Sandwich Harbour in Namibia, where the dunes meet the ocean, must be seen to be believed. It is best explored on a Sandwich Harbour Tour.
Why? You require a permit to enter the Namib-Naukluft Park and specialised knowledge to drive the dunes and beach section safely in a 4×4. Local knowledge of tides and hazardous beach areas is necessary.
I wasn’t willing to risk my 4×4, so I joined a tour and left the driving to the experts. This way, I could relinquish the driving to fully enjoy the experience.
So, if you are looking for the best Sandwich Harbour Tours in Namibia, they are featured here.
How do I know they’re the best?
I joined a fabulous full-day Sandwich Harbour tour to experience it for myself. You can jump further into the article to read my account or read on for tour recommendations.
Whether it’s a full-day or half-day tour, a visit to Sandwich Harbour is something you don’t want to miss. Still not convinced? Check out all the five stars reviews.
In A Hurry? Recommended Sandwich Harbour Tours:
6 to 7 hours
5/5 ⭐️ Reviews
🚗 Sandwich Harbour, Pelican Point, Flamingo Lagoon
🚗 Full-Day Tour: Recommendation (Sandwich Harbour Adventure: Seals and Sandwich harbour dune drive)
This 6 to 7-hour Sandwich Harbour tour is recommended because:
- You visit three iconic locations in the Walvis Bay area: Sandwich Harbour, Pelican Point, Flamingo Lagoon
- 5/5 ⭐️ reviews (carries a Badge of Excellence)
- 6 to 7 hours duration: allows for a more immersive and unhurried experience
- Includes driving onto the dunes
- Minimum 2 persons
- Lunch
- Pickup in Swakopmund (start time 08:30 a.m.) or Walvis Bay (start time 09:00 a.m.)
- Includes the permit to Sandwich Harbour and a tour guide
- This tour requires good weather and if cancelled, you are offered a different date or a full refund.
🚙 Half-Day Tour: Recommendation (Sandwich Harbour 4×4 Guided Tour)
Short on time? This 4.5-hour half-day Sandwich Harbour tour is recommended because it:
- Is the best value for money
- Has 5/5 ⭐️ reviews (carries a Badge of Excellence)
- 4.5 hours duration
- Offers a light picnic lunch in the dunes (beer, sparkling wine, soft drinks, water)
- Opportunity for sunset viewing (weather permitting)
- Includes driving onto the dunes
- Includes Permit to drive to Sandwich Harbour and the Tour Guide
- Offers pick up in Swakopmund or Walvis Bay (start time 08:30 a.m. or 12:30 p.m.)
- As this tour requires good weather, should it be cancelled, you are offered a different date or a full refund.
Why is Sandwich Harbour Worth Visiting?
Sandwich Harbour, where the desert meets the sea, is renowned for its towering dunes that plummet into the cold Atlantic Ocean. At low tide, the exposed beach area in front of the dunes is just wide enough for a vehicle to pass.
Already sounding like an adventure? Buckle up, we’re in for a ride.
You drive off and up into the dunes near the southern section of the beach area. A few hundred back from the beach, the 4×4 traverses the soft sand to reach Kodak Point.
You are treated to outstanding views over the surrounding desert dunes and onto the beach from this lofty position. Back in the dunes, you can see signs of life: oryx, springbok, jackals, seals, dolphins, birds of prey, endemic birds plus the occasional patchwork of undergrowth.
This barren environment is also home to the unique and elusive Namib gecko. If you time your visit right, you’ll be able to see the sunrise and sunset over the oldest dunes in the world.
That’s earned you bragging rights and another reason why Sandwich Harbour is worth visiting.
Yes, there’s much to see on a Sandwich Harbour tour. If you’re a nature lover, photographer, traveller or outdoor enthusiast, then a visit here has to be on your itinerary.
Read on to discover the top Five Sandwich Harbour Tours.
5 Best Sandwich Harbour Day Tours by 4×4
Tour options 1 and 2 below are the previously recommended full-day and half-day tours and are briefly mentioned again.
