Walvis Bay Deep-Water Harbour — Namibia's Only Natural Port

Walvis Bay is the only natural deep-water harbour on the entire Namibian and southern Angolan coast — a geographical fact that shaped the town’s entire political history (Britain annexed it in 1878 to prevent German access, and it remained a South African exclave until Namibian independence in 1994). Today it is southern Africa’s second-largest port after Durban and the transshipment hub for the Trans-Kalahari Corridor to Botswana and South Africa. The working harbour, fishing fleet and canning factories give Walvis Bay a gritty, authentic character distinct from Swakopmund 20km north.