What to do in Lüderitz
Located at the base of the Namib Desert at the end of the B4 road, Lüderitz is a quirky and quaint harbour town in Namibia, best-known for its colonial architecture and its close proximity to the ghost town of Kolmanskop.
It’s also considered one of the most inhospitable coastlines in Africa, with interesting architecture.
There is, however, some other tourist attractions one can visit apart from attending the Lüderitz Crayfish Festival, as visitors tend to focus more on the town’s rich history and often ignore the beauty of its surroundings.
Kolmanskop
Kolmanskop is a ghost town in the Namib desert in southern Namibia, a few kilometres inland from the port town of Lüderitz. Offering spectacular views are the houses filled with nearby dune sand. The place furthermore depicts the rich diamond history of Namibia. Of particular interest at the ghost town is a room displaying all the methods miners used to try and smuggle diamonds out.
Diaz Point
Diaz Point is known as an interesting landmark, where visitors can view the red and white-striped lighthouse that was established back in 1915.
Nearby, you can also view the stone cross, commemorating the landing location of the famous Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Diaz. The point still bears his name even today.
Agate Beach
Agate Beach is one such place worthy of a visit and time permitting, to linger longer and have a picnic. Close to the water, it is one of the favourite recreational spots that overlook the bay to the one side and the Namib Desert on the other way. En route to the facility, one can make a stop on the roadside immediately after passing the water treatment plant and spoil yourself to the abundance of wildlife to be seen in the wetlands.
A little further towards Agate Beach, flamingos are always to been seen at the salty lagoon. It is also fun trying to locate agates amongst the many pebbles on the shore.
Shark Island
Shark Island is a small peninsula adjacent to the coastal town of Lüderitz. Originally named Star Island, the land sat amidst immense winds and crashing waters of the Atlantic for a century before it was connected to the mainland, and used as a brutal concentration camp by the Germans from 1904 to 1908.