Namibia - Central
Swakopmund -
Sandboarding - Kids and parents alike will have a fabulous time sandboarding on the dunes around Swakopmund. Lie down on a sandboard (it's like a snowboard) and go incredibly fast down the sand dunes!Helmets are provided, but wear closed toed shoes. If you have toddlers along, they can play in the sand, sandboarding is for bigger kids. Several companies will arrange sandboarding, ask at your hotel.
Swakopmund Museum - A small museum with exhibits of indigenous peoples, minerals and uranium mining, dioramas of coastal and desert animals of Namibia (including a stuffed honey badger), and bits of wrecked ships.
National Marine Aquarium - The aquarium features marine life in the Atlantic off the coast of Namibia, Cape fur seals, green turtles, African penguins, plus a walk-through tunnel with sharks and rays. Closed Mondays.Walvis Bay Lagoon - Take a walk along the tidal lagoon to see pink flamingos (promenade is about 3 km long). Look for the baby flamingos that are gray with black tipped wings. When the flamingos spread their wings to take flight, this is something you don't see in the zoo.
Cape Cross Seal Reserve - This seal reserve is a breeding ground for Cape fur seals (but they look like sea lions). The rocky beach at Cape Cross is filled with thousands of large fur seals, lolling around and barking. Breeding season is October, pups are born November to January, mother fur seals grab their little section of beach to tend to the pups (it gets pretty crowded). Cape Cross also has historical interest - in 1485 Diego Cao, a Portuguese explorer sailing along the coast, put up a cross on the beach.
Arnhem Cave (near Windhoek) - Take a walking tour through Arnhem Cave to see bats, thousands of bats clinging to the cave walls. There are different species of bats in the cave, including the biggest insect-eating bats in the world, but no vampire bats.
