Swakopmund
A German harbour town of 1892 where the Namib runs into the Atlantic, wrapped in morning fog, with an airport of entry thirty kilometres down the coast.
- Arrival
- Walvis Bay · WVB
- To the town
- Walvis Bay 30 km south; its airport 15 km east of it
- Private jets
- Airport of entry at WVB, daytime hours
- Best time
- November to July
The city
Gables, fog and a cold ocean.
Curt von François founded Swakopmund in 1892 because the better harbour at Walvis Bay belonged to Britain, and the colony needed a port of its own. The open beach never sheltered ships well, but the town kept its Wilhelmine look: the Woermannhaus of 1906 with its tower, half-timbered fronts, a jetty from 1905, and the Mole, a breakwater now ringed by a swimming beach.
The Benguela Current keeps the coast cool. Fog rolls in on more than half the days of the year, lifts by mid-morning and returns in late afternoon, and rain hardly registers. While the interior bakes in summer, afternoons here stay near twenty degrees. The ocean stays cold in every month, so people come for the dunes, the boats and the air.
- The Jetty Built in 1905, restored in 2006, with a seafood room at its far end above the Atlantic swell.
- Woermannhaus A trading house of 1906 crowned by its Damara tower, today the town library.
- Walvis Bay lagoon Thirty kilometres south, the lagoon and the dunes around Dune 7, starting point for boat cruises and sandboarding.
Arriving
A long runway at Rooikop.
Walvis Bay Airport sits in the gravel desert at Rooikop, fifteen kilometres inland from Walvis Bay, which is itself thirty kilometres south of Swakopmund. Its terminal dates from 2016.
- Cape Town 2 h 05
- Johannesburg 2 h 15
- Addis Ababa 6 h 00
- Athens 9 h 05 long-range jet
- Dubai 9 h 15 long-range jet
When to go
November to July.
A desert coast cooled by the Benguela Current, with barely any rain and afternoons between 18 and 23 °C all year. November to July is the mildest stretch; from August to October the fog-bound days are a little cooler, and the sea stays between 13 and 18 °C throughout.
- 22° J 2 17°
- 23° F 3 18°
- 22° M 6 17°
- 21° A 2 16°
- 21° M 1 15°
- 20° J 1 14°
- 20° J 0 13°
- 18° A 0 13°
- 18° S 1 13°
- 19° O 0 13°
- 20° N 1 14°
- 22° D 1 16°
Where to stay
On the Mole and in the old centre.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
Where to dine
Three tables by the sea.
No MICHELIN guide covers Namibia. Ocean Cellar was named the country’s best restaurant at the 2024 World Culinary Awards; the Hansa Hotel’s dining room is recommended by Visit Namibia, the national tourism board. Lonely Planet calls The Tug an obligatory stop.
- Ocean Cellar World Culinary Awards, Namibia’s Best Restaurant 2024 Seafood, oysters Strand Hotel, the Mole
- Hansa Hotel Restaurant Visit Namibia Classic Hansa Hotel, Hendrik Witbooi Street
- The Tug Lonely Planet Seafood A beached tugboat by the jetty
Elsewhere in Namibia
More reasons to come.
- Windhoek A small highland capital where most journeys into the desert begin.
- Sossusvlei Red dunes among the highest in the world, and the dead trees of Deadvlei.
- Damaraland Ancient rock engravings, and elephants that live in the desert.
- Skeleton Coast Shipwrecks and fog where the desert meets the Atlantic.
- Etosha A salt pan where the animals gather at the waterholes.
Flying to Swakopmund?
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A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.