If you are staying in Walvis Bay or Swakopmund, then consider the half-day Living Desert Tour, which takes you into the Dorob National Park, where you learn all about its unique flora and fauna. We were fascinated by the tour.
1. 🚗 Full-Day Tour (mentioned above): Sandwich Harbour & Pelican Point
⭐️ Rating: 5/5 Stars | ⏳ Tour Length: 6 to 7 hours | 🦭 Check Rates and Availability
2. 🚙 Half-Day Tour (mentioned above): Sandwich Harbour 4×4 Guided Tour
⭐️ Rating: 5/5 Stars | ⏳ Tour Length: 4.5 hours | 🦭 Check Rates and Availability
3. Scenic Sandwich Harbour Tour: Half-Day With Optional Upgrades
⭐️ Rating: 5/5 Stars | ⏳ Tour Length: 4 to 5 hours | 🦭 Check Rates and Availability
Why Do I Like This Tour?
- Operator: Desert Dunes and Dust Tours
- Private Tour Option: Operates with a minimum of 1 participant
- Includes: Brunch with beer, cider, bottled water, and cold drinks. Upgrade available for champagne, oysters, and sushi.
- Pickup Locations: Swakopmund and Walvis Bay
- Highlights:
- Cruise past the Walvis Bay Salt Refinery and Walvis Bay Lagoon on the way to Sandwich Harbour and the Namib Desert.
- Guests appreciate the tour’s great value and describe it as an amazing day out with easy-going, knowledgeable, and fun guides.
- Read More Reviews.
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4. Half-Day Sandwich Harbour 4×4 Tour
⭐️ Rating: 5/5 Stars | ⏳ Tour Length: 4 hours | 🦭 Check Rates and Availability
Why Do I Like This Tour?
- Operator: Red Dune Safaris Namibia
- Includes:
- Standard: Brunch with beer, cider, bottled water, and cold drinks
- Upgrade: Champagne, oysters, and sushi
- Special Features:
- Comes with oysters and sparkling wine as standard
- Carries a badge of excellence due to high ratings from travelers
- Capacity: Minimum of 2 persons, maximum of 16 per tour
- Pickup Location: Walvis Bay only
- Tour Highlights:
- Cruise by giant coastal sand dunes
- Visit Walvis Bay Salt Refinery, Walvis Bay Lagoon, and Namib Desert
- Enjoy a lunch with oysters and sparkling wine along the way
- Read More Reviews
5. Sand Waves Adventures Sandwich Harbour Full-Day Tour
⭐️ Tripadvisor Rating: 5/5 Stars | ⏳ Tour Length: 12+ hours | Email: [email protected] or Phone: +264 81 045 3135
Why Do I Like This Tour?
- Tour Operator: Sand Waves Adventures
- Personal Experience: Joined based on a local’s recommendation and had an exceptional day.
- Duration: More than 17 hours, not time-capped.
- Focus: Photography tour capturing dune landscapes, local wildlife, sunrise, and sunset.
- Guide: Ben, highly knowledgeable and superb in guiding.
- Tour Flexibility:
- Contact: To discuss pricing, contact via email or phone; price varies by group size.
- Expertise: Driver/guide is a photographer, ensuring a keen understanding of photography needs.
- Pickup Locations: Available in Walvis Bay and Swakopmund.
- Check out TripAdvisor Reviews
👀 You can read about my experience on this Sandwich Harbour tour further down in this article including images of the day.
Namibia’s Sandwich Harbour – Where the Desert Meets the Sea
My Experience: Sandwich Harbour Day Tour
If you’re spending time in Swakopmund or Walvis Bay, you’re already at the perfect launch point for any of the Sandwich Harbour tours.
I was overnighting in Walvis Bay and decided at the last minute to join Sand Waves Adventures, which operates from Swakopmund, on one of their Sandwich Harbour day tours.
To see where the Namib desert dunes meet the Atlantic Ocean was something I had really been thinking about for some time.
