Heading West on the southern trip

Heading West on the southern trip

Day 3: 25 August

Ruins @ Kolmanskuppe

After leaving Klein-Aus Vista we arrived at the ghost town  'Kolmanskuppe' @ 9:30. A guided tour around this protected diamond area is @ 10:00 on Sundays. It is most fascinating and interesting to see some ruins, some well kept and some restored buildings of this deserted village. The guide was very knowledgeable and stories of long ago let the history of this place and the country come to life. After the tour we walked around the old buildings and found Photo opportunities everywhere we turned.

I could have stayed longer, but wanted to reach our destination Lüderitz before lunch. So we left at 11:30. Lüderitz is just 10km from Kolmanskuppe, but we took a detour to Diaz point.

Wading Flamingos

Past desert landscape, lagoons with many flamingos, strips of beaches with anglers we found the light house and the Diaz cross.  From there we drove to a secluded beach 'Grosse Bucht' which seems to be a favourite beach of the locals. It was getting cold and windy, so we just took some pictures of the pink flamingos and left for Lüderitz. On our way we saw some springbuck, which seem to be plentiful in this area.

We arrived in this picturesque little town @ 13:30 Only a few roads are tarred but road names are well displayed. We found our accommodation quickly, as it has signs well positioned. 'Island Cottage' on Shark Island is a beautiful self- catering accommodation. We had 2 single beds and a pull out sofa- bed. It has a bathroom and kitchenette with stove and fridge. Even a TV and Wifi were there. The receptionist gave us the keys and showed us the basics. There was some info on the town, where to go and what to do in the room. As it seemed, we chose an inconvenient time to visit this place, as on Sundays and public holidays everything is closed. Lüderitz closes its shutters, rolls up the pavements and goes to sleep.

So we went on a sight seeing tour on our own accord. Stopping everywhere for Photos and having a lookout at where one could buy something to eat.

The 'Felsenkirche'

We found a beach and stretched our legs a little; climbed out at the waterfront and looked at the ships in the harbour. I had to draw money as I wanted to fill up my car. There are 4 ATM's - one for every bank represented.  My banks ATM would not give more than N$500, as it could not hand out more than 40 bills. Is it only stocked with N$10 bills? I tried one of the other ATM's (which cost me more on banking fees) but at least I could draw money. 

Lighthouse

We found a petrol station which was open on Sunday and could refuel.

A little walk around Shark Island was next and then back to our cottage. Fortunately I had brought food along, and we cooked in the little kitchenette. Although I would have loved to try some of the highly acclaimed oysters in Lüderitz.

So how do you spend the rest of the afternoon and evening, after having driven around the town 5 x and seeing all there is to see? We relaxed in the comfy room, watched a movie on TV, played some cards and retired early. We slept well in this peaceful and quiet surrounding.

This accommodation deserves a 9.5