Heading from Keetmanshoop we entered the outskirts of Luderitz in the afternoon. A wind was blowing sand across the road almost as expected as we had heard Luderitz was a very windy and bleak place. A few kilometres outside Luderitz we pass the ghost town of Kolmanskop, a boom-to-bust ghost town in the Namib Desert. Today structures and buildings still stand but are empty, eerily quiet and packed with sand dunes amid the plains of the desert in southern Africa in an area known as the “Sperregebiet”, forbidden territory. A reminder of a little known period of German imperialism. We decided this is something we needed to see. It is one of the main tourist attractions about about 10 km east of Luderitz and a permit obtained in Luderitz is needed to gain access.
After obtaining necessary permits we drove out to Kolmanskop. A photographic permit is extra. You can join a guided tour, which not only provides the history of the former mining town, but about the diamond industry today as well. After a short introduction and visit to the more important buildings, visitors are allowed to explore Kolmanskop on your own. Get there as early in the morning if you are a keen photographer to catch the special raking light and before the crowds arrive to destroy the magic.
There is a shop and a restaurant which serves light meals.
If you are interested in the history of the boom and bust diamond industry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolmanskop
Kolmanskop is worth a visit. Lots of dry colour and wonderful textures. A very photogenic place reeking of atmosphere.
https://steemit.com/namibia/@capelight/ghost-town-on-the-desert-coast-elizabeth-bay-namibia
