We planned two stops in Namibia, Luderitz and Walvis Bay. Between the two towns there are 250 miles of desert.
Luderitz is our first stop. Not ideal if you need to do any type of work on your yacht, but we really enjoyed it. It is is a very small town with German style buildings, clean, quiet and relaxing. We spent there almost a week and took the opportunity to visit Kolmanskop and Aus.
In 1908 a german guy working at the railway discovered a diamond in Kolmanskop and the town grew rapidly until larger diamonds were discovered in a different location after 1930. Apparently initially diamonds were found just in the sand and a vast region around Luderitz is still controlled by a single private Diamond mining company.
Now a ghost town, it was a very wealthy city with a large hospital, large houses, ice delivered in every home daily, electricity and an entertainment centre with opera singers coming regularly from Europe.
The town is very well preserved and now an ideal location for tourists and photo enthusiasts.
Aus is another small town in the middle of the desert. It used to be a prison where the South Africans kept german prisoners during the first world war, now the only attraction are the about 200 wild horses that can be seen around the town. Apparently these horses have adapted to the desert and can stay many days without drinking any water.
For the rest of our time in Luderitz we just enjoyed the anchorage, and the town.
