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TOURIST INFORMATION
Time is often the only limitation to
experiencing Swakopmund to the full while
being faced with the best of two worlds.
The Namib Desert with astounding plant, insect and animal life and
a fun filled dune landscape for play and
adventure such as hot air balloon flights,
sand-boarding, and
quad bike tours. And then there is the
Atlantic Ocean with breathtaking marine
excursions like boat cruises, kayak rowing
and surf and boat angling.
Most popular travelling routes from South Africa to Namibia can be found at:
www.map-of-namibia.com
ACTIVITIES
Local guide books can be provided and if there's something we can help organise just let us know.
SEA
LAND
AIR
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Sossusvlei flight
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Ballooning
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Tandem skydiving
OTHER
TEMPERATURES
Swakopmund can have four seasons in one day
from hot sunny days to cool early mornings
and nights.
It is recommended that you pack
both summer clothing as well as something
warm. View the latest weather report at:
Namibia Weather Network
LANGUAGE
English and Afrikaans are used for public
communication, but many minor mother tongue
groups prevail throughout the country. These
include Diriku, Herero, Kwangali, Kwanyama,
Lozi, Mbukushu, Nama, Ndonga, and Tswana.
Most of the population speaks Afrikaans or
German as a first or second language.
CURRENCY INFORMATION
The Namibian Dollar (NAD;
symbol N$) is linked to the South African
Rand (R) on a 1:1 basis (South African Rand
= 100 cents). The South African Rand is also
legal tender in Namibia, although the N$
cannot be used in South Africa.
GREEN TIPS
Swakopmund is a desert town and water is
extremely precious to us.
As
individuals, there's so many things we can
do to lessen our
water consumption, here's some brief tips:
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Don't take baths, take showers. You will
in average save about half the amount of
water that you would if you were taking
a bath.
Shorter showers with less pressure
-
Ensuring taps, water pipes and hose
connections don't drip
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Checking toilets for leaks.
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Using grey-water from sinks and washing
machines to water the garden
-
Turning off the tap while brushing our
teeth or while shaving
-
Washing veggies in a sink partially
filled with water instead of under a
running tap
-
Skip rinsing your plates before putting
them into the dishwasher and only wash
full loads.
-
Setting washing machines at the lowest
possible water level for the load
-
Watering gardens just after sunrise or
just after sunset to reduce evaporation
-
Mulching gardens to reduce watering
requirements
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Installing drip irrigation systems
-
Cutting grass a little longer during
summer
-
Reducing the temperature of water
heaters which lessens the amount of
mixing needed to be done in order to
achieve a temperature
that won't scald your skin
-
Insulate water pipes
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Fill a dishwasher completely before
running it
-
Don't use water to accelerate thawing of
food
-
Use drought tolerant plants in your
garden and drought resistant grass for
lawn
-
Never use a hose to blast leaves or
litter off a driveway - sweep it, it's
good exercise too :)
Other green tips:
-
Change to fluorescent bulbs.
-
Get a clothes line or rack to dry your
cloths. Your cloths will last longer and
you will save money
-
Turn off computers at night – don’t just
put them to sleep.
-
Use both sides of paper - if you have a
printer with a double sided print option
use it. You will save half of the amount
of paper you would have normally used.
Then when your done bring it to the
recycle bin.
-
Recycle glass - If you do not recycle
this, it will take a million years to
decompose.
-
Don’t pre-heat the oven - unless needed,
just turn the oven on after you put the
dish in it. Also, to see if it's
finished just look through the glass
instead of opening it.
-
Use warm or cold setting on washer -
instead of the hot cycle use the warm or
cold setting. This will save a lot of
energy a year.
-
Turn Down your Thermostat - Every
degree lower in the winter or higher in
the summer you put it is a 10% decrease
on your energy bill.
-
Turn off your lights- An easy one. Turn
off your lights when you are not using
them. The benefits are obvious.
-
Get rid of junk mail - There are many
services that can help you get rid of
junk mail. That will lead to a lot less
trees being cut down to take up room in
your mailbox.
-
Use matches instead of lighters
-
Lighters are usually considered
disposable so they will most likely end
up in dumps. You can use the cardboard
matches which are much more eco-friendly
because they are made of recycled
material.
-
Don’t get a paper phone book - Instead
of getting a paper phone book. Use a
online directory instead.
-
Give things away- Take things that you
are not going to wear or use and give it
to a charity or someone who will use it.
-
Stop paper bank statements - Why waste
paper getting your bank statement mailed
to you when you can just check it out
online.
-
Buy rechargeable batteries - Even though
it will take a good investment to buy
these you will find yourself gaining it
back in no time.
-
Pay our bills only - If every household
did this then we would save million
trees every year.
-
Get a reusable bag - You can't recycle
plastic bags, instead get yourself a
reusable bag so that you won't have to
worry about carrying your necessities.
-
Do errands in bulk - Make a list of the
things you have to do, and see if you
can fit a couple of those things
together in one ride.
-
Inflate your tires - If your tires are
inflated at all times your car will run
more miles on less gas.
-
Wrap presents creatively - Without going
out to get wrapping paper you can use
newspaper, an old map, or anything else.
It would look a whole lot more creative.
-
Plant a tree - It's good for the air,
can keep you cool, and can increase your
property value.
-
Buy local produce - Consider how much
energy it takes for produce from china
or any other country to come here. If
you have the option to buy local, do it.
-
Walk or ride your bike when you can - If
you have to go somewhere close consider
riding your bike or walking there
instead of your car. It's better on the
environment and healthier. ... and don't forget; spread these tips
among your friends, neighbours and where
you work
-
Bear in mind that every small action
when multiplied millions of times can
make a huge impact. Humans can go for
weeks without food, but only days
without water. The amazing thing is, we
only need a few a day through our food
and directly to sustain ourselves. Added
that, to maintain hygiene, we only need
about 25 litres a day.
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