The day trip totally exceeded my expectations.
Joining Sand Wave Adventures – My Sandwich Harbour Day Trip
Here is a run-down of what was included in my full-day excursion with Sand Wave Adventure.
- The day started with pick-up around 05:00 am (from Swakopmund) or 05:30 am (from Walvis Bay). Expect drop-off around 20:00 pm (Walvis Bay) and 20:30 (Swakopmund). Pick-up and drop-off are included in the price and can be from either Swakopmund or Walvis Bay.
- Photographing the iconic desert meeting the sea from Kodak Point (see map above)
- Photographing the sunrise and sunset at Sandwich Harbour from spectacular dune viewpoints
- Photographing the animals that inhabit the sand dunes and the harbour
- Photographing the flamingos at Walvis Bay Lagoon, a few kilometres south of Walvis Bay
- Morning tea in the dunes at Sandwich Harbour; a restaurant lunch in Walvis Bay; Snacks and drinks provided throughout the day
- Sand dune driving with an experienced 4×4 driver/guide.
Booking the Right Sandwich Harbour Tour for You
For those sunrise and sunset views and photography shots, the tour operator will need a special concession or permit that grants access to drive onto the Namib Naukluft National Park dunes before sunrise and after sunset.
Not all tour operators have this permit.
This means that you are on location in the Namib desert, setting up your photography gear as the sun is coming up. Unfortunately, the morning I was there, fog scuppered my plans of capturing the sunrise.
Oh well, you can’t argue with Mother Nature but I did capture the sunset from the dunes.
What Wildlife Can I Expect to See at Sandwich Harbour?
The Sandwich Harbour Lagoon is a delicate wetland ecosystem with freshwater vegetation and extensive mudflats. Many migratory wetland birds, such as terns, flamingos, plovers, oystercatchers, cormorants, and sandpipers, make Sandwich Harbour their temporary home.
Because of its fragility, the area is now listed with RAMSAR (Convention on Wetlands of International Importance).
Bottle-nosed and Heavisides dolphins and Cape Fur seals are often seen darting through the breaking waves, chasing the abundant schools of pilchards.
During my tour, I saw black-backed jackals, dolphins, ostriches, the Namib Dune gecko (otherwise known as the Palmato gecko), springboks, and Cape fur seals.
On the morning of my visit, I photographed a male and female black-backed jackal killing a young Cape fur seal on Sandwich Harbour beach. This struggle lasted 20 minutes.
Numerous bird species were present, such as Terns, greater and Lesser Flamingos, OysterCatchers, Cormorants, and Sandpipers. Pelicans flew overhead, and I managed to capture this shot of a Pale Chanting Goshawk taking flight.
Brown hyena and Oryx have been reported, but my luck didn’t extend that far, with no personal sightings to report.
Where is Sandwich Harbour, Namibia?
It’s about 60 kilometres to Sandwich Harbour from Walvis Bay. This harbour is overlooked by the mighty sand dunes of the oldest desert in the world, the Namib Naukluft National Park.
Sandwich Harbour, also called Sandwich Bay, includes the harbour as well as the nearby lagoon.
A sliver of beach between the sheer dunes and the crashing Atlantic Ocean provides the only driveable access to Sandwich Harbour, but only when the tide permits.
Your vehicle must be a 4×4.
Map: Walvis Bay and Sandwich Harbor Namibia
Can I Do a Self-Drive to Sandwich Harbour?
Yes. The permit you need to buy will only allow access to Sandwich Harbour itself, not to drive the sand dunes within Namib-Naukluft Park.
Access to Sandwich Harbour is gained by driving the beach south from Walvis Bay. You’ll need a permit issued from the MEFT (Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism) office.
(Note: No permit is required if you intend to drive on the main road through the Namib-Naukluft Park.)
The nearest MEFT office to Sandwich Harbour is in Swakopmund.
