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Swakopmund Mole and Palm Beach
There's plenty to do and see in and
around Swakopmund. You need to plan a three day minimum stay to make
your visit worthwhile. Most tour-guides on Namibia are produced
overseas, and they all seem to ramble-on about the mist at the
coast, so here comes a factual comment. I live Here, I don't know whether it is
due to Global Warming, but the weather down at the coast has improved a lot
since I landed here, over thirty years ago. Yes! There are some days when the
sky is overcast, but, on the whole we enjoy a very mild
climate. In winter it never gets too cold, while in summer it sure
offers a welcome respite from the inland summer heat.
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The Swakopmund Municipality really puts a lot of
effort into keeping our little town crisp and clean. You'll find
lots of tropical gardens here, and along with the 'old style' German
architecture, it all adds to the charm of the town. It's a perfect
place to spend some time after having driven thousands of kilometres
touring around Namibia. The Mole and Palm Beach recreation area is a
popular relaxation area and central meeting place, with an Indoor
Olympic Sized Swimming Pool and children's play park. The
Museum is housed in the old German Customs Warehouse and is the best
and most interesting in the country. There are excellent bistro
coffee bars and restaurants here and also scattered throughout the
town. If you like eating those fattening, but delicious German style
cakes and cookies, then you're in the right place.
If you're young, and into action activities you'll
find Swakopmund all geared up for you to enjoy yourself with
Sand-Boarding, Quad-Biking, Hot-Air-Ballooning, Para-Gliding and
Sailing, Jet-Ski-ing, and one of the most picturesque
Tandem-Sky-Diving-Drop-Zones in the world. There's Horses and Camels
to ride over the coastal dunes and a whole selection of desert
tours, including eco-tours that can show you the fascinating and
virtually hidden life-forms of the Namib. A bonus for those guys and
gals who like to get wet is the High-Surf, so bring your board.
The town has many palmed streets, tropical
flower gardens with green lawns and the picturesque old German style
buildings make a walking trip around the town a must. The fresh air from
the South Atlantic Ocean will give you an appetite for calling into one
of the excellent bakery cafes and bistros which are renowned for their
delicious
cakes and variety of traditional German breads. You'll be pleasantly
surprised to see how 'green' Swakopmund is for a town snuggled on the
edge of the Namib-Desert. There's a good variety of cacti and
succulents that attract the attention of gardeners from all over the
world. Many of the desert plants when in bloom display vivid colors
and become a favorite with photographers.
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