Swakopmund tours

What Swakopmund is like

German colonists founded the town in 1892 as a harbour, and the 19th-century buildings are still there, including the old prison and the Woermann House. About 76,000 people live here (2023 census). Rain is rare, under 20 millimetres a year, but the cold Benguela Current brings sea fog, so mornings can be grey and cool. Temperatures stay between about 15 and 25°C all year. After the heat of Sossusvlei, many guests are glad of the cooler air.

You can walk the town in a few hours. There are cafés and restaurants, a museum, an aquarium and a long beach, and the pace is slow.

Things to do in Swakopmund and Walvis Bay

• Dolphin and seal cruise from Walvis Bay. A boat trip to Pelican Point, where tens of thousands of Cape fur seals gather. Dolphins and pelicans often follow the boat. (optional on our 10 day tour)
• Walvis Bay lagoon. A protected wetland where flamingos gather, with boardwalks for watching the birds.
• Sandboarding and quad biking. On the dunes outside town. (optional on our 10 day tour)
• Dune 7. About 132 metres high, near Walvis Bay, and a good climb for the view.
• Moon Landscape. A dry, cracked valley of ancient rock just inland. Often combined with a visit to a welwitschia, a plant found only in Namibia's desert, which some people estimate to be over 1,000 years old.
• Onshore fishing. Fishing from the beach is part of the Namibian coast. Ask us if you want to add it. Plan your tour

Best time to visit

The coast is cool all year, so Swakopmund works in every season. Fog is most common in the mornings, and it usually lifts by midday. Winter (June to August) is cooler. The sea stays cold all year, so water activities are done on boats, not in the water.

How long to stay

Two nights is usual: one full day for a cruise or sandboarding and one for resting and walking. We suggest two nights on the 10 day tour.

Where you sleep

Our 10 day tour uses Hotel Al Mer or similar (mid-range) and The Strand Hotel or similar (luxury). Hotel names depend on availability and are confirmed in your quote.

Weather in Swakopmund, month by month

The pattern is steady: highs of 18 to 23°C all year, and almost no rain. The cold sea (13 to 18°C) is the reason. It brings fog, which can cover the coast on many days of the year and drift well inland.

What to bring

• A warm jacket or fleece, even in summer. Boat trips are cold in any season.
• A windproof layer for the dunes and the boat.
• Sun cream and sunglasses. The sun is strong when the fog lifts.
• Closed shoes for walking on dunes and sand.

Getting there

Swakopmund is 352 kilometres west of Windhoek by road. Walvis Bay, where the cruises leave, is a short drive south along the coast. On our 10 day tour you drive from Sossusvlei to the coast through Solitaire and the Gaub and Kuiseb landscapes.

Visit the coast with White Dove Tours

• Namibia Unveiled, 10 day tour. Two nights in Swakopmund, with a free day for a cruise or sandboarding. View the tour
• A coast-and-dunes trip. Want a shorter tour with Sossusvlei and the coast? Plan your tour