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Things to do in Swakopmund

Our most recommended things to do in Swakopmund

Walvis Bay: Marine Big 5 Luxury Catamaran Tour

1. Walvis Bay: Marine Big 5 Luxury Catamaran Tour

Begin your dolphin and whale spotting expedition by checking in at Walvis Bay Waterfront at 8:30 am. Depart from the Jetty between 8:45 - 9 am. From there you’ll begin your search for Namibia’s marine Big 5. Sip a hot coffee or tea as you approach Pelican Point. Admire its landmark lighthouse and see the 60,000 cape fur seals who live there. If visiting in-season ( from July to November), you'll be able to spot large sea mammals including the Southern Right Whale and the Humpback Whale. If you’re lucky, you may be able to see a gray whale or a pygmy right whale. Observe different species of dolphins including bottlenose, Heaviside's, and dusky dolphins. Keep a lookout for mola molas and leatherback turtles. As you make your expedition, you’ll encounter a variety of seabirds including kelp gulls, Hartlaub’s gulls, and cape cormorant. On the return journey, cruise past ships and oilrigs docked in the bay. As you make your way back, enjoy fresh oysters, sparkling wine, savory snacks, and desserts alongside light drinks and water. You’ll return to the waterfront at 12:30 pm. 

Walvis Bay: 4x4 Desert Excursion to Sandwich Harbour Bay

2. Walvis Bay: 4x4 Desert Excursion to Sandwich Harbour Bay

After meeting your guide at the Walvis Bay Waterfront, admire the mass of flamingoes in the Walvis Bay Lagoon.  Your 4x4 tour will head out to a tidal lagoon consisting of adjacent intertidal areas, mudflats, and sandbars that supports thousands of wetland birds. In addition to the many flamingoes, there are 11 species of endangered birds regularly observed at this RAMSAR site. Next, your tour proceeds to the Kuiseb river delta, a dry riverbed where springboks are sometimes seen. Here you'll also look for some of the area’s smaller creatures, such as the fog-basking beetle, dancing spider (white lady of the Namib), golden mole, shovel-snouted lizard, and palmato gecko. Then if weather and tides allow, you'll drive along the beach right to the Sandwich Harbour Lagoon, one of Southern Africa’s richest wetlands and the second RAMSAR site for the day.  Wedged between the sea and the Namib Dunes, this is one of Namibia's most important coastal wetlands and supports eight endangered species among the large numbers of wading birds.  Finally enjoy a light lunch including a selection of oysters and snacks, salad, bread, fresh fruit, and drinks atop a high dune overlooking the Atlantic Ocean or on the beach.

From Swakopmund: Desert Quad Biking

3. From Swakopmund: Desert Quad Biking

Experience the sheer thrill of riding a quad bike through Namibia's boundless expanse of shifting sand dunes. After the engines are revved up and ready to roll, an experienced guide will lead you through the Swakopmund River mouth into the dune belt.  Feel the freedom of riding through one of nature's great wildernesses. As the towering dunes approach, you’ll weave your way through the smaller dunes towards the Amphitheater. Power up and blast your way to the top of the first big dune via the Roller Coasters to the top of Big Billy. Stop for a drink and get the opportunity to capture the stark and savage beauty of the Namib Desert. After riding down Devil’s Dip, ride the berms, spirals and slopes as you cruise towards the Table Top, a great dune that offers a spectacular view of the sea. After the ride you will be led back to where everything started where you can relax and enjoy a drink at the pub.

From Swakopmund: Living Dunes Experience

4. From Swakopmund: Living Dunes Experience

Discover how the ancient Namib is home to more endemic species than any other desert in the world. This living desert tour is an extraordinary exploration of the coastal dune belt just outside Swakopmund. To the untrained eye, the dunes are just a pile of sand, however, your skilled and experienced guides will introduce you to a wealth of life. Track Palmato Geckos, sand-diving lizards, the famous fog-basking tok-tokkie beetle, sidewinder snakes, spiders, scorpions, and chameleons. This 3-hour exploration will be rounded out with a short dune drive. Meet your driver at your hotel in Swakopmund and then travel into the coastal dune belt that’s just beyond the city limits. Spot some of the natural highlights of the desert landscape as you drive into the dunes, but many of the desert’s most fascinating sights require a trained eye and a firsthand look. Learn about the fascinating animals that thrive in Namibia's arid landscape; search for creatures that crawl, slither, and hop across the sand; and find out how to identify the subtle tracks they leave. Following the wildlife portion of this Swakopmund dunes tour, pick up some speed on a dunes drive, and finish with return transfer to your hotel.

From Swakopmund: Quad Biking Desert Tour

5. From Swakopmund: Quad Biking Desert Tour

See the creatures of the desert on a quad bike tour. Led by an expert guide and trekker, head into the Namib Desert to spot the "Little Five." Find the Namaqua Chameleon, Shovel Snouted Lizard, Web Footed Gecko, Sidewinder Puff Adder and the Wheel Spider. After the engines are revved up and ready to roll, an experienced guide will lead you through the Swakopmund River mouth into the dune belt. Feel the freedom of riding through one of nature's great wildernesses. Your guide will educate you on all the living creatures in the desert and how they manage to survive such harsh environments. Be amazed at how these creatures adapt to the conditions and the tricks they use to keep themselves fed and watered.

