Historic and Romantic Luderitz
Not many towns in the world are as remote as Luderitz. This little town on the desolate coast of Namibia is nestled between the Sperrgebiet and the dune sea & diamond fields of De Beers
The town is the site of one of the many landing points for re-supply of Bartholomeu Diaz on his journeys around Africa. The ocean is especially rich in sea food, and lobster is a local delicacy until today.
The architecture of the older part of Luderitz is definitely German, and most of the houses are now protected national treasures. You can spend days strolling through the streets of this romantic little town, and marvel at the buildings.
The people that inhabit this town is also quite unique. Considering how desolate, remote and unforgiving this area is, you realize that it would take a special person to make their living here.
Near Diaz Point is a lighthouse that is almost all abandoned. The landscape near it is so rugged and photogenic, if you ever make it to the Diaz Point, take the time to go for a walk past the coffee shop and campsites. Over the ridge and then you will see these abandoned buildings.
Spend some time there, and really appreciate just how the weather affected the architecture. Yes, there are the normal windows and doors, but around the doors there are wind shelters and the orientation of the houses are no accident. The weather in this corner of the world does get pretty hectic.
This area is pretty rugged. What’s not cold ocean or sterile sand is hard granite rock. When walking through the older parts of town, especially near the harbor, you will see that the houses are build on top of and sometimes into bedrock. Standing the test of time against the elements, most of these buildings are national monuments.
There is a range of accommodation available these days, from the very basic backpackers aimed at the surfing crowd to the super-luxurious aimed for the more comfort seeking tourists. Whatever your tastes, Luderitz offers beautiful views and rarities as valuable as the diamonds in the sands around the place.
Throughout the years, fishing has changed. In the beginning, there was whaling, and you can still see the remnants of a whaling station at Sturmvogel Bught. One shudders at the horrors that was whaling, and the scale at which it was practiced in Namibia. The entire whale population collapsed, and many decades later a whale sighting is still a rare thing.
The world’s attitude towards this sort of thing has changed, and remote places like this still serve as stark reminders of our mistakes of the past.
Shark Island is another place that has a dark history, which you can read about here. These days there are some camping spots and it is situated nice and close to the older part of town. If you are traveling around in a camper, then this is actually a nice and cost effective base to explore all the interesting bits of Luderitz and it’s surroundings from.
The back rocks found all around Luderitz in the form of ridges add an extra dimension to the already bleak and forbidding landscape. It also served as a backdrop to an art film by Tom Snelgrove in 2019. Awesome Chapters was there to assist with the logistics and the entire process of capturing the footage.
