Ninety seconds on Swakopmund Lighthouse
The red and white tower you can see above the low roofs from most of Swakopmund is a working lighthouse, still guiding ships through the coastal fog. It is the easiest landmark in town to find, and a good place to start a walk.
The tower is conical, banded red and white and capped by a red lantern, and it stands well above every other building in town. That height is why you can find it from almost any street. It is also among the most photographed sights in Swakopmund, on postcards and in local art.
It went up in stone in 1902, and the staff quarters beside it date from the same year; the top ten metres were added in 1910. Look up at the lantern for the light itself: several glass lenses set upright, side by side in a circle. Its beam carries 33 km out to sea and has run automatically since 1956.
Walk to it through the centre and look at the tower from the base, with the old staff quarters beside it. Then cross to the Mole: from the beach there you get the whole tower in one frame, and the photographs are best.
Plan it as a view from outside, then use the lighthouse as the start of a town walk that runs on along the seafront. Leave time at the end for the craft market near the lighthouse. It carries pieces that are hard to find elsewhere in Namibia.
Save your photographs for a clear spell. On a grey morning the fog can hide the lantern completely, and in winter it can drop the temperature below 10°C, so carry a warm layer if you plan to walk on along the seafront.
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