From Swakopmund: Tandem Sky Diving

6. From Swakopmund: Tandem Sky Diving

After pickup from your hotel in Swakopmund, arrive at the skydiving club and receive a short briefing from your tandem master. Get kitted out in your harness and watch as other participants make the leap. Once your name is called, get into the plane with your instructor and enjoy a scenic 15-minute flight. See the unique Atlantic Ocean where it meets the Namib Desert Dunes - the world's oldest desert. Summon all your courage to leap out of the plan attached by a harness to your qualified instructor. Experience the rush of a 40-second free fall, then float through the air for a few minutes after the parachute is deployed. Take in all the incredible views suspended from your parachute for approximately 7 minutes until finally, the instructor lands you safely on Mother Earth. Once you hit the ground, you’ll want to do it all over again. Choose to take the skydive with a 35, 45, or 60-second freefall at increasing altitudes to really understand the thrill of this extreme sport.

Kayaking and Sandwich Harbour Combo Tour

7. Kayaking and Sandwich Harbour Combo Tour

Enjoy a scenic morning drive along the Walvis Bay Lagoon to Pelican Point. On this full-day combo tour you’ll stop along the way to see countless flamingos, pelicans and large flocks of cormorants. Get your kayak ready at Pelican Point, home to as many as 50,000 Cape fur seals. Paddle right next to the friendly creatures. Your guide will take some photos and email them to you after the tour. Head into the Namib Desert for a 4x4 dune drive. Enter the Namib Naukluft National Park, stopping to photograph wildlife at various points during the drive. If weather permits, enjoy lunch at Sandwich Lagoon – featuring finger snacks, sparkling wine, and local beer.

Highlights of Walvis Bay, Dune 7 Shore Excursion

8. Highlights of Walvis Bay, Dune 7 Shore Excursion

Start the day with pickup from your accommodation in Walvis Bay. After a short briefing and introduction, make your way out of the town towards Dune 7. Arrive at Dune 7 after approximately 20 minutes and enjoy some free time to climb up the sand and take photos. Head back towards town and then to the Walvis Bay Salt Refinery. This refinery produces a staggering 750,000 tons of salt per year, much of which is exported internationally. It covers an area of 4500 hectares and is in the process of expanding. See massive heaps of salt that looks like snow and bright pink-colored water basins. Then, travel out onto the peninsula with the calm lagoon to the right and the roaring Atlantic ocean to the left. Enjoy a drive to the very tip of Pelican Point and see wildlife, a shipwreck, and the Pelican Point Lighthouse along the way. The Lighthouse was built in 1932 and stands 35 meters high. It now offers luxury accommodation to its clients and offers complete relaxation in this unique area.   Once you reach the end of the peninsula, enjoy some free time to explore and take in the spectacular scenery surrounded by wildlife that includes the second-largest Cape Fur Seal colony in the country. Then, enjoy a lunch comprised of a variety of finger snacks, sparkling wine, local beers, water, soft drinks, and dessert. After lunch, travel towards Walvis Bay Lagoon. This lagoon in the southwest area of the town is regarded as one of the most important wetlands for birds along the southern African coast. The area is a feeding site for up to 50% of greater flamingos found in Southern Africa and also attracts other species like gulls, plovers, pelicans, and the endemic Damara Tern. Enjoy the sights and sounds of this spectacular lagoon before heading concluding the tour at your accommodation.

Sandwich Harbour Guided Tour

9. Sandwich Harbour Guided Tour

Depart for Sandwich Harbour from the Walvis Bay waterfront on a 5-hour morning excursion. After a quick briefing, you'll be on the way. En route stop at the Walvis Bay Lagoon, a Ramsar Wetlands Site that’s home to 250,000 flamingos in the rainy season. Stop at the Walvis Bay Salt Refiners and learn about their production process. Continue on through the Namib Desert. On the way to Sandwich Harbour, be on the lookout for fascinating wildlife. If the weather permits, you’ll enjoy lunch at Sandwich Lagoon – featuring finger snacks, sparkling wine, local beer and fresh Namibian oysters. After lunch head back to the Walvis Bay waterfront.

Swakopmund: Scenic Desert Bike Tour

10. Swakopmund: Scenic Desert Bike Tour

This is a unique must-do Swakopmund experience. Enjoy the breathtaking scenery of the oldest desert in the world in a fully ecological way without noise or air pollution and even ride up along the top of Namibia’s famous dunes from which you will enjoy once in a lifetime views of the desert, sea, and Swakopmund. This tour is for both the scenic appreciator and adrenaline seeking adventurist. When arriving at the office, you will be kitted with a bike to your size, a helmet and a bottle of water that fits onto the water holder on your bike. Receive a short safety and instructional briefing before a description of the tour then head off to enjoy your adventure.  The scenic desert tour is around 12-14km long and includes cycling from Swakopmund town center, along the dry Swakop river bed and up and down stunning dunes.

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What people are saying about Swakopmund

Overall rating

4.9 / 5

based on 397 reviews

Booked this event with a group of >30 persons, which was no issue at all. We had a relevant number ob guides with us who lead our perfectly through the desert. Even that a lot of us never did quad before was no issue at all. Before doing the tour I was a bit afraid of all the sand everywhere but specially in my face… no reason for it the helmed has a visor which works perfectly. Recommendation for this tour for everyone wanna have a bit of fun an action in Swakopmund.

It was a great tour, the guides tried very hard to show us the wildlife of the Namib and explained a lot about it. The quads are in perfect condition. Highly recommended if you have teenagers with you who want to be entertained. If you want to know more about flora and fauna, you should opt for a jeep tour.

It was great. Ricco Showed us all the small animals. He moved the Sand aside especially to Show us. He helped us when we were Stuck.

An experience to remember, everything went through smoothly. The pick up and collection. I would definitely recommend them.

We had an awesome time and highly recommend this activity!