Sandwich Harbour, which is part of the Erongo Region, is located about 80 kilometers south of Walvis Bay. When visiting Swakopmund or Walvis Bay, trips to Sandwich Harbour are a popular activity. Many skilled and experienced tour operators offer half-day tours (full-day tours are also available) to Sandwich Harbour, which is a great outing for families.
As part of Namib Naukluft National Park, the bay and lagoon are included in the park’s protected area. All visits are planned according to the tides, and it is one of the most difficult places to reach in Namibia. The area, which includes the bird sanctuary, salt pans, and lagoon, is considered Southern Africa’s most important coastal wetland.
A Ramsar site in Namibia, Sandwich Harbour covers over 16,500 hectares. The lagoon is about 3.7 km long and 1 km wide, and the bay is about 4.2 km long and 4 km wide. A stretch of salt pans and beach dunes separates the bay from the lagoon on its southern end. The lagoon is held in place by sand dunes on the eastern side.
A recent survey showed that the lagoon’s water is brackish and of low quality, but it seeps under the dunes and supports the growth of large reed beds along the edge of the water.
Since the 1950s, Sandwich Harbour has been used as a whaling station, a fish processing and shark oil plant, a sealing and guano collection site, and a trade post. Today, only one old, abandoned building remains.
Sandwich Harbour was first inspected by the Royal Navy in 1880 as a possible anchorage and harbor, but they decided it was not as good as Walvis Bay. Seasonal fishermen, who caught snoek in Sandwich Harbour, sometimes used the bay as a stop for sealing boats, and a few basic temporary settlements were built. Today, it is one of the most visited tourist spots and places of interest along the Namibian coast.
