Swakopmund

Swakopmund, with a population of 35,000 and situated on the Atlantic coast, is 360 km from Windhoek. The town is notable for its German colonial architecture. It was founded in 1892 as the main port of South West Africa, due to the increasing traffic between Germany and this colony. The only existing port, Walvis Bay, is 33 km away and was a British possession. With its promenades, wooden houses and colonial buildings, it is as if the palm trees and fine sand were the only difference between Swakop and the holiday resorts on the German Baltic or North Sea coasts. It is Namibia's first seaside resort and is one of the best preserved examples of German colonial architecture in the world. It is also Namibia's most popular holiday resort. Activities such as climbing the imposing dunes, sandboarding for those with some experience in snowboarding or surfing, quad biking through the enormous dune field, horse or camel rides through the desert, panoramic flights to observe from the air areas that are practically inaccessible by land and contemplate wild nature.