Set along Namibia's spectacularly scenic coast, the seaside town of Swakopmund is known for its wide-open avenues, colonial architecture, and its surrounding otherworldly desert terrain. Founded in 1892 as the main harbour for German South West Africa, Swakopmund is often described as being more German than Germany. Quaint architecture from a bygone era adds to the time-out-of-place atmosphere of Swakopmund.
The architecture of the town, wedged between the desert and the ocean is redolent of its German colonial past. But Swakopmund has a relaxed atmosphere with pleasant promenades, palm trees and gardens and there is plenty to do here.
Now a seaside resort town, Swakopmund is the capital of the Skeleton Coast tourism area and has plenty to keep visitors happy. The quirky mix of German and Namibian influences, adventure options, laid-back atmosphere and cool sea breeze make it a very popular Namibian destination. Visitors can look forward to a number of exciting activities including: quad biking, horse riding, paragliding, fishing, sightseeing and fascinating desert tours.
Conveniently located only a few hour’s drive from Namibia’s capital city of Windhoek, the Erongo Mountain Range stretches across the plains between the towns of Omaruru and Karibib, and is home to a remarkably rich natural heritage. This expanse of rugged wilderness serves as one of Namibia’s most popular tourist drawcards, attracting visitors with its spectacularly scenic landscapes, magnificent caves and rock painting sites, and its impressive array of wildlife species. These include, among others: rhino, elephant, cheetah, leopard, giraffe, wildebeest, impala, blesbok, waterbuck, kudu, warthog, mountain zebra, oryx, eland, springbok and over 200 species of bird. Visitors can look forward to enjoying a variety of adventurous activities such as hiking, rock climbing, games drives, horse riding safaris and mountain biking.
Situated in Namibia’s desolate, awe-inspiring Namib Desert, between Usakos and Swakopmund and about two hours’ drive from Swakopmund, the Spitzkoppe are a group of bald granite peaks forming one of Namibia’s most recognizable and dramatic landmarks. These enormous towering domes are a mecca for hikers and mountaineers, from beginners interested in guided historic walks to professional climbers seeking an adrenaline boost. Numerous ancient rock paintings can be visited as part of a guided walking tour. The extreme, barren landscapes and striking rock formations create an excellent setting for photography.
The 1728m high Spitzkoppe is one of Namibia’s most recognizable landmarks, rises mirage-like above the dusty pro-Namib plains of southern Damaraland. Its dramatic shape has inspired its nickname, the Matterhorn of Africa.
Towering 600 to 700 m above the Namib Plains, the rocky fastnesses of Gross and Klein Spitzkoppe and the Pontok Mountains are prominent landmarks north of the of Usakos - Henties Bay road. Like Brandberg and Erongo, these spectacular granite stocks formed as a result of tectonic and magmatic activity some 135 million years ago, which eventually led to the opening of the South Atlantic Ocean and the separation of Africa and South America. While Klein Spitzkoppe is well known among mineral collectors for the occurrence of gem-quality topaz, aquamarine and other semi-precious stones, the sheer granite faces of the Gross Spitzkoppe attract many rock climbing enthusiasts, causing it to be dubbed the „Matterhorn of Africa”. „Bushman’s Paradise” at the eastern end of the nearby Pontok Mountains is one of several rock art sites in Namibia that enjoy National Monument status.
Emplacement of the Spitzkoppe and Pontok granites in metamorphic schists and marbles of the ca. 650 million year old Damara Supergroup overlain by the much younger Karoo sediments during break-up of the Gondwana supercontinent was preceded by a period of increased basaltic-rhyolitic magmatism. Numerous predominantly northnorth-east trending dyke swarms bear witness of these events and are easily recognisable on air photos and satellite images as prominent dark ridges. Over millions of years erosion patiently and inexorably wore away the Karoo and Damara country rocks, and chiselled the exposed granite intrusive rocks into the striking topographic features visitors see today.
The Spitzkoppe granites display some interesting erosional forms, sculpted by the persistent west wind and extreme temperature differentials between night and day. Perhaps the best-known of these is the spectacular rocky „Bridge“, while the rounded shapes of the neighbouring Pontok Mountains reminded early explorers of the huts built by the local people (“pontoks“). Also typical of granitic rocks in subtropical regions is a feature known as “onion-skin weathering” - following concentric joints formed in the cooling and solidifying magma, layer after layer of weathered rock „peels“ away, producing characteristic rounded boulders.
Klein Spitzkoppe is one of the best known mineral localities in Namibia. For more than a hundred years semi-precious stones such as topaz, aquamarine and green fluorite have been mined from pegmatites and their erosional products in small diggings by the local population.
As previously described
