You’ll get a Namibian/Italian welcome here, if you can imagine such a thing. And a perfect Italian espresso. Food is homemade and the menu, Mediterranean. Swakopmund town centre is a 15-minute walk away.
It's comfortable and you'll feel right at home. If the decor alone doesn't do that, your hosts, Silvio & Esbi most definitely will.
Swakopmund is sometimes called pretty seaside German town - depending on what the mist is doing. Founded by the Germans back in 1892, the architecture reflects this history to this day. Even the street names are still in German. As are the signs. The place is a deliberate echo of Kaiser Wilhelm’s homeland.
It’s a quirky place lying between the cold winds of the Atlantic Ocean and the searing heat of one of the oldest deserts in the world. The seafront is lined with palm trees, and there, 250m away, is Casa Al Mare. A small but homely bed & breakfast.
So, you’re in Swakopmund. And Walvis Bay is an easy drive, as is a trip along the Skeleton Coast.
Casa al Mare is itself only 400 metres from The Dome which is an indoor sports centre, swimming pool and wellness centre.
Swakopmund town centre is a 15-minute walk away.
Ok. Adrenaline sports? There’s a lot on offer. Quad biking on the nearby sand dunes, sky diving, kite surfing, paragliding. Or how about sand boarding? The Namib Desert is an ideal playground, here there are some of the largest sand dunes in the world.
Hot? Get in a boat and go dolphin-spotting. Here, the cold Atlantic waters are famous for their rich marine reserves. Dolphins are found year round and at certain times, you can see humpback whales too. Seals like to hang around the boats too. Over at Cape Cross, you’ll find the largest seal colony in Namibia. And there really are a lot, sometimes about 200,000 make themselves comfy. They are damn sweet, but damn noisy and damn smelly.
Unsurprisingly, angling is good too.
Back in town, you can find decent beer and wursts on every street, thanks to the German influence. Plus there are coffee shops and cafes. You can also get some of the best oysters in the world here. Have them on a boat trip with champagne.
Whilst you’re in town you could visit Swakopmund Museum. It was once a harbour warehouse and now contains a wide range of artefacts from various ethnic groups across country.
You could also check out the aquarium. It’s the only one in Namibia. And the Kristall Gallerie which is home to the world’s largest quartz crystal cluster that was discovered in 1985 in Otjua. It weighs 141,000 kilograms, is over 3 metres tall and took five years to excavate. That’s quite a cluster...
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We loved Namibia and its unique landscapes and kind people. It was certainly an adventure and a privilege to get to spend time there.
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