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Walvis Bay
ℹ️Practical info — Walvis Bay
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🌤 Weather — 5 days
📍 Nearby
Sights nearby
💡 Tips
- Dress in layers; the Benguela Current often brings chilly fog and wind, even during the summer months.
- The best time to see the largest numbers of flamingos at the lagoon is between November and April.
- A 4x4 vehicle is recommended for exploring the salt pans area as tracks can be sandy and unpaved.
- Book tours to Sandwich Harbour well in advance as they are high in demand and fill up quickly.
- Walk along the Esplanade for easy and free viewing of pelicans, flamingos, and other waders.
🍽 Food
Sample the world-class fresh oysters, best enjoyed at Anchors Waterfront at the jetty.
Try a fresh seafood selection at 'The Raft', a unique restaurant built on stilts over the lagoon.
A highly-rated fusion restaurant known for its creative dishes and excellent atmosphere.
🛍 Shopping · 🧘 Quiet spots
A boutique at the Waterfront specializing in silver jewelry and Namibian semi-precious stones.
A premier craft store on Sam Nujoma Ave focusing on high-quality Namibian treasures.
A bustling store offering a wide and diverse selection of local artisanal goods.
A remote sand spit home to a seal colony, best explored via a quiet morning kayaking tour.
A serene desert area just outside town with towering dunes, handy for finding raw silence.
A man-made sanctuary offering quiet nature walks away from the busier waterfront areas.
Water temperature…
Walvis Bay is the primary deep-water port of Namibia, situated in a strategic location along the Atlantic coast within the Erongo Region. The town's history is distinct, as it remained a British enclave and later a South African territory until 1994, several years after Namibia gained independence. Its natural lagoon is home to thousands of Greater and Lesser Flamingos and other migratory birds, making it a critical wetland site under the Ramsar Convention. The local economy is heavily dependent on the fishing industry and the extensive solar salt works, which produce over 700,000 tonnes of high-quality salt annually. The port serves as a vital logistics hub for the Southern African Development Community (SADC) through the Trans-Kalahari and Trans-Caprivi corridors. Tourism also plays a significant role, with the nearby Pelican Point and Dune 7 attracting visitors for marine tours and adventure sports.
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A postcard from Walvis Bay
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Create a postcard- Location: Namibia
- Highlights: Moth Center · Rheinische Missionskirche
- Nearby: Swakopmund (31 km)
- Population: ~73.598 (2024)
Best time to visit & climate
The most pleasant time to visit is Jan–Mar.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °C | 19 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| Rain mm | 10 | 11 | 15 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 7 |
Geography
Facts
- Walvis Bay was officially annexed by the British in 1840.
- The city was formally integrated into Namibia on March 1, 1994.
- The salt works cover an area of approximately 3,500 hectares.
- The Walvis Bay Lagoon supports up to 150,000 birds during peak season.
- Dune 7, located on the outskirts, stands at approximately 383 meters high.
- The Port of Walvis Bay handles about 5 million tonnes of cargo annually.
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Sights in the town Walvis Bay (2)
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