Kayaking Swakopmund: seals, flamingos, dune drive

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/16

Duration7h–8h

GroupUp to 20

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Paddle into a seal colony, then climb dunes where the desert meets the sea

A full-day kayaking and dune-driving tour from Swakopmund combines paddling among seals at Pelican Point with a high-speed drive through the dunes to Sandwich Harbour, where the sand meets the ocean. The operator picks you up at your accommodation, provides unsinkable kayaks and life jackets with on-the-water coaching, and includes a guide, lunch and drinks throughout. No kayaking experience is required.

7h–8h

Step-by-step itinerary

Seal kayaking and dune tour

Collect guests from accommodation
Drive to flamingo lagoon and birdwatch
Pass pink salt lakes and learn about salt mine
Unload kayaks at Pelican Point seal colony
Kayak among seals in the bay
Enjoy cool drinks and sandwiches
Drive south to Sandwich Harbor dune belt
Experience roller coaster dune ride to viewpoint
Explore desert area and wildlife with guide

The Experience

You start at your hotel in Swakopmund, picked up and driven south past the pink salt lakes of Africa's largest evaporation pond—the operator explains how it harvests 100,000 tons a month—and on to Pelican Point, where a 50,000-seal colony lives. The kayaks are modern and unsinkable; the guide coaches you on paddling before you launch, and you wear a life jacket the whole time. Once on the water, seals swim around the kayaks. After paddling, you get cool drinks and sandwiches on the beach.

The second half is the dune drive. You head south along the beach toward Sandwich Harbour, where the dune belt meets the sea. At high tide, waves carve away the dunes and the area can become unreachable—the guide reads the conditions and takes you to the best spots. The drive itself is a roller coaster: you climb towering dunes to viewpoints overlooking the desert, the ocean and the vast sand sea. The guides are skilled at finding animals in the desolate landscape and explain how plants and wildlife have adapted to survive there. The full day runs 7 to 8 hours.

The tour runs on a fixed schedule and needs a minimum of two guests to depart. If you're arriving on a cruise ship, your pickup starts an hour after docking, and the tour departs no later than an hour and a half after that. Children from age 1 are welcome, though infants must sit on an adult's lap. The vehicle is air-conditioned, and all parking and transport from your accommodation are included.

What’s included

Hotel pickup in Swakopmund.
modern unsinkable kayak with life jacket and on-water coaching.
paddling among the seals at Pelican Point.
dune drive to Sandwich Harbour with skilled guide.
light lunch and drinks.
air-conditioned vehicle throughout.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Desert Dunes and Dust Tours

Is this one for you?The pace is steady but not strenuous: you paddle for a portion of the morning, then spend the afternoon in a vehicle during the dune drive. It suits families with children from age 1 and travelers new to kayaking, since the guide coaches you before you launch and the kayaks are designed not to capsize.