Swakopmund is the perfect weekend destination as it is a 3-5hour drive away from Windhoek. This colonial German town on the coast of Namibia delivers to every traveler because it has stunning views, adventurous tours and activities and a vibrating nightlife. Many Namibians choose to visit Swakopmund when it is summer in Windhoek, the cool breeze makes it a pleasant town to stay in when the inland is burning.
Swakopmund is surrounded by the desert and enclosed by the Atlantic sea, this unique environment gives Swakopmund or Swakop as the locals like to call it a permanent morning fog which often makes place for the sun in the afternoon. Due to its laying at the Atlantic Ocean, there is always a cool breeze and water conditions are perfect to catch a wave.
As a result, Swakop has some cool surf schools where you can learn how to become a surf master, also you have the opportunity to sand board down the dune hills that have been created by the wind from the sea. Another popular and exciting activity is to experience the Namib desert on high speed with a quad bike. To round up, there is this one adventurous activity that is only for the real dare devil, in Swakopmund you have the opportunity to sky dive over the oldest dessert in the world. Alternatively, you also can enrich yourself with the local culture, flora and fauna through several desert tours, a visit to the national aquarium or a boat trip out of the haven of Walvis bay to spot whales and dolphins.
Nightlife in Swakop is vibrant, there are many open-air spaces so don’t forget to bring your jacket! There are multiple different venues such as Soundgarden which hosts live music evenings regularly. Furthermore, there are many bars along the beach and clubs such as club SALT and infinity lounge.
After a day of adventure or just sunbathing at the beach there is a wide variety of restaurants to go to. Swakop is famous for its seafood so going to a fish restaurant is a no brainer, some recommendations are The Wrack or The Tug. There is an Indian place which serves the best curries and samoosas as well as an ice-cold beer to go with it.
There are many options for accommodation in Swakopmund, backpacker accommodations are well represented and scattered around the village. Salty Jackal is a small backpackers and also offers surf classes and camps. Another option would be to go to Sea View backpackers which is a more chill and remote located hostel near the sea, lastly, we can recommend Swakopmund backackers layed next to the sound garden which delivers the ultimate social experience of Swakopmund.
Transportation to swakop can be done by either car, train, plane, or shuttle. We recommend taking either a rental car or shuttle bus as these fastest and reasonably cheapest options. By plan you can fly to Walvis Bay where you can take shuttle to Swakopmund. Another option if you have more time would be to go by train, the train takes approximately 9 hours drives by night.
I can imagine all this sounds pretty adventurous and spontaneous. However, Kamatjona offers tailor made tours to Swakopmund which will keep your adrenaline pumped