The Ghost Town of Namib Desert – Kolmanskop

Kolmanskop, also known as The Ghost Town of Namib Desert, is a popular destination for tourists and photographers. During the 1920s the area was a fully functioning residential area, commercial and mining town. This German administered town owed its existence to the washed diamonds found in the area. Today the town hosts a museum, daily tours and restaurant where visitors can experience the town’s short history.

We attended one of these tours while staying over in the nearby town of Lüderitz. Named after controversial colonial merchant Adolf Lüderitz, the town is known for its colonial architecture and hosts a German colonial museum named the Lüderitz Museum. Staying over at a backpackers in town allowed us to do some washing and clean up as much dust as possible from the vehicles, only to head back towards the dusty dirt roads the following day.

The Ghost Town is about 15 minutes drive from Lüderitz which gives you more than enough time to eat breakfast or buy some snacks in town before heading out into the dunes. Tours are offered in German, English or Afrikaans and tour tickets are sold at the curio shop on the premises. The tour includes free roaming access to all the buildings afterwards so do not fret if you cannot get that perfect picture during the tour.

All of the buildings are accessible with the exception of the school principal’s house, as the structure is in a brittle and fragile state, waiting to collapse at any point. In the shopkeeper’s house, you will be able to browse through her order books and realise just how organised these German settlers were. Anything, including freshwater, wine and ammonia gas was delivered by ship to Lüderitz and transported to Kolmanskop by rail.

The hospital or Krankenhaus is located further away from the restaurant and the long, silent passage has an eerie feel. It is here where one of the worlds first x-ray machines were used. Unfortunately, not for the patients and medical purposes, but rather to catch thieves attempting to steal these precious rocks. Throughout the town remnants of the old railway can be seen. This railway was used to transport ice to every house in town every morning and to transport wealthy German ladies to an from the local shops which included a pharmacy, butcher and general dealer.

Photographers hoping to capture that winning shot of the deserted town can purchase photographers permit at the Kolmanskop reception. This allows you to stay after the 13:00 closing time set out by the Ministry of Mines and Energy. The permit will allow sunrise to sunset access to the town which will enable you to capture light in unique ways between the abandoned buildings.

If you are visiting Aus or Lüderitz, we would highly recommend Kolmanskop. The history and stories of the town will take you back on a journey through time. If you are further away, consider delaying this attraction until you are closer as the tour is quite short and may feel underwhelming after a day’s travel.

This post forms part of our 2019 Namibia Road Trip. We planned an epic road trip the months leading up to June and it was worth every bit of planning, research and expense. We visited Augrabies, Fish River Canyon, Luderitz, Aus and Spitzkoppe to name only a few. We recommend the trip to anyone who wants to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. We will try to give as much up to date information as possible in this series of articles but recommend you check the local websites for the latest information before embarking on your journey.