Luxury Tours in Lüderitz & Aus

The harbour town of Lüderitz in the far south-west of Namibia is situated on one of the world’s most inhospitable coastlines. However, it was once an important trading post. In the early 1900s the discovery of diamonds nearby resulted in a further surge of population and prosperity to the region. Nowadays much of what is to see, of interest, are the historic remains from days gone by and a dark colonial past.

The diamond rush to Lüderitz resulted in the diamond mining settlement of Kolmanskop being established just 10km inland. This was once a bustling and wealthy town, home to up 1,300 people at it’s peak and over 1,000kg were collected from the nearby area prior to World War I.

It had the first x-ray machine in the southern hemisphere, an ice-factory and even the first tram in Africa. The town fell into decline in the 50s and now as it is reclaimed by the desert, it is one of the highlights of a visit to the region and a reminder of the boom and bust nature of this resource.

Just off the coast and Lüderitz can lay claim to be the only place in the world where it is possible to penguins and flamingos at the same time.

There used to be many African penguin colonies along the Namibian coast, but numbers have dramatically reduced over the past century and one of the best places to see them is on Halifax Island, which can be reached on a boat trip from Lüderitz. Keep a look out for Heaviside dolphins playing in the wake of the boat and a wide variety of birdlife including flamingos.