Well..... if I didn't know better I could have sworn I somehow ended up in "Little Germany" on my way to the desert - because that's exactly what Swakopmund is.
Namibia used to be a German West Africa back in the day and the influence is still noticeable everywhere - though nowhere as strongly as in Swakopmund.
I had been fascinated by the unusual name ever since I first saw it as a little girl on the big world map in my room - and it's certainly worth a visit.
Swakopmund is probably the most picturesque and beautiful town in Namibia - and one of the nicest in Southern Africa. Beautifully nestled right along the Atlantic Ocean, a quaint seaside town with an abundance of luscious charm.
German street names, stores and restaurants everywhere - and even the famous cakes and pastries made it to this unusual little place in the form of local institution "Cafe Albert.
Guess where I went for breakfast....;-)
The first impression of Swakopmund though is the ocean and beautiful waterfront.
I started at the beach early in the morning and the fresh sea air was delicious.
It was early December, a national holiday weekend in Namibia, and the festivities had started with a big street fair amongst palm trees - quite a different Christmas scene than the Northern hemisphere....
Even the little ones took part with a drumming performance.
I ventured deeper into "Little Germany" and couldn't believe that I was still in Africa.....
In the early afternoon, I looped back to the ocean (usually my favorite place anywhere) and had lunch at this trendy restaurant right on the water - the legendary "Jetty".
The rest of the day was spent enjoying the scenery and some window shopping, before getting ready for my big desert trip the next day - to the Sand Dunes of Sossusvlei...
On my way back to the hotel I saw this super cool vehicle & it's crazy Brit owners....;-) - They drove that thing all the way from Mombasa (Kenya) to Swakopmund! - what an amazing story.......
Apparently, the leopard coloring on the side tended to scare the animals in National Parks who saw it as one gigantic leopard.....;-)
I also met this young man, obviously a "Germany" fan - well, the German soccer team that is....;-) - His name was Pandeni and his favorite player is Andre Schürrle. Go "La Manschaft"!
Swakopmund is a lovely little town, definitely a must see in this unusual country and a refreshing oasis to recharge one's batteries after some rough touring in the bush or desert.
The Desert Dunes of Sossusvlei
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6 thoughts on “NAMIBIA – Swakopmund, the Belle of the Sea…”
I loved our visit to Swakopmund! – very German, but cute….;-) – and so very different from the rest of Namibia…..
that’s so to the point, Penny…;-) – it was a little too German for me, but cute indeed.
I’ve been thinking about going to Namibia – and your posts definitely inspire me. Seems like an interesting country with amazing scenery.
some of the scenery – especially the Namib Desert – are among the most stunning scenery I have seen anywhere – Definitely worth a visit!
beautiful little town – definitely want to visit some day….
it is quite lovely – very German…;-)
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