HOTELS & LODGES OF LÜDERITZ BAY

LÜDERITZ AND ITS HINTERLAND

In 2013 the Namibian goverment renamed the voting constituency ǃNamiǂNûs, its name prior to 1884. It is rather difficult name to spell and even more so to pronounce. We will therefore stick to the old name Lüderitz. The town retained its old name of Lüderitz.

Travelling westwards of Aus towards Lüderitz, the landscape is characterised by seemingly never-ending plains merging into the horizon. The wavering illusion of mirages add a unique desert flavour to any journey in this area. The wild horses of the Namib, one of the few populations of desert-dwelling feral horses in the world can be found 100km's east of Lüderitz at the Garub waterhole.

Built amongst the rocky outcrops along the southern Namib coast, Lüderitz owes its existence to the discovery of diamonds in 1908. Lüderitz has a wealth of German colonial buildings. It has more than 95 National Heritage buildings and the 2 most famous ones are: Felsenkirche & Goerke Haus. This picturesque seaside village has survived time and elements unlike the former mining settlements of Kolmanskop, Elisabeth Bay and Pomona, which have all become ghost towns.

Lüderitz can easily be called “a town that time forgot”. Founded in 1883, the town grew rapidly with the discovery of diamonds 1909. Unfortunately, the diamonds didn’t last and now Lüderitz is back to its original self. The town has many beautiful historical buildings. The most well-known attraction near Lüderitz is the “ghost town”, Kolmanskop. This town too owed its existence (and demise) to the discovery of diamonds. The desert sand permeates all the buildings and makes for stunning photographs. There is a daily guided tour and after this you can discover the town on your own. The boat trip to Diaz Point (where a replica of Bartholomew’s cross can be found) is a chilly experience, but you can see dolphins merrily swimming with the boat. The boat trip around Diaz Point to Halifax Island (home to 1200 African Penguins) is on the Zeepaard Catamaran.