Off-season travel in Namibia

Namibia – May 2017

I have put off deciding about where I would stay for the last week of my monthlong trip to Southern Africa until the last minute. I really wanted to visit Namibia. However, I was not sure if visiting during off-season would be a good idea. Over dinner with Nadja – a distant relative – in Cape Town, she told me all about the coast town Swakop and how it is her favorite place for vacations. So off I was the next morning on a plane to Swakopmund, Namibia.

During summer in the southern hemisphere – so from December to February – Tourists from Windhoek, Johannesburg and Germany take over the sleepy coast town. When I was there in May many hotels were closed, beaches empty and it was never a problem to find a table in the highly recommendable “Swakopmund Brauhaus”. Only from time-to-time dirty jeeps with heaps of luggage fixed on the roof passed by on the way to the only gas station in town.

As the guesthouse which Nadja usually stayed at was closed, she recommended the “Hansa Hotel” for me to stay at. The hotel built in 1905 was my first point of contact with Namibia’s past as a German colony. The antique interior design elements take you back to a time when European adventurers traveled to Africa not in search of a relaxing vacation but to build a new life from themselves. These people have changed the fate of many African countries and nations round the world. And so it happened that, after asking for my name, the lady at the front desk warmly welcomed me to Namibia in German.

I spent most days by the sea – going for walks or just soaking up the sun while reading. There is a lot to do in the area. However, most organized tours like desert excursions ask for a minimum of 2 participants. And to go on day trips out of town you do need a rental car or a driver for the day.

I will definitely go back to Namibia one day and explore it properly with a rental car, as there is so much more to see.

Like to learn more about day trips from Swakopmund? Check out the story about my catamaran trip in Walvis Bay.