Excursion to 'ghost town' Kolmanskop (pay on site)

Step into a town the desert never quite forgot. Just 15 kilometres from Lüderitz, Kolmanskop rose from a tiny railway station to one of Africa’s richest towns after diamonds were discovered here in the early 1900s. Diamond fever took hold, and within just a few years, fewer than 400 residents enjoyed an astonishing array of luxuries – think elegant stone houses, a casino, a theatre, a ballroom, a sports hall and even a hospital. But then the diamonds ran out, the residents moved on, and by 1956 Kolmanskop was completely deserted. Today, the desert is steadily reclaiming the town, with sand pouring through windows and filling once-grand rooms. Explore the fascinating ruins on a 45-minute guided tour, and hear stories of the times when diamonds could be picked from the ground like daisies.