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Luderitz, Namibia © Peter Stenglein/wikipedia/CC BY-SA 2.5Luderitz, Namibia
Lüderitz is a harbor town in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia, lying on one of the least hospitable coasts in Africa. It is a port developed around Robert Harbour and Shark Island.
The town is known for its colonial architecture, including some Art Nouveau work, and for wildlife including seals, penguins, flamingos, and ostriches. It is also home to a museum and lies at the end of a currently decommissioned railway line to Keetmanshoop.
The harbor has a very shallow rock bottom, making it unusable for modern ships; this led to Walvis Bay becoming the center of the Namibian shipping industry. Recently, however, the addition of a new quay has allowed larger fishing vessels to dock at Lüderitz. The town has also re-styled itself in an attempt to lure tourists to the area, which includes... Read more
Destination:Luderitz, NamibiaLüderitz is a harbor town in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia, lying on one of the least hospitable coasts in Africa. It is a port developed around Robert Harbour and Shark Island.
The town is known for its colonial architecture, including some Art Nouveau work, and for wildlife including seals, penguins, flamingos, and ostriches. It is also home to a museum and lies at the end of a currently decommissioned railway line to Keetmanshoop.
The harbor has a very shallow rock bottom, making it unusable for modern ships; this led to Walvis Bay becoming the center of the Namibian shipping industry. Recently, however, the addition of a new quay has allowed larger fishing vessels to dock at Lüderitz. The town has also re-styled itself in an attempt to lure tourists to the area, which includes a new waterfront area for shops and offices.
Just outside Lüderitz lies the ghost town of Kolmanskop, a prominent tourist destination. This previously bustling diamond town is now abandoned and fights a constant struggle against being buried under the shifting sand dunes of the Namib desert.
Lüderitz has a mild desert climate, with moderate temperatures throughout the year. The average annual precipitation is 17 millimeters (0.67 inches). Windy and cold conditions can occur due to the cold South Atlantic current on the coast.
Source:https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Lüderitz
Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0Luderitz, Namibia: Port Information
Your cruise liner will dock close to the center of the town. However, sometimes, vessels anchor offshore, and passengers are transported ashore by tender boats.
Everything is within walking distance.Get around Luderitz, Namibia
By rental car
- Badgers Car Hire, ☎ +264 (0)63 20-2334FORMAT.
There are several tour operators in Luderitz which will also take you to some of the area's attractions. There are several standard car rental agencies in town which will enable the tourist to see the Luderitz Peninsula, including Diaz Point, Agate Beach and some of the bays teeming with flamingos.
What to see in Luderitz, Namibia
There are many historic German colonial buildings including the Deutsche Afrika bank building, the Station building, the Old Post Office, and the small Felsenkirche (the church on the rocks), a Lutheran church. One of the most notable buildings is the Goerke Haus at the end of Zeppelin Street. This is one of Luderitz's best-preserved buildings, considered one of the "diamond palaces". Other buildings of note are Troost House, Kreplin House, Krappenhoft and Lampe building, Woerman House and Turnhalle.
What to do in Luderitz, Namibia
Town Walking Tour
The historic town architecture is a mixture of German Imperial Style and Art Nouveau. These are best seen on foot, a short walk through the town. Visit the building noted above.
Halifax Island
The Zeepard (seahorse) catamaran drives daily to Halifax Island, home to one of the few colonies of African penguins. Flamingos and seals can be spotted on tour, and a few dolphins usually chase the boat. Departs from the jetty at 8 AM, to be paid one day in advance at the information office downtown.
Kolmanskop
Do visit the nearby ghost town of Kolmanskop. Founded in 1908, it was a major settlement for diamond miners until richer ore and alluvial deposits were found near Oranjemund. The last settler left in 1956, giving the town over to the sand dunes that have crept in and started to take over the town. It is one of Namibia's premier ghost towns. There are one-hour guided tours daily in the mornings at 9h30 and 10h45. Permits are required and available at Luederitz Tours & Safaris in Bismarck Street, Tel 202719.
Bogenfels
The tour to Bogenfels arch passes the diamond ghost towns ofElizabeth Bay
andPomona
. Apply well in advance, as the necessary permits to visit the restricted diamond area take 4-5 days to process.Feral Horses
West of Aus, live unique desert-dwelling horses. The population is between 150 and 200 and are eccentric in their adaptation to desert conditions. For example, they are smaller than conventional horses, can go without water for days at a time and urinate less than conventional horses. Several theories abound as to their heritage. Some say that they are remnants of the German Imperial Army abandoned during WWI. Others speculate that they are descendants from a shipwrecked cargo. Follow the signpost north of the B4 about twenty kilometers west of Aus.
