The Namibian desert offers a number of activities for travellers to enjoy, while the coast offers opportunities to spot dolphins and seals. Kim Emmanuel rounds up some popular adventures.
1. Tommy’s Living Desert tour
Guido Roeschlau, Contracting Manager at Sense of Africa Namibia, suggests experiencing Tommy’s Living Desert tour in Swakopmund. “Just the drive in the dunes is an amazing experience, but Tommy will show you a lot more than sand. He introduces you to some of the fascinating, hidden life in this apparently barren landscape that is part of the Namib Desert.”
Guests will discover creatures endemic to the Namib, such as the sidewinder snake and the Palmato gecko with its transparent skin and beautiful colours, says Roeschlau. The tour also teaches guests about how the area's plants and small animals survive the harsh climate, and how they obtain water.
Other fauna to be found in the dunes include the 'dancing' White Lady spider, the Parabuthus Villosus black scorpion, horned adder, desert wasps, fish-moths, crickets and several beetle species.
“A Living Desert Tour with the enthusiastic Tommy is educational, fun and an unforgettable experience. The photographic opportunities are endless too,” says Roeschlau.
2. Sandwich Harbour tour
The Sandwich Harbour Tour shows visitors where desert dunes meet the ocean, says Michéll Fourie, speaking in her former role as Commercial Services South Africa: Manager Sales and Marketing for Air Namibia.
The tour traverses a dune chain adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, zigzagging the original railway line between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay. This is an opportunity for a detailed look at the formation of the world's oldest desert - its origins, its composition and its movements.
This half-day trip is an ideal addition to a self-drive safari in Namibia, or even a guided Namibian safari that has a few days free in Swakopmund.
3. Desert quad biking
Guests who enjoy a bit of a thrill should go quad biking through the Namibian desert. Janet Wilson-Moore, General Manager at the Swakopmund Hotel & Entertainment Centre, suggests a quadbike tour from Namibia Click and Travel. The route takes guests through the mouth of the Swakopmund River into the dune belt towards the ‘Amphitheatre’. Guests can choose between two tour options –a 20-kilometre tour for one hour or a two-hour tour of about 35-55 kilometres.
4. Sandboarding
Namibia Click and Travel also offers sandboarding as a desert activity, says Wilson-Moore. The activity can be done as lie-down or stand-up boarding and requires no experience. Six different slopes are included in the lie-down option, where speeds of up to 80km/hour can be reached. Namibia Click and Travel describes stand-up sand boarding as snowboarding with a difference.
The starting point for the snowboarding activity is Swakopmund at 09h30. The duration of both lie-down and stand-up sandboarding is about four hours. In addition, guests have the option of enjoying a quad biking and sandboarding combo. This is a combination of a two-hour quadbike tour together with one hour’s lie-down sandboarding.
5. Swakopmund Fat Bike Tours
Three different bike tours are on offer for fat bike tours in Swakopmund: eco scenic desert tour, ‘Old city’ Swakopmund tour, and the low tide beach cruise.
The eco scenic desert tour allows guests to experience the desert in an ecological way without noise or air pollution. Riding up along the top of Namibia’s dunes, guests can enjoy views of the desert, sea and Swakopmund. The tour starts at Swakopmund, daily at 08h30, 11h00 and 14h30 and is about one-and-a-half to two-hours long.
The ‘Old city’ Swakopmund tour passes some of Swakopmund’s historic buildings and landmarks to give the visitor a feel of how the town started and why Swakopmund is still one of Namibia’s most popular places to visit. The tour is offered in either German or English. The tour starts at Swakopmund, daily at 08h30, 11h00 and 14h30 and is about one-and-a-half to two-hours long.
The fat bike’s balloon-like tyres allow effortless floating over pebbles and sand, making it ideal for casually cruising below the high-tide mark at low-tide on the low-tide beach cruise tour.
The tour begins at Swakopmund and starting times depend on tides. The duration of the tour is between one-and-a-half and two hours.
Adventures along the coast
1. Dolphin and seal cruise
Fourie also suggests exploring the coast in Walvis Bay. “Not a desert excursion, but a hot favourite and an adventure not to be missed when in the area is the Walvis Bay Dolphin and Seal cruises,” she says.
Catamaran Charters offers morning cruises from the Walvis Bay Waterfront that continue into the bay areas. A shipwreck, lighthouse, oyster platforms, different bird species, seals and an abundance of marine life are just some of the attractions in the area.
During the summer, larger mammals such as Southern Right whales and Humpback whales may be spotted. Killer whales might make an appearance if visitors are lucky. Guests are able to enjoy the experience while comfortably relaxing in the saloon, on the trampolines or on deck, while enjoying a glass of sparkling wine and delicious trade-mark snacks.
Wilson-Moore also recommends the marine cruise where guests are able to catch sight of dolphins, seals, whales between August and November.
2. Pelican Point kayaking
Wilson-Moore also suggests the Pelican Point kayaking tour from Namibia Click and Travel, which gives guests the opportunity to kayak among the permanent seal colony at the tip of the Pelican Point Peninsula, about 35 kilometres outside Walvis Bay.
The tour begins at 07h45 at the office of the Walvis Bay Waterfront, where guests meet their kayak guide. Guests are then taken in a 4x4 vehicle on a scenic drive along the Walvis Bay Lagoon and the salt mines to Pelican Point. A stop is planned along the way to take pictures of the countless flamingos, pelicans, large flocks of comorants and great variety of other birds and wildlife.
After about an hour, guests reach Pelican Point and are provided with waterproof clothing and boots. The kayaks are very stable and suitable for inexperienced paddlers too. About two hours is spent on the ocean, depending on general weather conditions. Your guide will use a waterproof camera for some photos, which will be emailed to you immediately after the tour.
3. Angling
Wilson-Moore also suggests angling as a desert adventure for travellers. Fishing from the Namibian coastline, where the ocean meets the desert promises an unforgettable experience of a fun and adrenalin-filled day. Namibia Click and Travel offers shark fishing on a catch-and-release basis only. Aquanaut Guides will assist you in finding the most promising spot for the day.
