Walvis
Bay lies 30 kilometres south of Swakopmund, which in turn is 270
kilometers west of Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. The town derives
its name from a lucrative whaling industry in the previous century
(Walvis is the Afrikaans name for whale).
Today
Walvis Bay is a large, modern, busy harbour town and Namibia’s only
port. The bay is a safe haven for sea vessels because of its natural
deepwater harbour, protected by the deep-sea sand bank at Pelican
Point near the tip of the peninsula. On a clear day one can see the
black-and-white lighthouse which also marks the location of a luxury
lodge.
The
B2 approach road from Swakopmund is a beautiful ocean road flanked by
mighty sand dunes of the Namib desert to your left. The town is
centred around the modern harbour terminal where most local people
are employed.
Just
south from the harbour’s perimeter is a wide lagoon with
innumerable sea birds, pelicans and flamingos. Luxury houses borders
onto the lagoon with its well maintained open walk ways, grass
surfaces and palm trees.
The
southern boundary of the newly proclaimed Dorob National Park is just
south of Walvis Bay. The park covers over 780,000 hectares and
includes the coastal dunes and gravel plains between the Swakop River
and Sandwich Harbour, excluding proclaimed urban areas.
Rainfall
is sporadic and averages about 15 mm per year, making Walvis Bay
one of the driest cities on the planet. Fresh water is derived from
water wells and boreholes sunk in the Kuiseb river, as well as
desalination plants from sea water.
Despite
the fact that it has an arid climate, Walvis Bay seldom gets very hot
or very cold.
Walvis
Bay became part of the Union of South Africa in 1910 and remained
under South African control until 1994, three years after Namibia
became independent.
Salt
works
The
solar evaporation processing of sea salt is another major industry
for Walvis Bay. The salt fields cover an area of 3,500 hectares just
south of the lagoon. Annually it processes 24 million tons of sea
water to produce 700,000 tons of high quality industrial salt. The
majority of the salt exported through the port of Walvis Bay is used
in the production of chemicals and mining explosives.
The
Walvis Bay saltworks operate within a Ramsar wetland site area and
forms an important element in the conservation of birdlife in the
area. The artificially flooded evaporation ponds of the saltworks
reduce the tidal sweep and possibly adds to increased siltation.
Nutrients found in the ponds sustain a variety of wetland birds such
as flamingos and other waders. The thousands of flamingos and other
birds present are testimony to this.
When
and why Ramsar
Walvis
Bay became one of Namibia’s first Ramsar wetlands on 23 December
1995. The site consists of the natural areas of Walvis Bay lagoon,
about half of the Pelican Point peninsula, and the adjacent
intertidal areas. It also includes the Walvis Bay saltworks and areas
to the south of it, covering a total of 10,550 ha. The entire wetland
and surrounding area falls within the Dorob National Park.
Fauna
& Flora
Walvis
Bay is a bird watcher's paradise due to the mudflats and lagoons
sheltered from the open ocean by a sand spit at Pelican Point.
According to Birdlife International, this is the most important
coastal wetland in southern Africa, and is probably one of the three
most important coastal wetlands in Africa in terms of numbers and
species of birds.
Birds
such as cormorants, pelicans, chestnut-banded plovers and especially
flamingos (lesser and greater) are the obvious stars of the show. The
area regularly supports over 100,000 birds in summer and more
than 50,000 in winter. Most birds which use the wetland in summer are
non-breeding intra-African and Palearctic migrants, with flamingos
making up the majority of the numbers. Between 80–90% of the
subregion’s flamingos winter here, utilizing especially the
evaporation ponds of the saltworks.
A
good introduction to the birdlife of Walvis Bay is the harbour tour
where you will see masses of cormorants, pelicans and herons. Then go
on a self-drive tour to the lagoon and saltworks, or use one of the
many boat and 4x4 tour operators, to see the thousands of lesser and
greater flamingos. Bird Paradise at the sewage works just outside
Walvis Bay on the C14 road, is another popular birding spot.
Tourism
Tourism
Walvis
Bay, with its large bay and sand dunes, is an important centre of
tourism activity in Namibia. The lagoon is the scenic feature, and as
mentioned above, one of the most important wetlands of southern
Africa supporting thousands of migratory birds. There is a pedestrian
walkway along the eastern shore of the lagoon for walking, cycling,
or from where you can photograph the masses of flamingos.
Walvis
Bay has its own waterfront next to the Yacht Club, with many
restaurants, cafés and pubs as well as good and varied accommodation
options – from camping to luxury hotels.
Other
attractions include the artificial Bird Island, centre of a guano
collection industry, the famous Dune 7 sand dune, the salt
works, and the local museum in the Civic Centre.
Walvis
Bay is indeed a “bucket list” destination, even for non-birders.
It is well suited for the outdoor lifestyle, boasting sports such as
dune riding with quad bikes or 4x4 vehicles, sandboarding, kiting,
surfing, swimming, angling, sailing, golf and other indoor and
outdoor sport codes.