The National Marine Aquarium of Namibia in Swakopmund opens a window to the wonders of marine life found in the cold Benguela Current off the coast of Namibia. The functions of the National Marine Aquarium are to disseminate information about Namibian marine life, to enhance visitors about the sensitivity and complexity of the Benguela System and to serve as a place of recreation for those who merely want to put their feet up and relax.
The border river between Namibia and Angola, the Kunene, plummets down a 40 metre deep gorge at the Epupa Falls close to the nearby village of Epupa. In the Herero language Epupa means “falling water”. The Kunene River is one of Namibia’s five perennial rivers. Nonetheless the water level changes depending on the annual rain falls so that the natural spectacle Epupa Falls is subject to seasonal fluctuations. The best months to view the falls are April and May.
Anyone who has driven past the turn off to the Daan Viljoen Park from Windhoek and continued for several kilometres along the gravel road perhaps have seen a large abandoned dilapidated building on their left hand side. Many people living in Windhoek know it as a ghost house and it is common to see people using it as a place to braai. Yet while the existence of the ruined house is widely known, the history, closely linked to colonial history of Namibia, and the identity of the ghosts who might inhabit it is not. The site still displays signs of the extravagant wealth of its former occupants. The lounge, the walls of which have been painted in recent years with artistic prints, still contains the remains of a large fireplace. The garden apparently once featured a statue, a fountain and an ornamental carved fish from which water flowed into a pond.
The Spitzkoppe is one of the most photographed mountain motifs of Namibia. This inselberg surmounts its surrounding by 700 metres with an overall height of 1728 m above sea level. Due to its distinctive form, which can be spotted from a great distance the Spitzkoppe is often called the “Matterhorn” of Namibia. The Spitzkoppe is situated about 120 km north-east of Swakopmund and is a mere 30 km away from the well-travelled route between Usakos and Swakopmund. For hikers and mountaineers the Spitzkoppe is a paradise with hundreds of rock paintings which can be found all around the area.
These famous plants are found close to Swakopmund and the oldest of which, the "Great Welwitschia", is estimated to be at least 1000 years old yet some even claim it to be 1500 years old. The exact age is not known. One could establish the age more accurately, as the stem of the plant, which can reach a diameter of 1 metre but is mostly covered by sand, has annual rings. That would mean the end of the Welwitschia though. Many visitors travel along the so-called Welwitschia-Drive, which leads 50 km from Swakopmund to the fenced, old Welwitschia at the end of the Welwitschia plains. On the Welwitschia plains an estimated of 6000 plants can be found.