Before you jump at the chance to self-drive, be warned of the obstacles and limitations:
- The permit to drive into Namib-Naukluft Park begins after sunrise, and you need to exit the park before sunset. This means you won’t be able to photograph the sunrise and sunset at Sandwich Harbour.
- There is no overnight camping allowed at Sandwich Harbour
- The permit does not include driving in the sand dunes within the Namib-Naukluft Park
- Tide times will govern how much time you can spend at Sandwich Harbour
- With sheer dunes on one side and the pounding sea on the other, getting bogged is a reality if you aren’t competent with beach driving.
- The driver will need to be experienced in recognising and taking appropriate action when dealing with salt marshes, inter-tidal zones and concealed mussel beds under the sand.
For the reasons above, joining one of the Sandwich Harbour tours makes a lot of sense. You won’t need to put your expensive 4×4 at risk or worry about salt water, or wonder if insurance will cover this journey, leaving you to fully enjoy the experience.
Photography at Sandwich Harbour
Sandwich Harbour offers some fabulous opportunities for photographers throughout the day. You can mix it up with landscape, wildlife and macro photography.
I used my Tamron 28-75mm and Tamron 70-180mm lenses the most and reverted to my Sony 200-600mm for capturing wildlife images. My cameras are Sony a9s.
It does get windy at Sandwich Harbour. This whips fine sand into the air, so try to protect your photography gear as much as possible.
I always used the lens hood, tried to time my shots when there was a lull between gusts of wind, and made sure any lens changes were carried out in the confines of the vehicle.
Photography Opportunities:
- Sunrise and sunset (remember to bring your tripod)
- Iconic shot of the desert dunes meeting the ocean with an exposed narrow driving track in between
- The contrasting light and shadows of the sand dunes
- Desert animals in the sand dunes
- Dolphins in Sandwich Harbour
- Flamingos near Walvis Bay
What to Pack for a Sandwich Harbour 4×4 Tour
You’ll certainly want to bring a few essential items on a Sandwich Harbour tour.
- Warm jacket. The wind blowing off the cold Atlantic Ocean keeps the temperature cool and creates a wind-chill factor.
- Wide-brimmed hat. A lot of time will be spent out in the elements, a hat with a chin strap is advised.
- Light-weight walking shoes. Walking in the sand is not easy and you’ll want to keep weight of your walking shoes to a minimum. Alternatively, I just took my shoes off and walked barefoot in the dunes.
- Gloves and beanie. My day trip was in early April when daytime temperatures were warmer, but winter temperatures warrant bringing gloves and a beanie.
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Sandwich Harbour FAQs
Is Sandwich Harbour worth it?
Absolutely. If you’re a nature lover, enjoy majestic landscapes and wildlife, then this is for you. Sandwich Harbour is one of only a few places in the world that have towering sand dunes that meet the sea.
How do you reach Sandwich Harbour?
Sandwich Harbour is accessed by 4×4 only and is 55 kilometres south of Walvis Bay. It can be done as a self-drive day trip but it is highly recommended to join a tour with an experienced driver. The driving terrain can be treacherous.
Why is it called Sandwich Harbour?
There are a few theories on how the harbour gained its name but the first documented evidence was a maritime chart using the name Sandwich Harbour, published in 1791. It is thought that the harbour was mapped by whale men from an English ship named Sandwich.
Sandwich Harbour Tours … That’s a Wrap
As you can see, there are many wonderful Sandwich Harbour tours to choose from, with options to start from Walvis Bay or Swakopmund. You could spend half a day or the whole day depending on what your you choose.
There’s no doubt about it, these five star Sandwich Harbour reviews prove that its an adventure that sure to thrill.
Now all you have to do is pick the one that suits you best.
Why did you want to visit Sandwich Harbour? If you’ve already visited, what were your highlights? I’d love to hear about them; drop me a comment below.
If you love magnificent sand dune views then Sossusvlei is calling. Read more about how to visit, where to stay and how to get the most out of your experience in our Sossusvlei and Sesriem Canyon article here.
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