A 6:30 start to do another nature walk.

Following breakfast we continue our journey out to the west coast on dusty gravel roads through the Namib Desert.

Sandwiched between Atlantic rollers and the Namib Desert, Swakopmund is one of those great traveller waystations along the African road. Swakopmund is a beach resort and an example of German colonial architecture. It was founded in 1892 as the main harbour for, German South West Africa and a small part of its population is still German-speaking today. Swakopmund is German for “Mouth of the Swakop”.

A little bit of history is worth noting:

In 1903, some of the Khoi and Herero tribes rose in revolt and about 60 German settlers were killed. Troops were sent from Germany to re-establish order but only dispersed the rebels, led by Chief Samuel Maharero.

In October 1904, General Lothar von Trotha issued orders to kill every male Herero and drive the women and children into the desert. As soon as the news of this order reached Germany, it was repealed, but the rest of the native population had already become in full-scale revolt. When the order was lifted at the end of 1904, prisoners were herded into concentration  camps and given as slave labour to German businesses; many died of overwork and malnutrition.

It took until 1908 to re-establish German authority over the territory. By that time tens of thousands of Africans (estimates range from 34,000 to 110,000had been either killed or died of thirst while fleeing. At the height of the campaign some 19,000 German troops were involved. (the story sounds somewhat familiar)

View from our room in Swakopmund