With almost 1000 miles of shoreline, Namibia provides a few of the world’s most unusual and sensational seaside experiences. From shipwreck scouting and dune browsing to fishing for sharks, Namibia’s wild shores supply thrills aplenty for adventurous vacationers.
The picture of a seashore trip for many vacationers includes azure seas and enjoyable whereas sipping cocktails below a seashore umbrella. This dreamy scene could not be farther from the truth of Namibia’s seashores. Whereas you could find spots to calm down and unwind, most guests come to expertise dramatic landscapes and journey actions.
Namibia is likely one of the solely locations on the planet the place the desert comes proper to the ocean’s edge. Because of this, temperatures shift consistently, and all 4 seasons might be skilled in a single day, from fog and mist to sunshine and funky coastal breezes to sizzling desert winds.
Flowing up from the Antarctic, the Benguela Present carries frigid waters with robust currents, so Namibia’s seashores should not excellent for swimming, however the distinction of desert and water is definitely a sight to behold. This is a information to Namibia’s greatest seashore experiences.
1. Get an adrenaline rush in Swakopmund
Ranked as the perfect seashore resort city in Namibia, Swakopmund provides vacationer facilities, comfy lodging, ocean-view eating places and gorgeous seashores. Situated 352km (219 miles) west of the capital metropolis of Windhoek, this in style city has additionally turn into often called Namibia’s journey capital, providing every little thing from sandboarding and skydiving to browsing on Atlantic swells.
The encompassing dunes, which plummet proper into the ocean, entice hardcore adventurers on out of doors excursions. Swakopmund Fats Bike Excursions provides excursions on electrical fats tire bikes, plus leases for skilled riders. You may experience up, down and throughout the crimson dunes on these specifically designed cycles, or cruise alongside the surf on the water’s edge at sundown.
Tommy’s Excursions & Safaris provides a singular Residing Desert Tour the place professional guides take you on a 4WD expedition searching for uncommon, tiny desert creatures. The Swakopmund Skydiving Membership lets you take within the dramatic shoreline from above on a tandem leap from 10,000ft. Nevertheless, the acute sport that has taken Swakopmund by storm in recent times is sand browsing or sandboarding; quite a few tour operators within the space can prepare a day using the dunes of the world’s oldest desert, the Namib.
Planning tip: Planes, trains and buses join Windhoek and Swakopmund. In a single day trains are scenic however sluggish; touring by highway, privately-run shuttle buses are sooner and extra frequent than common buses.
2. Spot shipwrecks on the Skeleton Coast
Vacationers who go to this desolate stretch of shoreline in northern Namibia come for the shipwrecks. Portuguese sailors as soon as referred to the Skeleton Coast because the Gates of Hell due to its disorienting coastal fog and churning waves, which prompted numerous ships to run aground.
Most of those wrecks have been ravaged by the ocean and sand, however the “bones” of wrecks relationship from the early 1500s and later stand testomony to the incredible energy of Mom Nature. Street markers and GPS coordinates make these wrecks straightforward to seek out, and you may usually stroll proper as much as them, relying on the climate circumstances and tides.
Skeleton Coast Nationwide Park is open between dawn and sundown nevertheless it provides restricted facilities. The one lodging alongside this span of shoreline – Shipwreck Lodge and Terrace Bay Resort – are 113km (70 miles) aside. A single salt highway travels out and in of the park, with iconic cranium and crossbones indicators posted on the entrance gate.
Planning Tip: Most guests come to the Skeleton Coast on excursions or self-drive 4WD safaris. If you happen to come below your personal steam, plan rigorously, convey loads of provides (together with sufficient water, meals and gas) and put together to be awestruck.
3. Go fishing at Henties Bay
Situated 89km (55 miles) south of the Skeleton Coast, Henties Bay is a small resort city with a country, peaceable vibe. The waters listed here are protected by the bay and teem with fish; anglers dot the shoreline whereas beachgoers stroll, picnic and sunbathe on the flat, sandy seashore. The city is raised up from the seashore on a dune that backs onto the shoreline, giving everybody a view of the Atlantic Ocean. The one disadvantage is that you will have to climb again uphill to get to your lodge.
Fishing gear and bait are available on the town, with the choice to fish proper from the seashore or enterprise into deeper water on a ship fishing tour. Shark fishing is a well-liked exercise within the bay because of the considerable plankton discovered offshore, which attracts many prey species.
4. Feast on contemporary seafood at Walvis Bay
Simply north of the Tropic of Most cancers is the port city of Walvis Bay. This pure, deep-water harbor is Namibia’s largest industrial port, and the waters of this pure lagoon are nutrient-rich, attracting seals, sea lions, flamingos, dolphins, fish and whales.
The lagoon facet of city contains a 3km-long paved esplanade lined with curio outlets and native eating places serving scrumptious native seafood. Do not miss the prospect to strive Walvis Bay’s bivalves; domestically farmed oysters have turn into synonymous with the bay. There isn’t any different ocean present fairly just like the Benguela – the ocean’s richest supply of phytoplankton and oxygenated water – and it makes these oysters arguably the perfect on the planet.
Planning tip: In terms of seafood, Anchors @ the Jetty and Dockside Seafood & Grill are probably the most well-known eating places in Walvis Bay, with menus that replicate the variety and richness of the waters at your toes.
5. Sandwich Harbor is greatest for birding and exploring wetlands
Accessible solely on a guided tour from Walvis Bay, Sandwich Harbor is a wide ranging pure marvel on Namibia’s Atlantic coast. This 3km-wide tidal lagoon is surrounded by sand and reeds, offering a house for some 200,000 birds, together with lesser and larger flamingos, terns, cormorants and nice white pelicans. It is a protected marine sanctuary and a major wetlands wilderness web site.
Primarily based in Walvis Bay, Sandwich Harbour 4×4 provides day and half-day excursions to the lagoon. The drive takes you up and over the dunes, with magnificent views of the Atlantic Ocean, the bay, the lagoon and close by pink salt pans. When you attain the lagoon, your information will stroll you nearer to the water to see the extraordinary abundance of birdlife up shut. It is a paradise for photographers and birders.
In your approach again throughout the dunes, you are prone to see different desert-adapted wildlife. There are common sightings of ostrich, oryx, springbok and black-backed jackals, alongside assorted reptiles, together with web-footed geckos and the elusive sidewinder snake.
