Pomona

What makes it special

Start with the processing plant: a cluster of rusting steel, big machines and the sieves that separated diamonds from the desert sand. Around it stand the houses and workshops, now decaying ruins. In two of the buildings, dunes fill more than half of the rooms.

Diamond mining began here in 1912, and the town was abandoned by 1931 once the diamond finds ran low. The housing still shows how the place was run, with quarters for the German colonial staff kept strictly apart from those of the local workers. The Kegelbahn, the town's bowling alley, still stands, though it is far from working order.

Succulents grow around both stops, and the park holds the greatest variety of them on the planet, so look at the ground as well as the view. Bogenfels, the other half of the day, is a 55-metre limestone arch with one leg in the ocean and the other in the desert.

Visiting

From your accommodation in Lüderitz, the 4x4 collects you in the morning for a day of about nine hours. Confirm the pickup time with your operator when you book.

Pomona and the Bogenfels arch are the two big stops, with long stretches in the back of the vehicle between them. At Pomona you walk the ghost town with the guide.

Lunch is served in the ruins of the old school, and the guides tell the town's story while you eat. Stay with the group and your guide at every stop.

Guided or on your own

There is no way in on your own: you cannot drive yourself into this part of the Namib, and only licensed operators run the day.

The tour runs for two people or more, so if you are travelling alone, ask when you book whether a group is already going on your day.

Tips

Bring plenty of water, sun protection and closed shoes for a long day in the desert. Watch your footing among the ruins.

Leave every stone where it lies. Picking anything up and putting it in your pocket is strictly forbidden inside the diamond area, and taking gemstones out can bring serious fines.