The air cools long before you see the sea. First the haze thickens, then you drive into it, and the desert behind you disappears into grey. No other day of driving in Namibia gives you a contrast like the one between Sossusvlei and the coast.
- From Sesriem via the C14
- 350 km
- Driving time
- About 5.5 hours
- Of that tarred
- 37 km
- Mild coastal climate
- Around 18 degrees
- On to Walvis Bay
- 30 km
The route follows the C14 past Solitaire, over the Gaub and Kuiseb passes and on through Walvis Bay. That is about 350 kilometres, of which only some 37 are tarred; the rest is gravel. Driving time runs to about five and a half hours. This is not a leg you start after lunch.
Swakopmund sits at the mouth of the Swakop river, counted about 75,921 inhabitants in the 2023 census and has carried German colonial architecture since 1892. The lighthouse and the Mole, the Woermannhaus, the Hohenzollernhaus, the museum, the aquarium and the Lutheran church of 1911 all stand within a short walk. The air holds around a mild 18 degrees, and the cold Benguela current keeps the water barely above 20. Walvis Bay lies about 30 kilometres further on, a good twenty minutes away.
- Time needed
- a full day of driving, plus at least two nights on the coast
- Cost
- fuel and a bed, nothing for the town itself
- When
- October to March counts as the most popular season on the coast
- From Sesriem
- 350 km, 330 minutes
Our tipLeave early and fill up in Solitaire. Only about 37 of the 350 kilometres to Swakopmund are tarred, and gravel eats more time than any map app will admit.
Swakopmund: frequently asked questions
How long does it take to drive from Sesriem to Swakopmund?
Sesriem to Swakopmund is about 350 kilometres and roughly five and a half hours on the C14. Only about 37 kilometres of that route are tarred.
Why is Swakopmund so much cooler than the desert?
Swakopmund sits on the Atlantic, where the cold Benguela current holds the air at a mild 18 degrees. The sea there barely rises above 20 degrees, while inland around Sossusvlei it gets far hotter.
What is there to see in Swakopmund?
Swakopmund has its lighthouse and the Mole, the Woermannhaus, the Hohenzollernhaus, the Swakopmund Museum, a marine aquarium and the Lutheran church of 1911. German colonial architecture has shaped the town since 1892.
How far is Walvis Bay from Swakopmund?
Walvis Bay lies about 30 kilometres from Swakopmund, some 34.7 kilometres by road, a drive of a good twenty minutes.