Entries about flamingo

The owners of the apartment I rented for 3 days in Swakopmund helped me book a spot on a cruise departing from the harbor in Walvis Bay, out to Pelican Point. It was $500 Namibian Dollars ($62 Canadian), which included pickup in Swakopmund and roundtrip transfer to Walvis Bay, a 45min drive, the cruise, and a light lunch.

Once on board we sailed towards Pelican Point. Along the way a Cape Fur Seal hopped on board! Turns out this seal was orphaned when he was young, so the employees took to feeding him so he wouldnt die. Now he makes an appearance every time they sail across the bay

Waving 'Hello'






Here are some views along the way of Cormorants and Flamingos on the beach, as well as a few shipwrecks!


Shipwreck & flamingos in the background

Flying flamingos!!

Landing flamingos that appear to be dancing

Shipwreck from 1932.


The lighthouse at Pelican Point. It used to be located right at the tip of the sandy peninsula, but due to Namibia's ever-changing coastline of shifting sand dunes, the lighthouse is now 3km from the tip! Thats how much the coastline has changed! Crazy!

There were 2,500 Cape Fur Seals at Pelican Point! I could hear them well before I could see them. They sounds like barking dogs ... imagine 2,500 barking dogs!!! They were everywhere on the beach & in the water! (But of course the 1 photo I took of the whole beach full of seals won't upload).
They were quite curious and would come right up to the boat, peek their heads out of the water at us, then dive back down.




I was trying to take photos of the seals when this bird flew right into the photo

Looks like this young one is giving his parents a private moment



Hungry pelicans were always near our boat looking for fish. They were HUGE! About double the size of the pelicans we have in Canada!




The harbor was full of massive cargo ships plying the ocean between Europe & Africa. Notice the sand dunes in the background.

Thats all for Walvis Bay, next post will be all about the desert

From Johannesburg, South Africa I flew direct to Swakopmund, Namibia. I was sad to leave South Africa, but very excited to be heading to Namibia ... I love moving around when I travel, cuz when one adventure is ending, a new one is just beginning Arrving in Swakopmund and stepping out of the airport, the first thing you see is sand dunes! It was instant love!!

I had a very short time in Namibia, only 3 nights, which I spent at the Sandcastle Apartments in Swakopmund, located only 2 blocks from the beach! The drive from the airport to Swakopmund is a very scenic 45min ... Atlantic Ocean on the left, endless sand dunes on the right

My patio door opening to a nice terrace


It had a full kitchen with dishes and all appliances. The nice owners kindly showed me to the nearest grocery store.

Living room ... it had a tv, free wifi , and A/C

The town is incredibly clean! I didnt see a piece of trash / litter anywhere! For real! The downtown area had a lighthouse and beautiful colonial buildings.





The houses were surprisingly modern - sharp edges, angled roofs, loads of windows, and very large! I wasnt expecting that at all! This is not a store, Its a house!!



There is a paved path that runs parallel to the ocean. It went on forever. Everyday I took the scenic path from my apartment all the way to the lighthouse. I never timed the walk, but its probably a 20-30min leisurely walk. Along the path are public beach areas, public washrooms, beautiful flower gardens, restaurants, etc. Locals & tourists alike were walking / jogging, kids were riding bikes, ppl walking their dogs, etc. I felt 1000% safe here! I forgot to take a photo of the paved path, but here are some photos of a path threw one of the flowered areas to get to it.






Near the lighthouse were some women & children dressed like members of the Himba tribes that live in northen Namibia. Whether or not they are actual tribe members, or just in costume, I'm not sure, but I really wanted to visit this tribe and knew I didnt have time to travel north, so I paid a few dollars to buy a souvenir from them and was then allowed to take as many photos of them as I wanted.

This tribe is known for covering their skin & hair with otjize - a mixture of ochre & butter fat.









If you keep walking past the lighthouse, heading south, you will come to a lagoon on the edge of town full of flamingos!! I've always wanted to see flamingos in the wild! (Theres also flamingos at the beach in Walvis Bay).

So beautiful, yet so awkward when taking off, lol!!


Mama flamingo with her babies.

I just love their colors!





Mama Cormorant and all her babies.

Swakopmund faces west, so every evening I walked the few minutes from my apartment to the beach to watch the sunset ... a wonderful place to take everything in, and just be thankful I'm in such a wonderful place!



Sunset view from my apartment window