Namibia: The new Namibia Maritime Museum (NMM) in Lüderitz is temporarily closed! [update]

update (24 January 2025): The Namibia Maritime Museum (NMM) in Lüderitz, Namibia, just announced that it will reopen tomorrow (Saturday, 25 January 2025 from 09:30 to 13:30)

The new Namibia Maritime Museum (NMM) in Lüderitz, Namibia, has informed the public that it is temporily closed due to ongoing construction work from today, 16 January 2025 until 26 January 2025. It will be open again from Monday, 27 January 2025, at 09:30.
The new museum in Lüderitz, which opened its doors to the public on 01 November 2024,  is first ever maritime museum in Namibia and one of Africa's largest maritime museums. It is located in the historic Lüderitz Old Power Station (LOPS) from 1911. The musem covers 2,000m² and features ancient watercraft, fossils, maps, a library, and a treasure trove of thousands of antiques, art displays, and skeletal remains of sharks.

Namibia: FlyNamibia resumed flights to Lüderitz!

Namibian privately-owned domestic and regional carrier FlyNamibia has resumed weekday flights to the coastal town of Lüderitz in the Karas Region of southern Namibia. The resumption of the domestic flights is in partnership with TotalEnergies EP. The new service between Eros Airport (ERS) in Windhoek and Lüderitz Airport (LAD) in Lüderitz was launched on 15 October 2024. FlyNamibia operates daily return flights from Monday through Friday between the two destinations.
Lüderitz Airport (LAD) is located about 9 km southeast of the center of town, on the B4 road.

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Namibia: One of Africa's largest maritime museums opens in Lüderitz! [update]

update (22 October 2024): The public opening of the Namibia Maritime Museum (NMM) in Lüderitz will take place on 01 November 2024. The following exhibits will be on display:

• Maritime History
• Fishing & Sea Bed Mining
• Offshore Oil & Gas
• Ship Models & Antique Maps
• Navigational Instruments
• Aquariums featuring local marine life

Entrance Fees:

• Children (0-5 Years): Free Entrance
• Children (6-18 Years): N$ 10.00
• Students (Student Card Proof): N$ 20.00
• Adults (Namibians): N$ 30.00
• Namibian Senior Citizens: N$ 20.00

Opening Hours:

• Mon-Fri: 09:30-18:30 | Sat/Public Holidays: 09:30-13:30 | Closed Sundays

Namibia's first even maritime museum, the Namibia Maritime Museum in the coastal town of Lüderitz, will officially open to the public on 01 October 2024. The museum, which is one of Africa's largest maritime museums, is located in the historic Lüderitz Old Power Station (LOPS) from 1911. It covers 2,000m² and features ancient watercraft, fossils, maps, a library, and a treasure trove of thousands of antiques, art displays, and skeletal remains of sharks. The operating hours of the new museum are from 09:00 to 18:00 daily.

The Namibia Maritime Museum is a significant component of the second phase of the Lüderitz Water Front Development Company (WFDC) initiative. The Lüderitz Old Power Station (LOPS) in Lüderitz is also home to various services and spaces, such as a state-of-the art 350 sea-view seater auditorium, the Namibia University of Science and Technology - NUST Southern Campus, FlyNamibia and a restaurant. 

The coastal town of Lüderitz is located in the Karas Region of southern Namibia. It is situated on the B4 national road to Keetmanshoop. Lüderitz is known for its colonial "German Art Deco architecture", sailing and boating activities on the lagoon and the ghost town of Kolmanskop, located just outside of town.

Namibia: FlyNamibia introduces flights to Lüderitz!

Namibian privately-owned airline FlyNamibia has annunced that it will launch a new service to the coastal town of Lüderitz in the Karas Region of southern Namibia. The airline is set to operate five weekly nonstop flights on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays between Eros Airport (ERS) in Windhoek and Lüderitz Airport (LAD), located about 9 km southeast of the center of town, on the B4 road. Flights will depart Windhoek at 07:15 and arrive in Lüderitz at 08:15, while flights from Lüderitz will depart at 13:30 and arrive in Windhoek at 14:30. Flights will commence on 03 July 2023.

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Lüderitz: The "Shark Island campsite" set to re-open after renovation! [update]

update (23 June 2022): The facelift of the Shark Island Lighthouse has been finished. The renovations included flooring, painting, carpentry and bathroom remodelling. [src.]

Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR), the state-owned enterprise mandated to run the tourism facilities within the protected areas of Namibia, has announced that the Shark Island campsite in Lüderitz is set to re-open. The renovation of the campsite, which was initially planned to take place in the 2019/2020 financial year and than had to be postponed due to coronavirus pandemic, commenced in April 2021 and is set to conclude on 08 October 2021. The restoration, which cost a total of N$ 3,163,859.47, saw all the ablutions blocks, the field kitchen and the Lighthouse undergoing renovations. The Shark Island campsite will officially re-open on 01 November 2021.

