Given that permits can be arranged from Namdeb with relative ease, the most popular excursion from Lüderitz is the ghost town of Kolmanskop. Named after an early Afrikaner trekker Jani Kolman, whose ox-wagon became bogged in the sand here, Kolmanskop was originally constructed as the CDM headquarters. Although Kolmanskop once boasted a casino, bowling alley and a theatre with fine acoustics, the slump in diamond sales after WWI and the discovery of richer pickings at Oranjemund ended its heyday. By 1956, the town was totally deserted, and left to the mercy of the shifting desert sands. Today, Kolmanskop has been partially restored as a tourist attraction, and the sight of decrepit buildings being invaded by dunes is simply too surreal to describe.
You can turn up at any time, and you’re not required to arrive as part of an organised tour, though you do need to purchase a permit in advance through either the NWR office in Lüderitz or a local tour operator. Guided tours (in English and German; at 9.30am and 11am Monday to Friday, and 10am Sunday), which are included in the price of the permit, depart from the museum in Kolmanskop. After the tour, you can return to the museum, which contains relics and information on the history of Namibian diamond mining.
