Namibia's second largest town is a surreal colonial outpost wedged between the Namib Desert and the skeleton coast. Travellers approach the town through the desert, and gradually through the perpetual mists Bavarian spires and elaborate German architraves appear, announcing the location of this bizarre yet lovely town.
With a mixture of bohemian and Bavarian influences, the place is filled with artists, hippies, strait-laced descendants of the first German settlers, Herero women in full Victorian costume, and the rough and ready miners, rangers and fishermen of the region. This coastal town has the real atmosphere of a German village, and yet the awesome landscape and range of activities here is definitely Namibian as well as oddly otherworldly.
There are of course restaurants, pubs, casinos and plenty of cultural events within the town, but for those looking for day trips there are unmissable opportunities such as the extraordinary Moon Landscape just outside of Swakopmund, with its bizarre hills like something from Mars. Another fantastic visit are the huge sand dunes that have been aside for recreational activities, such as sand-boarding and skiing, quadbiking, camel rides and offroad driving.
Sand-boarding in particular comes highly recommended, as people can reach speeds of up to 80 km/hr, and this makes a brilliant day out, for seasoned snow boarders as well as beginners. There are loads of other adventure activities around the town, including shark fishing, parachuting, surfing, diving and hot air ballooning.
On the whole Swakopmund is a timeless place, with a really nostalgic feel in its beautifully restored colonial buildings, creating a truly unbelievable place.
This distinctive programme offers the opportunity to help the cheetah by clearing the sickle bush, allowing them to exist and hunt in their natural habitat. You will also track and monitor both cheetahs and leopards as well as enjoy being in close proximity to these incredible creatures.
This conservation project in the Namib desert is about getting out into the field and really making a difference at the forefront of elephant conservation. This is your chance to get involved in vital elephant conservation in Namibia.
Volunteering on this programme gives you an exciting and rare opportunity to work with and care for the animals of Africa on a daily basis. You will look after numerous species, ranging from baboons and meerkats to lions and cheetahs, helping to feed, care and clean them, while also maintaining the centre’s enclosures and grounds.
Set off on the adventure of a lifetime through Africa’s wide and varied landscape! Get up close to big game, take a trip to Kruger National Park and help to preserve the continent’s most iconic wildlife. Zimbabwe - Namibia - South Africa.
This family run farm dedicates its time to establishing the most suitable and secure home possible for neglected or orphaned wild animals in the African Savannah. Volunteers are trained to care for the injured or orphaned animals.
Janet Horsley had an incredible time on her tailor-made gap year, blazing a trail through Africa, Asia, Australia and Latin America, read her story here.
Gap Year for Grown Ups have many Career Break Voluntary Projects in Africa for grown up gappers. Because Gap Year for Grown Ups is the leading authority and only specialist source of ideas and options for grown up gap years, it has the widest range of volunteering programmes in Africa. These include animal/wildlife conservation, teaching English in Africa, community volunteering in Africa and Voluntary work with children in Africa.
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