Lüderitz

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On my Namibia trip, I met two kinds of people: the ones liking Lüderitz and hating Swakopmund, and the others hating Lüderitz and liking Swakopmund. I had been to Swakopmund on our earlier Namibia trip, and I can't say I very much liked this foggy flat town. So there was hope for my trip to Lüderitz...

First of all: there was fog, also in Lüderitz. Second: I indeed liked Lüderitz much more than Swakopmund. But slowly, now.

I left Klein-Aus Vista late after a sunrise walk and a long breakfast. The first stop was 20 km later, at Garub where there is a artificial waterhole for the Namib Feral Horses (see below). Then came the next stop at Garub station - or what was left of it: a ruin and the station sign with "Garub" in old German letters. Many more photo stops followed: For the most desolate rest area in the whole of Namibia; for the brand-new official "Beware of Hyena" roadsigns; for the first bank of coastal fog appearing over the desert; for another railway station ruin called "Grasplatz"... But finally I reached Lüderitz.

Lüderitz was cold and foggy, but I soon realized why I liked Lüderitz better than Swakopmund. Lüderitz' colourful houses are built on several hills, giving the town the charming looks of a German sea-side bath in winter - nice compared to the flatness of Swakopmund. I parked my car on Bismarck Street, and first visited a tourist information shop there, since I had forgotten my guidebook in the lodge. They advised me to first walk through the city to a lunch restaurant at the harbour, then visit Agathe (Achate) Beach, and later get back to the city to visit the museums which open only in the late afternoon. We found out that I was already late for a visit to the ghost mining town of Kolmanskoppe; you have to be there at 11 a.m. latest, with a ticket in your hand which you can only buy in Lüderitz...

I headed their advice; a walk past the old station down Bismarck Street led me towards the harbour. I had a big plate of kingfish for lunch, in Ritzi's restaurant overlooking the yacht harbour. After that, I intended to do some internetting, to upload my recent webpages. Bad luck: in both of the two internet cafés of Lüderitz, you cannot connect using your private PC; anyway, both seemed to be out of order...

So I went for the drive to Agathe Beach, ca. 10 km from downtown Lüderitz. This turned out to be a funny trip - this was the only place I felt insecure, traveling alone as a woman in Namibia! First, road signs pointing to Agathe Beach had been altered, sending me in wrong directions twice (once a waste dump near a squatter town). The second wrong turn led to the right direction - but this was the only time I would have preferred a 4WD car, as it was just not safe enough for my Corolla. The lady at the tourist information could have told me... Finally, I just followed the main tar road irrespective of the "private road" sign, and this turned out to be the best way. Agathe Beach was disappointing, though, most probably due to the bad weather. And again, I felt insecure: the beach was completely deserted, but in too close range of the city. Anyway, I took a short stroll to see some cormorans and other sea birds, to collect a few shells, and photograph some flowers and plants - but then turned back. The nicest was the view of the city when coming from Agathe Beach.

Next on my tourist agenda came Haus Görke and Felsenkirche, two relics from the city's German past. Both are nicely restored; however, I was still too early for both buildings to open. More sight-seeing led me to the station, the Woermann House and other colonial buildings. I then went to do some shopping and to buy ice for my cooler box (the only place to get ice seems to be the Kratzplatz guesthouse). After this, I returned to the warmth of the interior desert...

So, I think it was nice to visit Lüderitz, to be in a city, to see the sea, which was a big add-on to my stay in Klein-Aus Vista. However, I wouldn't travel much longer just to get there; and I wouldn't stay there overnight.

The most prominent feature on this trip back was Dikke Willem, an inselberg close to Aus; it can be seen from a distance of more than 80 km, due to the flatness of the desert there. Then I again came to Garub, and the Feral Horse region.

Namib Feral Horses

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These "wild" horses have been living in this adverse region since the early 1900s, only sustained by the little vegetation and an artificial water hole. Based on historic data and recent DNA analyses, they probably stem from a contingent of South African cavalry which had been bombed in this region by a German plane on 27th March 1915; they had been protected for most of the 20th century because the region they lived in was diamond Sperrgebiet. Today, ca. 140 horses live in the region.

Follow this link for a German webpage about the Garub Feral Horses.

I had seen most of the horses during our trip to the Koichab dunes and Garub concession one day earlier; also in the morning on my way to Lüderitz, I stopped at the water hole to observe several groups of feral horses which quenched their thirst and re-established their hierarchy. Now, in the afternoon, the water hole was almost deserted.

So I drove on East; I saw several lone horses and decided to stop at a rest site some km later, to take a few scenic pictures of horses with Dikke Willem. Standing there, waiting, I suddenly noticed that one of the lone horses was approaching me. First he hesitated, but then he came nearer. And nearer. So near that he glanced into my car and rubbed his neck on my rearview mirror! I later heard that there are about three feral horses which are not as timid as the rest. I had been met by one of them. A very special experience, to be so close to a wild horse - because he wanted to!

A great ending of my stay in Klein-Aus Vista, as I had to leave for Büllsport the next day, via what people call the most scenic route of Namibia: D707...