Nomad Africa - April 2018

32 | http://www.nomadafricamag.com | ...Celebrating the world’s richest continent | Issue 11

mas holidays. Being close to Windhoek,
Swakopmund is the ideal place for a
weekend trip. Swakopmund is also very
popular with tourists, particularly from
South Africa.
Swakopmund was founded in 1892 as
the main port of German South West
Africa, bringing wide-ranging commer-
cial activities and prosperity to the re-
gion. The strong German influence is
still present in well-preserved buildings,
such as the Woermann House with its
Damara Tower. The German magnate C.
Woermann owned a trading company
and the Woermann shipping line.

Damara Tower was used to look out for

ships on the ocean, and ox carts in

the desert. While modern, Swakop-

mund retains a German colonial at-

mosphere, reflected in its

promenades and half-timbered

houses from the early 1900s.

Happily tucking in for the night, both of

us echoed the Australian author Robyn

Davidson who said: I love the

One of the world's oldest and largest, the Namib Desert has existed

for some 43 million years, unchanged for the past 2 million. 1 , 243

miles long ( 2 , 000 km) and 124 wide ( 200 km), it extends from the

Western Cape Province in South Africa, continues north along the

South Atlantic Ocean coast in Namibia until it reaches into Angola.

Salt industry in Malvis Bay. The Walvis Bay Salt Holding site is the
largest producer of solar sea salt south of the Sahara. Besides indus-
trial salt, they provide southern Africa with high-quality table salt.

i IF YOU GO

Hotels:Strand Hotel Swakopmund, Hotel

Zum Kaiser, Hansa Hotel.

Restaurants:The Tug, Jetty 1905 , both next

to a large pier that juts into the heavy surf.

The Equestrian Room and The Terrace at

the Hansa Hotel.

Points of Interest:Swakopmund Museum,

German colonial architecture, Lighthouse,

Jetty, National Marine Aquarium of

Namibia (the only aquarium in Namibia).

How to get there: There are several Air

Namibia daily flights from Windhoek, last-

ing some 40 min. Driving distance from

Windhoek on Route B 2 is 360. 88 km / 224

miles, and it takes just over three hours.

There are also quite a few flights from Jo-

hannesburg, South Africa, (^) as well as from
other countries.