Two very different Namibia cruise ports

Namibia has only two harbours on most cruise itineraries, and they could hardly be more different. Walvis Bay is the busy one: a working port on a shallow lagoon where flamingos wade a few metres from the quay, with the dunes of the Namib rolling right down to the water and the German-flavoured seaside town of Swakopmund half an hour up the coast. Lüderitz, several hundred kilometres further south, is smaller, windier and stranger, a cluster of art-nouveau houses on bare rock beside the abandoned diamond town of Kolmanskop.

Because the distances in Namibia are so large, the timing of your call decides what is realistic. From Walvis Bay you can reach Swakopmund, Dune 7 and the Sandwich Harbour salt pans comfortably in a day; from Lüderitz, Kolmanskop and the peninsula fill the morning nicely. We build every Namibia excursion around your ship’s arrival and departure, in a private vehicle with an English-speaking guide, so there is no waiting for a full coach and no rush at the end.

Pick your port below to see the Namibia tours we run there, or send us your ship’s details and we will suggest the itinerary that fits your hours ashore.

What to expect ashore

The coast here is cold even when the desert behind it is not. The Benguela current runs north along this shoreline and keeps the sea at around fifteen degrees, which is why fog rolls in most mornings and why the seal colonies are so large. Take a windproof layer whatever the month, and sunglasses for the glare off the dunes.

Distances are long and the roads outside the towns are gravel, so a tour that looks short on the map can take a while in practice. That is the main reason we run everything privately: your driver knows which stretches are quick, when the tide allows the beach route, and how much time to keep in hand for the drive back to the quay. Cash is rarely needed – cards work in the towns – and a small tip for the guide at the end is customary rather than expected.