Namibia lies on the West coast of Africa between South Africa in the South and Angola in the North. A scarcely populated country the place you may drive for 100’s of kilometers without seeing a town.
Swakopmund nestles between the sea and the dunes, a true oases within the desert. The German influence continues to be strongly seen in the architecture. Hotel Europahof is but one of many many examples of this European inheritance.
Even the old jail is a fantastic building.
Swakopmund is among the hottest holiday towns for Namibians and quite busy over the Christmas holidays. Bordering the colder Atlantic ocean makes water temperatures comparatively low. Early morning mist is a standard appearance. The mist can keep the entire day and create a fairytale picture on the road between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay. On the one side you will have the ever changing dunes and on the opposite side the boats that look like something out of «Pirates on the Caribbean» far of within the haze over the ocean.
Lodging might be present in one of the many hotels as well as self catering residences and holiday homes. The Swakopmund Hotel and Entertainment centre use to be the Old Station Building, It was fantastically restored and now hosts a five star hotel with casino, restaurants, shops and a cinema.
There are enough restaurants to keep the hungry happy. Cafe Anton is widespread for it’s typically German pastries and biscuits. The Lighthouse Pub & Restaurant has a pleasant outside area with views over the ocean. On a transparent day sununits over the ocean are spectacular.
The Naukluft Park just outside Swakopmund is one of the should see places within the area. It’s essential get a entry permit at the inside affairs office earlier than you enter. It prices N$forty (less than $4) per individual and N$10 per vehicle. The big sights, aside from the desert dunes, are the moon landscape and the Welwitschia plants. While these plants aren’t significantly pretty, they definitely have a charm of their own. A few of them are over a 1 000 years old. They develop very near the ground and have only leaves. You won’t think this once you see them, because the leaves are torn from a few years of exposure to the elements of nature. They are endemic to Namibia and a wonderful photograph opportunity.
Dune 7 is the other should do when in Swakopmund. It’s a few kilometers outside Swakopmund close to the Walvis Bay airport. Everybody that has been to Namibia is asked the same query » Did you climb Dune 7″ From the underside it looks comparatively easy, until you start sliding back more than you go forward. Should you don’t feel like climbing you can strive sand boarding. You might be taken up with a quad bike and then you definitely just slide down, once more and again. Sunscreen is a necessity for this activity when you do not need to look like a prawn after just a few minutes. It is said to be the highest sand dune in the world.
English is the official language of Namibia. Afrikaans and German are also heard quite a bit as well as the various local languages. The currency is the Namibian dollar which is equal in worth to the South African Rand. Rands are accepted by most companies in Namibia. Restaurants and hotels in tourist areas settle for most credit cards for payment. Visa gave the impression to be probably the most widely accepted.