SWAKOPMUND
Your guide to Seaside Central.
MORNING
7 am: Wake up at Sophia Dale Base Camp, about 11 km from Swakopmund on the banks of the dry Swakop River. There might not be a lot of grass to camp on – you’re in the middle of the desert after all – but there’s good shade and clean ablution facilities. Have a cup of coffee, buy some of the salami made by owners Michaela and Manfred Lütz and head into town.
8.30 am: Sit down at Die Muschel Books & Fine Art in the Brauhaus Arcade between Hendrik Witbooi and Tobias Hainyeko streets, and order a fresh bread roll with smoked salmon, sour cream and horseradish (R50). Also order coffee (R16) – or ice coffee (R35) if the day is already heating up. The bookshop has been in business for 32 years and you can page through the latest releases while you wait for breakfast. If you’re planning to explore the rest of Namibia after your visit to Swakop, this is also a good place to stock up on guidebooks. muschel-namibia.com; 00 264 64 402 874; Monday to Saturday 8.30 am – 5.30 pm; Sunday 10 am – 1 pm and 4 pm – 6 pm
10 am: Visit the Ministry of Environment and Tourism on the corner of Bismarck Street and Sam Nujoma Avenue for a permit to enter the Moon Landscape. The permit costs R60 per adult and R10 per vehicle (free for children under 16). You’ll also get a map with directions and attractions en route. 00 264 64 404 576; weekdays 8 am – 1 pm and 2 pm – 5 pm; weekends 8 am – 1 pm
10.30 am: Follow the B2 back towards Sophia Dale and turn right onto the C28 just before the golf course. Drive 13,5 km and turn left onto the D1991. You’ll soon see why this barren region is called the Moon
Landscape. (It’s also where scenes were shot for Mad Max: Fury Road.)
Visit all the attractions marked on the map. You can see lichen and other desert vegetation up close, the tracks of the old ox-wagon route, called the Baaiweg, which traders used to get to the harbour, and the rusted remains of a camp where Union soldiers stayed during WWI.
After about 33 km you’ll reach a T-junction – keep left and drive through the dry Swakop River and over the Welwitschia Plains – one of these hardy desert plants is estimated to be 1 600 years old! (Please don’t step inside the stone circles.)
AFTERNOON 12.30 pm:
Drive back to the T-junction and continue straight. Look for the black dolerite ridge that runs through the hills and also visit the abandoned Von Stryk Mine, an iron mine that was dug by hand in the 1950s.
1 pm: Village Café at 21 Sam Nujoma Avenue is the kind of place where you can order breakfast at any time of the day, where meals are served on tin plates and where you can always ask for more condensed milk in your coffee. This is where locals like to hang out and it’s usually buzzing.
The café’s speciality is their freshly baked bread (called Ma-seBrood) and the associated sandwich menu is as long as a table. The portions are generous: Order the Terminator 1 and it will see you through until tonight (a thick slice of toasted Ma-se-Brood with bacon, onion, egg and cheese; R75). For something sweet, order a slice of cake (about R35) or a pancake.
00 264 64 404 723; weekdays 7 am – 5 pm; Saturday 7 am – 1 pm
2.30 pm: Now it’s time to stretch your legs. Drive down Sam Nujoma Avenue, turn left into Strand Street and right one block further – to the parking area at the Swakopmund
Jetty. The wooden structure is more than a century old and nearly 300 m long. Take your camera along – there are always photo opportunities of fishermen casting a line and waves pounding the pillars.
3 pm: Drive 12 km out of town (on the same road as Sophia Dale) to Okakambe Riding Centre. This morning you explored the desert in a vehicle; now it’s time to do it on horseback. Noag Kairua has worked with horses his whole life and has lots of patience with beginners. Do a two-hour ride next to the Swakop River and in the surrounding hills while Noag tells you more about the desert (R820 per person or R750 if you’re a group). Rides last from one hour to three days. Visit the website for more info. www.okakambe. iway.na; 00 264 064 402 799
EVENING
5 pm: It’s been a great day, but it’s not over yet. Tonight you’ll stay at Windpomp 14 about 20 km north of Swakop on the beach. Follow the C34 (the Henties Bay road) to the windmill sign on the left.
Windpomp 14 is a well-oiled machine. Pitch your tent and have a power nap or go for a walk on the beach. Did you pack your fishing rod? Maybe you’ll catch a kabeljou right in front of the campsite.
7.30 pm: The Barnyard Restaurant is on the same premises. Order a sundowner at the bar and peruse the menu. Try the Windpomp burger and chips (R80), or have steak and chips (R130). If you only nibbled on a pancake at the Village Café earlier, the rib steak, calamari and chips (R175) should be your pick!