Day 7 – Swakopmund
I ate a hot cooked breakfast, then left around 9:00 am for my quad biking and sand boarding tour. Lucky for me, I was the only one scheduled and it turned into a private tour. I was fitted for a helmet, then my guide and I hit the sand dunes, riding along a set trail so we wouldn’t injure or kill the protected wildlife there. The landscape was magnificent, but I was hopelessly lost as we traveled deeper and deeper into the maze of sand dunes.
More sand dunes
About an hour later, we stopped at one of the larger dunes for my sandboarding adventure. Since it was my first time, I had chosen the “Lie Down” sandboarding style (where you lie on the board and ride the dunes headfirst). My guide waxed the board and rubbed it with sand to prepare it for riding. Then he had me lay down on the board with the front slightly raised and my feet hanging over the back. I was a tad bit nervous and briefly questioned my sanity as I looked down. But I gave the OK and my guide nudged the board sending me off. My adrenaline kicked in as I sailed down the dune at breakneck speed. The ride was exhilarating but over in seconds, and I had to hike back up the dune (which was a chore). I rode down a second time and luckily this time my guide rode me back up on the quad bike.
Waxing the board
Smoothing the board with sand
Ready to go
After two runs, I’d had enough sand boarding and so we took off on the quad bikes to search for desert wildlife. The desert appeared lifeless at first glance, but upon a closer look it was alive with a variety of desert-adapted wildlife. My guide pointed out various hidden animals, including geckos, lizards, beetles, and spiders. The final highlight was seeing where the edge of the desert meets the Atlantic Ocean.
Lizard
Sand gecko
The desert meeting the sea
By the end of the ride, I was dirty, full of sand, and ready for a hot shower. After freshening up, I headed off to explore the town of Swakopmund. Situated on Namibia’s coast, Swakopmund is like a little Deutschland in Africa. The German colonial influence is present in the architecture and general ambience, and many of the retail stores and restaurants are German-owned.
German church
More German architecture
German cafe
I had worked up a serious appetite and stopped for lunch at The Fish Deli, a local seafood restaurant, where I ate fried hake and chips. Later, I walked the sea-front promenade, eating homemade ice cream while viewing the jetty, lighthouse, and exquisite waterfront homes in the area. I would be remiss if I didn’t admit I had mixed emotions about these obvious remnants of colonialism and apartheid.
The Fish Deli
Fried hake fish and chips
Swakopmund waterfront
I spent the last evening talking with one of my tour guides, Alfons, a native Namibian. We talked about past and present Namibian history, his heritage as a member of the Herero tribe, his multilingualism (English, Herero, and Afrikaans, which was required during the apartheid period), and his future plans to return to his village in northern Namibia. I left with a greater understanding of Namibia’s storied past and rich culture, and a strong desire to see more. I look forward to returning.
Have you been to Swakopmund, Namibia’s adventure capital? Did you participate in any adventure activities? Share your comments below.
Seems like an amazing adventure. I gotta visit Namibia one day. I’m adding it to my 13564 million places to see. Solid post!
We were there last year and joined in on a living desert tour. It was really something special 🙂 It’s so fascinating to see how much life there actually are in the dry desert. Loved it so much!
I haven’t read much about Namibian travels, so this was really interesting! What made you decide to visit Namibia?
I traveled to South Africa and decided to visit several nearby countries. I ended up visiting Namibia, Swaziland and Lesotho too. I really would like to return to see more of Namibia.
Yes, it seems like it would be easy to get lost in the sand dunes.
I was scared for a bit and made my guide reassure me that he knew the way out. Lol
The sand here is so pure and I love the pictures! Looks like you had a great time, would so love to visit one day!
I have never been to Namibia but I am certainly looking forward to going someday. I didn’t realize there was a strong German influence in the town of Swakopmund. The picture of the dunes meeting the sea is beautiful.
My pictures really don’t do justice to the view of the sand meeting the sea. It’s beautiful!
I love the photo of the sand against the sea, and the lizards. Sounds like you had a wonderful time and learned so much.
The desert experience looks like sooo much fun. This is exactly what I would love to do as well. Beautiful pics.
Loved the desert experience. I definitely recommend it.
Beautiful photos specially the desert ones.
Thanks!
A nice and diverse set of experiences you enjoyed there, with stark contrasts in the terrain and, indeed, in what you got up to (sand boarding looks fun, although like you I would think twice before doing it!). Definitely looks like a place worth checking out, thanks for sharing! 🙂
Sandboarding in highlight was one of my absolute favorite things to do in Namibia! Definitely more tiring than snowboarding due to the hiking and the heat…I never tried quad-biking though. Seems like a lot of fun!
Quad biking was a lot of fun! You should try it.
Quite an adventure! It’s amazing how creatures adapt. Love the lizard and little Gecko. Also really like the photo of the desert meeting the sea.
WOW fortunes smiled on you that day huh? You basically had the tour to yourself. How awesome is that! I’ve only been on 2 “private tours” and they are definitely better. You can hear everything and you’re definitely catered to! What an amazing trip 🙂
Thanks! The private tour was very nice. It was the perfect end to an amazing trip in Namibia.
Great post – shows how much there is to do in Namibia!! I loved it there – Etosha was fantastic for game drives and Dune 45 for sunrise was very special. I did my one and only skydive in Swakopmund – tick that off my bucket list but never again lol 🙂 Thanks for bringing back the memories; I feel the need to dig out the journals I kept from my time there!
Yes, I was pleasantly surprised by the abundance of activity and beauty in Namibia. I’d love to go back.
It seems like an amazing adventure. this was really interesting! The sand here is so pure and I love the pictures! Thansk for sharing.