton Coast, but a bit sunnier; but in the distance I could see the giant dunes plunging into the sea. This was our destination.

Sandwich Harbour – the big dunes loom in the distance

Our driver took us up onto the giant dunes and showed off his skills driving on sand, up and down steep slopes.

It was great fun, and the adrenaline rush made a good change from the more sedate pace of my holiday so far. We finally ended up on a dune nicknamed “Kodak” because of its endlessly photogenic views.

We then did some more dune driving before having a snack and then heading home. It had been a good day, and I returned to the seafood restaurant I had visited the night before to treat myself to kingclip (a local fish) and giant prawns.