The Shark Island campsite is situated on the Shark Peninsula in the coastal town of Lüderitz in southwest Namibia. The campsite overlooks the Lüderitz Bay, the town of Lüderitz and the harbour. Visitors can spot the seals and pelicans that frequent the rocky areas around the campsite.

Namibia: FlyWestair to introduce new domestic routes!

Namibian privately-owned passenger airline FlyWestair is planning to introduce scheduled operations between Eros Airport (ERS) in Windhoek and Katima Mulilo Airport (MPA) in Katima Mulilo, Rundu Airport (NDU) in Rundu, Lüderitz Airport (LUD) in Lüderitz and Oranjemund Airport (OMD) in Oranjemund. The airline already has the ability to operate these routes, however, the launch date for these new routes is currently pending due to procedural delays caused by the Transportation Commission of Namibia being unable to call for a hearing to approve the routes. FlyWestair is in contact with the Ministry of Transport on the matter and trust it will be resolved soon. We'll keep you posted!

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Namibia: Shark Island declared National Heritage site!

Shark Island, a small peninsula adjacent to the coastal city of Lüderitz in Namibia, has become a National Heritage site. The country's Deputy Minister of Education, Arts and Culture, Ester Anna Nghipondoka, officially announced the declaration on site in Lüderitz on 11 March 2020. Shark Island already received its status as National Heritage site on 15 February 2019.
Shark Island was used by the German empire as a concentration camp (1905 - 1907) during the Herero and Namaqua genocide of 1904 – 1908. By that time the island was also known as "Death Island" due to stories of its brutal conditions and the death toll.

Namibia: Air Namibia to operate flights to Lüderitz and Oranjemund from Eros Airport!

Namibia's flag carrier, Air Namibia, has announced that effective 29 July 2019 its domestic flights to Lüderitz Airport (LUD) in Lüderitz and Oranjemund Airport (OMD) in Oranjemund will be operated from Eros Aiport (ERS) in Windhoek and no longer from Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH). The airline will continue to operate both routes on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Eros Airport (ERS) is located about 5km from Windhoek's central business district and a secundary hub for Air Namibia. Facilities at the airport include services such as car rentals, retail and food and beverages. 

Airport Transfer from Windhoek to Eros Airport >>

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Air Namibia to introduce flights between Ondangwa <> Walvis Bay!

Namibia's flag carrier, Air Namibia, is set to introduce flights between Ondangwa Airport (OND) in Ondangwa in northern Nambiia and Walvis Bay Airport (WVB) in Walvis Bay on 19 November 2017. The airline will operate three weekly flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Air Namibia will also change the days of operation for flights between Windhoek's Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH) and Lüderitz Airport (LUD) in Lüderitz as well as for flights between Windhoek and Oranjemund Airport (OMD) in Oranjemund. Effective 19 November 2017, the days of operation will change from Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays to Sundays, Mondays and Fridays.

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Lüderitz: Wooden walkway to the Dias Cross got destroyed!

The wooden walkway across the tidal river to the Dias Cross on the Lüderitz Peninsula has been destroyed by a storm on 15 November 2014. Namibia's National Heritage Council, which manages the bridge as well as the Dias Cross, has already made plans to replace the bridge, but somehow we suspect that it will take some time until the walkway is being replaced... We'll keep you posted!

Namibia renames regions & towns

update (10 April 2014): According to a recent report in The Namibian (online edition, 08 April 2014), the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) has accepted the name change from Lüderitz to !Nami#Nus, despite an ongoing dispute over the name of the southern harbour town. The ECN placed a government gazette notification in daily newspapers on 07 April 2014 in Namibia, in which they referred to !Nami#Nus instead of Lüderitz. The commission told the newspaper that it refers to the information it gathered from the gazetted information from the Fourth Delimitation Commission.

update (10 Sept 2013): The Lüderitz renaming saga continues - Namibia's president Hifikepunye Pohamba on Friday (06 Sept 2013) said that he had approved the recent renaming of Lüderitz to !Nami#Nus on recommendation of the Fourth Delimitation Commission.

update (29 Aug 2013): According to various media reports, Namibia's Minister of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development Charles Namoloh is insisting that the town name of Lüderitz has been changed despite the comments made by Shangala.

update (26 Aug 2013): According to Hitradio, a German-Namibian radio station in Namibia, the name of Lüderitz will not be changed. The Chairman of the Law Reform and Development Commission, Mr. Shanghala, told the Namibia Press Agency (NAMPA) that only the constituency (a subdivision of a Namibian region) will be renamed !Nami=Nüs. We'll keep you posted!