What to eat and drink in Luderitz, Namibia
Eat
Lüderitz is a center for rock lobster. Seafood is a specialty of the area.
Drink
Windhoek Lager Beer, brewed in Windhoek. Brewed according to the German Beer Purity Law, it's the best beer you'll find in southern Africa.
Safety in Luderitz, Namibia
Namibia is a peaceful country and is not involved in any wars. With the end of the Angolan civil war in May 2002, the violence that spilled over into northeastern Namibia is no longer an issue.
Namibia does, however, have a relatively high crime rate. Be careful around ATMs. Pickpockets can be a problem. Lately, there are many armed robberies reported; in most cases, tourists get robbed of belongings carried with them in a bag.
Most reported robberies take place just outside of the city center. The police report that taxi drivers are often involved: they spot vulnerable tourists and coordinate by cell phoning the robbers. Take these warnings in context; if you are alert and take some common sense precautions, you should have no problems.
Travelers should have no problem visiting the townships but do not visit the townships alone unless you are familiar with the area. If you have been traveling in Southern Africa for a few months, you probably know what you are doing.
Namibia has a serious problem with driving under the influence of alcohol. The problem is aggravated because most people consider it no problem. When driving or walking on weekend evenings, be especially alert.Language spoken in Luderitz, Namibia
Major indigenous languages include Oshiwambo, Otjiherero, Nama, Damara, Rukwangali, various San languages,and Silozi.
English is the official language and is widely spoken. However, the majority of older Namibians (those educated before independence) speak English only as a third language; therefore, the standard is fairly poor.
Afrikaans is spoken by many and is the first language of the Coloureds and the Afrikaners. English is spoken as a first language by the remaining English families, and German is spoken by the Namibians of German descent. German is one of the leading commercial languages as well. Portuguese is spoken by immigrants from Angola.
LOCAL TIME
4:22 pmMay 19, 2022CURRENT WEATHER
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NADTravelers recommend visiting the following places of interests
Namib Desert, Luderitz, Namibia
The Namib is a coastal desert in southern Africa. The name Namib is of Nama origin and means "vast place". According to the broadest definition, the Namib stretches for more than 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) along the Atlantic coasts of Angola, Namibia, and South Africa, extending southward from the Carunjamba River in Angola, through Namibia...Pomona, Luderitz, Namibia
Pomona is a ghost town in southern Namibia south of Lüderitz on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. It is about 15 km south of Elizabeth Bay, Namibia, in an area called Sperrgebiet, a diamond mining zone with restricted access. Around 1910, at the time of the diamond rush in German South-West Africa, diamonds in the Pomona area were so plentiful that...Shark Island, Luderitz, Namibia
Shark Island (German Haifischinsel) is a small peninsula adjacent to the coastal city of Lüderitz in Namibia. Its area is about 40 hectares (99 acres). Formerly an island, it became a peninsula from 1906 on by the creation of a wide land connection that doubled its former size. Now a campsite for tourists, from 1904 to 1907 it was the site of...Elizabeth Bay, Luderitz, Namibia
Elizabeth Bay is a mining town in southern Namibia. It was formerly considered a ghost town. Elizabeth Bay in on the coast of Namibia, 25 km south of Lüderitz. Diamonds were first discovered in the region around 1908; however, it wasn't until 1989 that the government of Namibia spent $53 million on the exploration and creation of a new diamond...Kolmanskop, Luderitz, Namibia
Kolmanskop (Afrikaans for Coleman's hill, German: Kolmannskuppe) is a ghost town in the Namib desert in southern Namibia, 10 kilometres inland from the port town of Lüderitz. It was named after a transport driver named Johnny Coleman who, during a sand storm, abandoned his ox wagon on a small incline opposite the settlement. Once a small but very...Lüderitz Railway Station, Namibia
Lüderitz Railway Station (German: Bahnhof Lüderitz) is a railway station serving the town of Lüderitz in Namibia. It was erected in 1904. Overview It is part of the TransNamib Railway, and is the terminal of the currently decommissioned line to Aus which was completed in 1906. The extension to Seeheim was completed in 1908, and the...
