Midway down Namibia’s Atlantic coast, Swakopmund pokes its way out into the ocean swells with all the gusto expected of a bona fide 19^th century German colony town. Lining its dust-caked streets, neo-classical frontispieces and Bavarian-style beer halls thump to the basslines of oompah music, while half-timbered homes and classicist municipal buildings rub shoulders with wine cellars straight out of Württemberg. Strolling around the compact heart of town here can be a truly dreamlike experience, with only the waxy palm trees bristling in the sand-laden breezes that roll in from the Namib Desert standing as a testimony to the city’s African situation, and the tasteless presence of Nazi paraphernalia still lingering in the gift shop windows.

Still, the Teutonic veneer of this town is only half the story, and crowds of Namibians now flock here in the high-season months from April to October to enjoy some of the country’s most adrenaline-pumping pursuits. Yes sir, Swakopmund tour guides offer visitors quite the range, from surfing on the Atlantic swells to quad biking across the desert dunes, while skydiving has become something of a rite of passage, and the pristine beaches are just the perfect place to unwind and calm the nerves.