Walvis Bay

Walvis Bay is not, at first glance, the kind of place you imagine putting on your traditional holiday to-do list. Rather industrial, relatively charmless and not particularly pretty, the town has always been a working town in contrast to Swakopmund’s pleasure-seeking. It still serves as Namibia’s primary sea-port.

Unless you are a dock-worker, the main reason for visiting Walvis has been the lagoon where there is a truly impressive range of waders, pelicans and flamingos that is definitely worth visiting if you are a birder. More recently, you can now enjoy highly entertaining catamaran trips, dolphin excursions and sea-kayaking and increasingly, there are reasonable places to stay and to eat here. Only 30km from Swakopmund, it is still probably worth reserving Walvis Bay for a day trip rather than staying here.