Swakopmund to Walvis Bay

Day Trip from Swakopmund to Walvis Bay

Good day, February 11th, 2026. So I’m still in Swakopmund, and basically decided that today would be another day trip towards Walvis Bay, which is about 35 km to the south. Made it in good time to get there.

The Journey South

On the way, on the right side of the road is just flat sand to the sea – a nice strip. At some point that strip is built on before you get to Walvis Bay, and there are some communities there, but it looks mostly like second homes. Each little community has maybe one service point like a gas station and a shop, but just low-key living there.

Desert Activities and Adventures

On the left side when you leave Swakopmund, there’s a river, but you cannot access it because it’s been blocked by places that have buggies for the dunes. People come here with cruise ships to Walvis Bay and some make it as far as Swakopmund to go dune buggy. You can also sit on a camel or ride a camel, walk through the dunes, or do trips where they tell you about the desert. Lots of good stuff.

Walvis Bay and Flamingo Spotting

Walvis Bay is really an industrial town with a lot of shipping. Towards the other end, there are places where you can see flamingos. I got lucky – where they were supposed to be, they actually showed up. Even though it wasn’t that many, it was still good to catch them.

The Salt Fields

Beyond that, the only thing there is salt fields. They basically flood an area with seawater, let the water evaporate, and scrape up the salt. They have mountains of it there, and special vehicles that transport and load it. There’s a road that goes between the salt fields, and I ended up driving all the way to the ocean through them, which was fun.

Return Journey and Local Communities

On the way back I found a great place in town on the water for lunch or coffee. I also visited those little communities between the road and beach – nice homes that are well kept and cared for, with security guards, which is common in these countries.

Back in Swakopmund

After coming back, I had a nice stout at a place called Brewer and Butcher, on the upper end close to where you can swim in the ocean. Pretty nice stout – not the best I’ve had, but okay. I’d come back to this town again.