Walvis Bay is the only sheltered deep water port on Africa’s dangerous ‘Skeleton Coast’, so named for the number of ship wrecks along the coast. The earliest settlers were the San people (Bushmen) followed by the Topnaar and Herero people’s circa 5000 BCE. Due to the proximity of the inhospitable Namib Desert, the area was mostly ignored by Europeans until 1846 when German missionaries arrived. In 1884, Germany claimed sovereignty over the region,calling it German South West Africa. In 1892, the town of Swakopmund was established nineteen miles north of the bay. However, Walvis Bay and the surrounding area was annexed by Britain in 1878 and, in 1984, it was incorporated in Britain’s Cape Colony, which is now part of the Republic of South Africa.
A movement for Namibian independence arose in the late 1950’s led by the South West Africa People’s Party (SWAPO). However, even after Namibia gained its independence from South Africa in 1989, Walvis Bay continued to be administered by South Africa. It was not until 1994 that South Africa renounced its sovereignty over Walvis Bay and the area was incorporated into Namibia.
Our tour of Walvis Bay began with our tour guide explaining that SWAPO continues one party control over Namibia’s government and she and most young people believe them to be totally corrupt. She stated that she has degrees in Engineering and Human Resources but can only get a job as a legal clerk and must work as a tour guide to supplement her income.
Our first stop was at the Walvis Bay lagoon which was inhabited by hundreds of flamingos.
From the lagoon we went to Dune 7. The dune, one of the most famous landmarks in Namibia, is 163 meters high.
After our adventure on the dune, we headed for the town of Swakopmund. Along the way our tour guide talked about the Chinese influence in Namibia. According to her, the Chinese are buying control of Namibia’s resources and SWAPO has given them a monopoly on building roads and other infrastructure. The Chinese are bringing in Chinese labor even though Namibia has an unemployment rate of about 28%! One could dismiss these tales except that we have heard similar stories about the Chinese in South Africa and other African countries. As further evidence of SWAPO’s collusion with the Chinese, our guide took us by a ‘township’ or shantytown.
Swakopmund is a quaint town of German design built at the mouth of the Swakopmund River. The tow boasts beautiful beaches.
They also have a very interesting museum.
Mbukushu married women hairstyle 
Ornamental ivory bottons 
Mbukushu married women hairstyle example in the Swakopmund Museum 
Swakopmund Museum
We also visited the Kristall Galerie which boasts the worlds largest Quartz crystal cluster.
As we headed back to the port, we crossed what appeared to be a dry river bed. Our guide explained that, under South Africa’s administration, all of Walvis Bay’s water rights had been sold. As a result, all of the rivers running into Walvis Bay are now dry.
