Luderitz the first German settlement featuring the best natural harbour in Namibia. Diaz Point, to the south where one has the opportunity to see Jackass Penguins and seals. Goerke House is the most impressive and sits with an excellent view, on top of Diamond Hill. It is open to the public and well worth a visit for its fine Art Deco interior of stained glass and wood panelling. Unfortunately the bride, fresh from Germany, for whom it was built in 1909, could not handle the bleak and windy isolation and left with her husband after only 2 years, never to return.

Lüderitz is renowned for its old-world charm and distinctly German colonial architecture. Set around the bay, with their gables, winding stairwells, verandas, turrets and bay and bow windows, these buildings have a unique character of their own. One of the most striking is Goerkehaus on the slopes of Diamond Mountain, built in 1909. The Felsenkirche (Evangelical Lutheran Church) close by, consecrated in 1912, looks especially striking in the late afternoon when the stained-glass windows are illuminated by the setting sun.

Namibia’s most famous and evocative ghost town is Kolmanskop, situated in the Sperrgebiet (restricted area) about 10 km inland from Luderitz. With a diamond found in 1908 the development of Kolmanskop reached its climax in the twenties. Within a span of 40 years Kolmanskop lived, flourished and died. Today the ghost town’s crumbling ruins bear little resemblance to its former glory.