The President of Namibia, Hifikepunye Pohamba, yesterday revealed that the Caprivi Region will now be called Zambezi Region, while the Karas Region has been renamed to !Karas Region and that the Kavango Region will be divided into Kavango East and Kavango West. According to South Africa's newspaper Business Day (online edition), Schuckmannsburg in the Zambezi Region (!) was changed back to its original Lohonono and the coastal town of Lüderitz in the !Karas Region //Karas Region (!) is now called !Nami=Nüs, which means "embrace" in local Khoekhoegowab, a Khoisan language.

Lüderitz (Namibia): Luderitz Speed Challenge 07 October - 17 November 2013

The Lüderitz Speed Challenge is an annual event taking place in Lüderitz, Namibia. This year's challenge starts on 07 October 2013 and ends on 17 November 2013. The six week challenge is one of the premier kite and windsurfing speed sailing event in the world with more than 50 top-class athletes competing in what its known as the fastest challenge of its kind. According to the organisers, the 2013 speed challenge will be tougher and more competitive than ever before. If you are planning to be in Namibia in October/November make sure that you don't miss out the Lüderitz Speed Challenge in Lüderitz. Enjoy!

Namibia: Kolmanskop now open to visitors without taking a guided tour

According to the official facebook page for the Namibia Tourism Board (15 Nov 2012), the ghost town of Kolmanskop, located a few kilometres inland from Lüderitz in Namibia's south, is now open to visitors without taking a guided tour. Instead travellers are welcome to pay the entrance fees on arrival, and take a self-guided tour through the abandoned mining town.

Back in 1908 railway worker Zacharias Lewala found a diamond in the area around what we know today as Kolmanskop and showed it to his German supervisor, who actually tried to keep the discovery of the diamond as a secret. After realising that this area is rich of diamonds, people rushed into the Namib Desert hoping to make an easy fortune.  A diamond protection zone was proclaimed shortly after and Kolmanskop was founded. The residents built the village in the architectural style of a German town and opened a hospital, a school and a powerstation, as well as a casino, a theather, an ice factory and the first x-ray-station in the southern hemisphere. Some 30 years after the first diamond was found in the area, even richer deposits were discovered at Oranjemund. It didn't take long and the transfer and redeployment of mining equipment and workers was under way. Finally, in 1956, the last inhabitants of Kolmanskop left the town. In 1980, a number of buildings were restored and guided tours through the town were introduced to the tourism market.

Namibia: Download 13 information panels about the Sperrgebiet National Park

The Sperrgebiet National Park is one of Namibia’s newest National Parks. The Park, located in south-western Namibia, covers an area of 26,000 km² and forms a part of the Succulent Karoo biome that extends down into South Africa. Members of the public used to be banned from entering most of the Sperrgebiet (meaning "forbidden territory"), but since the area was turned from an exclusive diamond mining area into a National Park in 2008, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) is planning to open the Park to visitors travelling with special concessionaires.

© Dr. Christian Goltz

Dr. Christian Goltz, a photographer from Windhoek, was commissioned by the Namibian Government to create visual and textual information materials for the new Sperrgebiet National Park. He recently finished his work and allowed us to share the 13 information panels (zip-file, 18,730 KB) he created. The panels will also be on display in an information centre at Kolmanskop and at other entrance points to the park once it is open to the public. The Sperrgebiet National Park is located off the B4, the main tarred road running between Keetmanshoop and Lüderitz. 

As mentioned above, tours into the Sperrgebiet National Park are currently not available, but the Ministry of Environment and Tourism is definitely planning to open the park to visitors. I reckon the best thing to do when in the area is to contact one of the MET offices in Lüderitz, Rosh Pinah or Oranjemund and to ask them if & when tours will be made available.

download the 13 information panels (zip-file, 18,730 KB) about the Sperrgebiet National Park >>

Lüderitz (Namibia): The Nest Hotel now offering tours in & around town

Good news are coming from Lüderitz - The Nest Hotel is now offering tours in & around town:

• Lüderitz Town Tour with a drive through the old town of Lüderitz, the Benguela Township, the so called 'factory route' and a visit to Shark Island. From 09h30 to 10h30.
• Peninsula Tour with a scenic drive through the Lüderitzbucht Peninsula, past the Grossebucht (Big Bay), the Irmgard shipwreck to Diaz Point. At Diaz Point enjoy a cup of coffee at the little Restaurant. From 11h00 to 13h00.

• Kolmanskop Ghost Town Tour with a short drive to the once wealthy diamond town of Kolmanskop, that is gradually being covered by the Namib Desert. Starting time either 09h30 or 11h00. Duration approx. 2 hrs.
• Combined Lüderitz Town and Peninsula Tour
• Sunset Tours to a secluded area of Lüderitz with a visit to Shark Island and a sundowner drink overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Duration approx. 1 hour, starting time depending on sunset.

Note: All activities are with a minimum of 2 and maximum of 12 persons.

I am currently not 100% sure if the tours are open for everyone or only for guests staying at the Nest Hotel. The info src. didn't provide such information. Pls contact the hotel if you are looking for tours in Lüderitz.

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