Kolmanskop is a ghost town in the Namib desert only 10 kilometres away from the port town of Lüderitz. It is named after a transport driver named Johnny Coleman who abandoned his ox wagon during a sandstorm near the village. Once the richest town in Namibia it is nowadays a famous tourist attraction, but don’t think of it as a museum, it’s more a big playground. One can spend hours there exploring the town. If one thinks having seen everything the changing light shows the town in a complete different setting. Not only for photographers a place for the bucket list. However, when the worker Zacharias Lewala found a diamond in this area in 1908 the German government declared a large area around this place as “Sperrgebiet” as Namibia was a German colony from 1884 to 1915. In 1915 South Africa occupied the colony after defeating the Germans during World War I. Namibia became independent on 21 March 1990.

2 Comments

  1. Hi there! I’m so impressed. Have you visited this place? I would love to hear more about how to get there and your impressions. It’s been on my list for ages and it’s definitely time to broaden my perspective and not only travel Latin America.

    • Hi Maria,

      thank you for visiting our blog. You can ask us about every place on our blog as we have visited them during our travels. I can understand why Kolmanskop is on your bucket list. If you are into Photography it is definitely a place where you will find many outstanding photo opportunities. You can find Kolmanskop in Namibia, near Luderitz. Getting there is actually quite easy by car. You don’t even need a 4×4. Though you have to pay entry it is not as touristic as you maybe think. Especially with the photographers permit you can be there almost on your own when the gates are already closed for normal visitors. I expected the place to be more like a museum where you have to follow certain ways and every few metres it says do not enter. However it is more like a big playground. You can explore the whole ghost town on your own. Almost every building is open and only parts where it’s really dangerous are closed! So if you are once in Namibia do not miss this awesome place!

      If you have further questions do not hesitate to ask! Keep on travelling, Maria! Take care and get in touch every time!

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