Lüderitz & Kolmanskop
A German-style town on the Atlantic coast, near Kolmanskop, a diamond-rush ghost town slowly swallowed by sand dunes.
Lüderitz lies on the Atlantic shore of the Karas Region in southern Namibia, backed by the Namib Desert. It was the first German South West Africa settlement, founded in 1883 when the German merchant Lüderitz bought the land, and it boomed after diamonds were discovered nearby in 1908. Many Art Nouveau–style German buildings survive, and the town’s bright colours contrast sharply with the barren rocky coast. There are four main parts to a visit. First, the town centre, with the Felsenkirche (Rock Church), Goerke House, the old railway station and the museum, which take half a day on foot. Second, Shark Island and the waterfront, where boat trips show penguins, dolphins and seals. Third, the Lüderitz Peninsula loop south of town, linking Diaz Point, Grosse Bucht, a small inlet and the flamingo lagoon. Fourth, the Kolmanskop ghost town 10 km east of town. Further afield, Elizabeth Bay, Pomona and the Bogenfels rock arch inside the diamond restricted area can only be visited on permitted guided tours; about 85 km east, Garub has a viewpoint for the wild desert horses. The climate is cool and windy: southerly winds are strongest in summer (November to February), with occasional warm easterlies in winter; rain is rare all year, and light is best from September to March. Getting there: about 8 hours’ drive from Windhoek via the B1 and B4, or about 4–5 hours north from Fish River Canyon; Lüderitz Airport has a small number of flights. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Notes: the stretch along the B4 lies within the diamond restricted area (Sperrgebiet), so do not leave the road; a photography permit must be bought in advance to shoot at Kolmanskop; the local oysters are cheap and fresh and well worth trying.
Top sights
- Kolmanskop – A German diamond-mining town swallowed by the desert, with sand-filled mansions and a theater; the “desert ghost town” that photographers f…
- Diaz Point – Where Portuguese navigator Bartolomeu Dias erected a stone cross in 1488. Walk across a small wooden bridge to the replica cross for views…
- Felsenkirche – A German Lutheran church built on the rocky summit of Diamond Hill, with stained-glass windows and views over the harbour that make it a to…
- Goerke Haus – An Art Nouveau villa built by a wealthy diamond-boom merchant, with well-preserved interiors and the finest German architecture in Lüderitz.
- Lüderitz Old Town & Railway Station – The old town’s main street of colourful German-style buildings and the 1914 railway station, ideal for half a day of street photography.
- Lüderitz Museum – A local history museum covering the discovery of diamonds, colonial-era artefacts, Nama culture and local minerals.
- Shark Island – A rocky peninsula linked to the town within the harbour, with a lighthouse and campsite, and the site of a German colonial-era concentratio…
- Lüderitz Waterfront – Restaurants, cafés and boat departures on the harbour front, where you can taste fresh farmed oysters and take a sailing trip to see pengui…
- Halifax Island – A small island opposite Diaz Point, home to over a thousand African penguins, which you can watch from the shore through binoculars or up c…
- Lüderitz Peninsula Drive & Grosse Bucht – A gravel road circling the peninsula, linking a flamingo lagoon, a small fjord, the beach at Grosse Bucht and shipwreck remains, with wild…
- Agate Beach – A beach just north of town where you can search the sand for small agates and semi-precious stones, popular with locals for picnics and wal…
- Elizabeth Bay Ghost Town – An abandoned mining town inside the diamond restricted area, even more desolate than Kolmanskop, which can only be entered with a licensed…
- Bogenfels – A natural sea-carved stone arch about 55 metres high on the coast of the diamond restricted area, one of Namibia’s most spectacular coastal…
- Wild Horses of Garub – The only wild desert horse herd in the world, which you can watch coming to drink at a waterhole from the Garub viewing platform beside the…
- Pomona Ghost Town – An abandoned mining town inside the diamond restricted area that once produced millions of carats of diamonds, with surviving ruins of a sc…
Where to eat
- Portuguese Fisherman Restaurant – A Portuguese seafood spot where the owner greets guests personally. Its seafood cataplana, local oysters and lobster ar…
- Barrels Bar & Restaurant – A lively local tavern in a red corner building, famous for a German pork knuckle that many call the best in Namibia, wi…
- Diaz Coffee Shop – An all-day café and oyster bar with affordable seafood burgers and oysters, ideal for lunch or a light meal.
Itineraries
- Southern Namibia Canyon, Ghost Town & Dunes – Head south to the Kalahari, Fish River Canyon, and Lüderitz, then travel north to a dark sky reserve and the red dunes.