Lüderitz lies on Namibia's south coast, 124 kilometres west of Aus, where the B4 runs out at the Atlantic. The road crosses the Sperrgebiet, the old diamond area, and you may only stop at marked places. At the 2023 census the town had 16,125 residents. Just before you reach it you pass Kolmanskop, the diamond town abandoned after 1920 and slowly sinking into the sand ever since.
- Bartolomeu Dias reaches the bay
- 1487
- residents, 2023 census
- 16,125
- to Windhoek via the B1 and B4
- 830 km
- to Aus on the B4
- 124 km
The town's story goes back to 1487. That year the Portuguese navigator Bartolomeu Dias found the bay, called it Angra Pequena, little bay, and put up a stone cross on the point. Almost 400 years later a merchant from Bremen arrived.
In 1883 Heinrich Vogelsang bought the bay and the land around it on behalf of Adolf Lüderitz. The seller was Josef Frederiks II, Kaptein of the Orlam at Bethanie, and according to Wikipedia the price was 100 pounds in gold and 200 rifles. A second purchase the same year cheated him. The deal was measured in Prussian miles of about 7.5 kilometres rather than English miles of 1.6, and so he lost almost all his land.
Lüderitz hoped to find minerals and found none. The search left him short of money, and in 1885 he sold the land to the German Colonial Society for South West Africa. A year later he disappeared on an expedition to the Orange River. The bay has carried his name ever since.
The area did get rich, only later. In 1908 Zacharias Lewala found a diamond while working on the railway, and the boom reached Lüderitz and Kolmanskop. From 1920 mining moved south. That was the end of it.
Another chapter is darker. On Shark Island in the bay, the colonial power ran a concentration camp for Nama and Herero from 1905 to 1907. Estimates of the dead range from 1,000 to 3,000.
Lüderitz today
For a long time most people here lived from fishing. Today tourism and the port add to that. Rock lobster goes to Spain and Japan, and quotas have been cut because of overfishing. Offshore lies the Kudu gas field, discovered at the end of the 20th century.
Wilhelmine and art nouveau buildings recall the German period. Above the town, on Diamond Hill, stands the Felsenkirche, the rock church of 1912. The most striking building is Goerke House, built between 1909 and 1911, with its blue roof and a sundial on the tower. A small museum covers the town and its diamonds.
Since 2002 Lüderitz has had a waterfront with shops and restaurants. A walk through the old town takes you past more houses from the colonial era.
Today, as of Lüderitz is growing slowly: 13,295 residents at the 2001 census, 16,125 in 2023. Shark Island has been a national heritage site since 15 February 2019, and in April 2023 Nama and Ovaherero leaders unveiled a memorial there. Since 2013 the constituency has again been called ǃNamiǂNûs, its name before 1884. And the port is meant to grow for green hydrogen. According to The Namibian in October 2026, the investment decision for the Hyphen project has been pushed back to the end of 2027.
- Time needed
- two nights, leaving half a day each for Kolmanskop and the town
- From Windhoek
- 830 km, 625 minutes
Our tipTour operators say the guided tours of Kolmanskop run in the morning. So head out early and save the Felsenkirche and Goerke House for the afternoon.
Places to stay in Lüderitz and Kolmanskop
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2fiftysix On Second
256 2nd Street
- Kitchen
- Parking
- Wi-Fi
from €54per night on 23 November 2026
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The Cormorant House
627 Insel Street Shark Island, Luderitz
- Parking
- Wi-Fi
from €73per night on 23 November 2026
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Tranquility Self Catering
Nachtigal Street, Luderitz
- Kitchen
- Parking
- Wi-Fi
from €63per night on 23 November 2026
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Island Cottage Guesthouse
Erf 810 Insel Street
- Spa
- Kitchen
- Parking
- Wi-Fi
from €62per night on 23 November 2026
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Alte Villa Gästehaus
Mable Street
- Breakfast
- Restaurant
- Parking
- Air conditioning
from €194per night on 23 November 2026
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Lüderitz Nest Hotel
820 Dias St
- Pool
- Spa
- Breakfast
- Restaurant
from €212per night on 17 November 2026
Check prices on trivagoLüderitz and Kolmanskop: frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Aus to Lüderitz?
From Aus to Lüderitz is 124 kilometres on the B4, about one and a half to two hours. The road crosses the Sperrgebiet, and you may only stop at marked places.
What happened on Shark Island in Lüderitz?
On Shark Island in Lüderitz Bay the German colonial power ran a concentration camp for Nama and Herero from 1905 to 1907, with estimates of the dead ranging from 1,000 to 3,000. The island has been a national heritage site since 2019.
Who was Lüderitz named after?
Lüderitz is named after Adolf Lüderitz, a merchant from Bremen for whom Heinrich Vogelsang bought the bay in 1883. After Lüderitz disappeared on an expedition to the Orange River in 1886, the bay was named after him.