Kolmanskop: A Tour of Namibia’s Ghost Town

The story of Namibia's diamonds begins in Kolmanskop, a town whose rise and fall were tied to its trade. On this walking tour, you’ll discover the story of a tiny town in the middle of the desert, and what it was like to live and work here.

The tour starts at the Entertainment Hall. You‘ll find out how miners thrived in the severe, harsh desert landscape, and hear the rich history of diamond discovery and extraction. You’ll hear how the last residents left in the 1950s, and the abandoned town was left to the forces of wind and weather for several decades before becoming one of Namibia's most popular tourist attractions and photo spots.

Before the tour ends at the shopkeeper’s house, you’ll get a sense of how deeply intertwined this industry was with its geography, and what conditions ended up carrying these stones all the way here from the mighty Orange River.

Along the way, you’ll have a chance to:

• See where opera singers and acrobats from Europe once performed
• Stroll down Millionaires' Street, where the director, accountant, architect, and headmaster once lived in impressive houses
• Learn how drinking water was brought into the small town
• Visit the impressively preserved old bowling alley
• Find out why a doctor ordered the construction of a wine cellar under the hospital
• Hear how water was frozen in the desert

By the end of this 40-minute tour, you‘ll have a deeper appreciation for the sheer grit and endurance it took to build one of the most advanced and sophisticated towns for its time on the African continent.

Please Note: Do not buy this tour yet if you intend to visit Kolmanskuppe in person, because you can get a free voucher to download the tour at the starting location, included in your entrance pass! Visitor’s entrance passes are sold online or at the gate.
See our website for all the info at www.kolmanskuppe.com.