MY TRIP TO NAMIBIA, Part #1: Walvis Bay (The Bay of Whales)

So, I took a trip to Namibia for a one month training course in Quality, Health, Safety and Environment. My first stop was in Walsvis Bay. The experience was much more than just learning. I had mad fun. In fact it was more like a vacation for me.
Walvis Bay is such a beautiful and peaceful town. You just can't help but love it. I will be showing you some of the sights I caught on camera.

My journey started from the Port Harcourt International airport where I boarded an Arik flight to Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos, Nigeria. I landed in Lagos at about 6pm and had to wait for six hours before joining a South African Airways flight to the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa. We touched down in South Africa at about 6am.

I waited at the airport for about three hours before joining a connecting flight to Walvis Bay
International Airport, Namibia. Walvis Bay Airport is an airport serving Walvis Bay, a town in the Erongo Region of Namibia. The airport is about 15 km east of the town.

One of the things that caught my attention during the flight was the deserted nature of the land mass surrounding Walvis Bay when I looked through the window of the aircraft.

This built curiosity in me to explore this city that is surrounded by dry lands. I had no clue of the surprises that were ahead of me.

Walvis Bay is a port town on the coast of Namibia. Sheltered by the Pelican Point sand spit, its tidal lagoon is home to abundant birdlife including flamingos, pelicans and Damara terns. The harbor is busy with fishing boats and ships. Dolphins, whales and Cape fur seals inhabit the Atlantic waters around the Pelican Point Lighthouse. East of the bay, coastal sand dunes like Dune 7 mark the start of the Namib Desert.

I will be talking about my trip to the Namib desert (Dune 7) in my next blog Part #2

Walvis Bay history (Source: www.www.info-nam.comibia.com)

The town Walvis Bay (meaning Bay of Whales in Afrikaans) has a changeful history. It was discovered by the Portuguese sailor Diaz, who explored the West African coast from 1482 to 1489, and who sailed into the bay for the first time in 1487. At the beginning of the 18th century the place developed into a sought after fishing ground for fishermen from North America and Europe, due to its abundance of whales and fish.

The town itself was founded in 1793 by Dutch from the Cape (South Africa), but was annexed by a British war vessel only a few years later. Since 1850 Walvis Bay grew steadily due to its trade connections, but it was occupied in 1878 by the British Crown, as many British fishermen and Guano trades had settled there. Furthermore the bay was of strategic importance for the sea route.

In 1884 the German Protectorate included the surrounding areas of the bay Walvis Bay became a British enclave.

In 1910 the South African Union was established and as part of the Cape Province Walvis Bay was integrated into the Union. At the beginning of the First World War the town was shortly occupied by German troops and after German South West Africa had been put under South African administration as League of Nations mandate in 1919, the South African parliament decided in 1922 to assign the town to South West African territory.

However in 1977 the town was reassigned to the Cape Province which was seen as a repeated annexation, especially as efforts for the independence of Namibia were made since the early seventies. In 1990 Namibia became independent. A resolution of the UNO stipulated that South Africa was to hand over Walvis Bay to Namibia, but it never happened. Only with the end of the Apartheid regime the Walvis Bay area was handed over to Namibia in 1994.

Walvis Bay Today

Today Walvis Bay is the third largest town of Namibia and its only deep-sea harbour. Between 55,000 and 65,000 people live in Walvis Bay depending on seasonal workers for the dominant fishing industry. As the water of the coastal area is very clean Walvis Bay is known for its high quality fish, oysters, rock lobsters, etc.

There are quite a few touristic highlights:
One of them is a boat trip along the coast to view dolphins and seals, whereby the seals jump right into the boat. With a bit of luck whales with their impressive tail fin can be spotted.

For bird enthusiasts and anglers trips by boat or 4x4 vehicles to the bird colonies of the 10 kilometre long lagoon of Sandwich Harbour are a special treat. In this large natural lagoon more than 120,000 birds have been counted, including pelicans and flamingos.

A trip to “Dune 7” just outside town is also well worth it. It is the highest dune in the area and one can not only enjoy an amazing view when standing on top of it, but also try the trendy sport called sand boarding.

As Swakopmund is a mere 30 km away, one can easily visit this coastal town and its attractions.
I took a trip to Swakopmund and will be showing you sights from that trip in my part #3 blog.

One should not forget to mention the huge salt fields around Walvis Bay. On an area of 3500 hectares 400,000 tons of high quality salt are annually produced.

So on arrival, I checked into this small but beautiful hotel. The serenity was amazing and the environment so natural. Everyone here was friendly and always willing to help.

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This cool guy is the chief chef at the hotel. He ensured we had good meals all the time.

One of the persons that made my stay in Walvis Bay memorable is Marlene. She doubled as a chauffeur and a tour guide all through my stay.

One thing I like alot is an environment that is serene with beautiful architecture. I like home designs that are simple and beautiful. This was exactly what I found in Walvis Bay. On this cool and breezy Sunday evening, I decided to take a walk around the small town in company of some friends. So, I picked up my camera and we strolled out. Enjoy the photos I took.

In the end it was an amazing experience.

Walvis Bay is a perfect destination for vacation or honey mooning.

Written with lots of love !

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Thank you to Steemit and all Steemians for the opportunity to share my experience here.

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