Overview
Swakopmund is a seaside resort town, which makes it the premier holiday getaway in Namibia . The interior of Namibia has intense heat during the summer months, therefore making the coast the perfect December getaway for that real holiday feel. Another relief to the heat is the cool early mornings and evenings in Swakopmund throughout the year, because of the cold Atlantic Ocean meeting the Namib Desert creating a fog bank.
In 1892, Swakopmund was founded by Captain Curt von Francois as the main harbor of German South West Africa, drawing a lot of attention to the harbor. The city is home to the Swakopmund Airport, lying on the B1 road and the Trans-Namib Railway from Windhoek to Walvis Bay. Other historic attractions in Swakopmund include buildings such as the AltesGefängnis prison, designed by Heinrich Bause in 1909, and the Wörmannhaus, which was built in 1906 with a prominent tower, but is now a public library.
In Swakopmund, there are many different activities and attractions to keep you busy. These include a transport museum, the National Marine Aquarium, a crystal gallery and, south of the Swakop River near Langstrand, you can experience the beauty of the sand dunes. Broaden your experience by stepping outside the city to enjoy a game of golf at the Rossmund Desert Golf Course (one of the only 5 world-renowned all-grass desert golf courses). For the adrenalin junkies, the city has many extreme sports, such as sand boarding, quad biking, dune carting, parachuting, hot air ballooning, shark fishing, deep sea fishing and beach angling - just to point out a few! For the more laid back tourist, Swakopmund offers an array of restaurants, cafes, art galleries, museums and a snake park.
