Explore the Swakop river and the Moon Landscape

Cutting through the barren gravel plains, the Swakop river canyon is locally known as the Moon Landscape. This river is home to amazing sights like an oasis, movie sets, the Moon Landscape itself and of course Swakopmund. Experience these sights for yourself on this 5 hour tour through this exquisitely beautiful landscape. Enjoy it all in the comfort of a off-road tour vehicle built to handle the terrain and get you to places few people see.

You will only get the best service at Awesome Chapters. Your private tour guide will pick you up at your address anywhere in Walvis Bay with the tour vehicle, free of charge. Your pickup time is not fixed, but agreed upon during the booking process. If you are arriving on a cruise liner, you will be collected you from the ship inside the harbor gates. Should you wish to be picked up outside of the Walvis Bay, just cover our fuel costs with a small transfer fee.

You have a choice in refreshments during the tour, mention any special requirements during the booking process. Still water is standard, but there is space for anything. On this tour you will also have the opportunity to get refreshments at the Goanikontes Oasis in the moon landscape. They make excellent coffee, and have “Beer as cold as your mother-in-law’s heart”. Continue reading about all the beautiful sights you will see on the tour!

Dune Belt

The Dune Belt stretches from Walvis Bay to Swakopmund. Easy to get to, with stunning views of the surrounding landscapes from the top. You can see Walvis Bay in the East, the dunes in the dune belt to the North and the gravel plains that stretch towards the East. Should you wish to climb the dunes yourself you are most welcome, and your guide will accompany you. You can hear some interesting facts and stories of the dune, as well as get tips on the best way to tackle them. Some cold water will be waiting for you when you get back down.

At start of the Dune Belt you can book quad bike tours with Dune 7 Adventures, should you feel like some quad action. They also have good toilet facilities and very good coffee. The Dune Belt is an interesting feature, as the belt is only a few kilometers wide, and stretches between the Kuiseb and Swakop rivers. You will see it on your left hand side as we cross the gravel plains to the Swakop. On the Swakopmund side of the belt there are sandboarding activities, should you want that.

Gravel Plains

The gravel plains stretches to the West of the dune belt, on your right hand side as we drive up to the Swakop river. Near to the Swakop, you will join the access road for the Uranium mines in the area to get to the canyon. On the way you will see some very interesting plant life. Adapted to hyper-arid living conditions by necessity, the plants are quite at home on the plains.

Your guide will point out some of the adaptations of the plants on our many stops along the historic Welwitschia route to the Moon Landscape. It is because of this specail plant life that the driving over the plains are prohibited. There are some 100 year old tracks still visible to this day.

Moon Landscape

The scenery change from the gravel plains to the Moon Landscape is quite abrupt, and take your breath away every time when you see it. You will stop at the lookouts over the Moon Landscape for photos, as long as you want. There are several lookouts to choose from, so even on days with a lot of tourists you can get an unobstructed view of the Moon Landscape.

Once you have taken your fill of photos, you will proceed on a slow drive into this landscape to the bottom of the Swakop Canyon while marveling at the rock formations and their many colors. The texture of this landscape is stunning, making very good subjects for photos. The road you travel down was used for Mad Max Fury Road, so you can just imagine just how cool the landscapes are.

Goanikontes in the Moon Landscape

Goanikontes is a Nama word with the loose meaning of: A place where you can take your coat off. (Resting place) This area has been an oasis from before the European settlers arrived. It was developed for feeding the German troops initially, and then serving as a farm for fresh produce for the Woermann & Brock supermarket in Swakopmund.

Currently the resting place is run by the Baard group. It has a very good restaurant with an amazing atmosphere. You will see farm animals and many species of birds in the open air restaurant. You are welcome to use the facilities here, before we continue down the river to Swakopmund.

Swakop Riverbed

The next part of your tour of the Moon Landscape takes you down the Swakop river through the canyon. Along the way you will see the amazing rock formations, as well as the Witzenberg ruins. From the landscape you will definitely see where the Moon Landscape got it’s name from. This part of the tour is off-road 4×4 driving on flat sand in between young trees. You have a fair chance of seeing some wildlife on this relaxed and slow drive. When the canyon ends, you will join the B2 tarred road past Nonidas and into Swakopmund.

Swakopmund

Swakopmund gets it’s name from being in the mouth of the Swakop river, “mund” meaning the “mouth of”. “Swakop” means dirty and diarrhea-like, and described the water of the river when it flows. It’s normally quite muddy and filled with debris. In stark contrast to that, Swakopmund is a perfectly clean town with many star attractions for tourists. The old part of town was built in the style of Germany in the very early 1900’s, before the first world war.

You will have a chance to photograph these old buildings on your winding route through town past the historic buildings. Your guide will give you information on the buildings and other structures along the way. As always, you will have enough time to photograph and experience any place that you choose to stop and explore further.

Coastal Highway

The coastal highway is a treat for you back on the way to Walvis Bay. With the ocean on the right and the dunes on the left, it’s definitely a scenic drive. Along the way you will see Longbeach and Dolphin beach. With a bit of luck there will be paragliders on the dunes for some nice colorful shots. Closer to Walvis Bay you will see the Bird Island and learn about it’s peculiar purpose. You are then delivered to your accomodation, bringing this tour of the Moon Landscape to a close.

Details

• Duration: 5 hours
• Activity level: Easy/Light

Inclusions

• Cool Bottled mineral water – Still & Sparkling
• Free pickup in Walvis Bay and Swakopmund
• Private, air conditioned transport
• Local guide

Optional Extras

• Pick up in the Port of Walvis Bay
• Special or alcoholic drinks for the tour

Booking – Email

If you are interested in this tour, but you would like to have a discussion with us first, you are welcome to contact us for some human interaction. The booking will be made for you with the information from our chat. We love hearing from you, so even if you do not want to book the tour, and just want some more information, you are still welcome to drop us an email.

Alternatively, drop us a line on the contact form below and we will come back to you!