Minutes from the beach and downtown Swakopmund, the Guesthouse is ideally situated for explorations in and around town. Swakopmund is much loved because of its old-world charm and relaxed atmosphere. Founded in 1892 during the period of German colonial rule, it served as the territory’s main harbor for many years. Swakopmund has several excellent restaurants, pubs and discos and a few nightclubs. A special feature of the town is its jewelry shops, which offer pieces ranging from contemporary African to continental designs. Art and craft shops offer local products, while street vendors sell Namibian rural art. Year-round sport and recreation include paragliding, hang-gliding, surfing, windsurfing, yachting, sand skiing, skydiving and golf. The golf course in its desert setting has been described as one of the best in southern Africa.
A popular feature of the Namib-Naukluft Park is the Welwitschia Trail, which lies east of Swakopmund. The route is marked with stone beacons and offers a close look at the Welwitschia mirabilis, a botanical curiosity endemic to the Namib Desert and one of the most intriguing and bizarre plants on earth. Sprawling untidily on the desert plains, the Welwitschia is believed to have a lifespan of up to 2,000 years. A scenic desert drive along a proclaimed road through the Namib-Naukluft Park stops at a lookout point over the valley known as the Moon landscape. Soft overlaying levels of earth, deposited some 450 million years ago, were eroded over millenniums to create this eerie landscape.