While Walvis Bay is Namibia's major harbour town, it is fast developing into a soughtafter haven for spending a
holiday at the sea. Attractions are the lagoon with its prolific bird life and variety of recreational possibilities, a desert golf course, modern and comfortable hotels and a choice
of restaurants, activities such as sightseeing from a donkey cart and kayaking on the lagoon at sunrise.
A former enclave belonging to South Africa, Walvis Bay and the offshore
islands were incorporated into the Republic of Namibia on March I, 1994. The town has a well-developed and efficient port, while its fishing harbour is the hub of Namibia's lucrative
fishing industry. Entry permits to visit the harbour can be obtained from the Police Offices at the Harbour Entrance on 13th Road. Organised visits are undertaken every two weeks,
usually on Thursdays.
The Civic Centre complex of the harbour town houses the Walvis Bay information office and consists of the Town Hall, Mayor's Office and a Museum and Library,
the latter with temporary membership facilities. A national monument, and the oldest building in Walvis Bay, is the Rhenish Mission Church, a timber structure which was built in
Hamburg in 1880, then dismantled and shipped to Walvis Bay. |
