Tracing a circular route through Namibia, we arrive into the coastal town of Swakopmund. The town spreads itself from the mouth of the Swakop River out into the surrounding desert plain. Carved by thousands of years of wind, the sand dunes offer wave after wave of desert exploration and adventure.
With a free day to enjoy by the coast, we opted for an afternoon of sandboarding! Equipped with a flexible wooden board, floor wax for speed, a helmet and an instructor to help us, we climb our first sand dune for an afternoon of speeding down the sand dunes.
With 360-degree panoramic views, surrounding us are rolling peaks and golden dunes that contrast against the electric blue sky and the wild lapping of the South Atlantic Ocean against the horizon.
Vast desert dunes
I kneel beside the board. We’re instructed to lie flat on our stomachs, descending headfirst down the sand dunes with our feet to control the direction of the board.
The first dune we encounter is gentle, straight forward and exhilarating. Rolling with the shape of dunes we come to a gentle stop at the bottom.
We’re left with a feeling of wanting to do more, as our guide introduces us to longer, steeper and faster dunes to tackle.
Our sandboard instructor
We reach a top speed of 60mph. With spectacular scenery as far as the eye can see, there was no greater way to experience the historic sand dunes of Swakopmund than sliding down them headfirst.
Our instructor Peter is calm and watchful, stating that he had moved from the city to become a sandboarding instructor, a role that he has enjoyed for over 8 years.
Gliding down the dunes
Trip Tips
- We booked the Sandboarding for approximately £30 per person with Desert Explorers
- Swakopmund is a great centre for adrenaline activities such as sky-diving, quad biking, kayaking and sand-boarding. I’d recommend spending a few free days there. You can book activities locally with the help of your accommodation provider
- There is the option to sandboard lying down or standing up, we opted for the easier lying down version for a bit of fun
- If you have any questions, please feel free to comment here or email me
