Best time to visit Swakopmund

Namibia · Africa

All twelve months scored on daily temperature, rainfall, humidity and holiday crowding.

The year in Swakopmund

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Sweet spot
Good
OK
Avoid
Busy

Go in Jan, Feb, May, Jun, Jul or Sep — these months score within a whisker of each other; 24C max, 0 rainy days. Mar is the next best.

Dry all year: 6 or fewer rainy days in every month.

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Where to stay

Things to do

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Month by month

No fare history for this route yet, so this ranking is climate and crowds only — the price column will fill in as the scanner collects.

Month	Max °C	Rain days	Humidity	Sun h/day	Verdict	Why
Jan	22°	1d	80%	11.6h	sweet spot	22C max, 1 rainy day
Feb	23°	0d	81%	11.1h	sweet spot	23C max, 0 rainy days
Mar	23°	1d	79%	11.1h	good	23C max, 1 rainy day
Apr	23°	0d	77%	10.7h	good	23C max, 0 rainy days
May	24°	0d	64%	10.0h	sweet spot	24C max, 0 rainy days
Jun	23°	0d	60%	9.7h	sweet spot	23C max, 0 rainy days
Jul	23°	0d	60%	9.9h	sweet spot	23C max, 0 rainy days
Aug	19°	0d	74%	10.3h	good	19C max, 0 rainy days
Sep	19°	0d	79%	10.9h	sweet spot	19C max, 0 rainy days
Oct	20°	0d	80%	11.2h	goodbusy	busier than usual
Nov	21°	0d	79%	11.6h	goodbusy	busier than usual
Dec	21°	0d	81%	11.7h	good	21C max, 0 rainy days

Rain days are the days with at least 1 mm of rain, as a weather station counts them.

Weather read at the centre and the beach, 37 km from the airport (WVB): ten years of ERA5 and ERA5-Land reanalysis, through Open-Meteo's open data.

A busy month is a crowded one, not a bad one — usually it is crowded because the weather is good. It is flagged rather than scored down, and crowds alone never make a month “avoid”: that is reserved for weather worth skipping.

How busy it gets

Busiest in October and November; quietest in May and June.

Then and now

No month in Swakopmund is clearly warmer than in 1981–1990: the differences are inside the ordinary spread between one year and the next.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
1981–90	25.4°	25.5°	26.2°	25.8°	26.5°	24.7°	24.0°	23.6°	22.8°	22.9°	23.9°	24.6°
2017–26	22.3°	22.6°	23.1°	22.7°	24.1°	23.1°	22.5°	19.5°	18.9°	19.6°	20.8°	21.1°
Change	-3.1°	-2.9°	-3.1°	-3.2°	-2.3°	-1.7°	-1.5°	-4.1°	-3.9°	-3.3°	-3.1°	-3.4°

The average daily high, month by month, for the nearest ERA5 grid cell. Bold is a clear change; grey is within the ordinary spread between years. Every destination, ranked.

Getting there

How far Swakopmund is, and what it costs, depends on where you set off from — the months above do not.

Before you go

Type D plugs at 220 V. Drives on the left. The currency is the Namibian dollar. No UK Foreign Office advice against travel. Everything for Namibia: cost of living, languages, emergency numbers and health.

Being there

On arrival

Paying — The Namibian dollar is fixed one to one to the South African rand, and both can be used freely in Namibia, but the Namibian dollar is not legal tender in South Africa. Major cards are widely accepted in the cities and ATMs are widely available, but carry cash outside the towns and for fuel, as petrol stations do not take credit cards. Card skimming happens at some hotels and lodges: keep your card in sight when paying, and use ATMs inside a bank or business or in well-lit public places.
UPI, for visitors from India — Not accepted for paying here; bring a card that works abroad.
Tipping — A small tip, in cash, for the attendant who fills your car at a petrol station is common, and somewhat expected of visitors.

Getting around Swakopmund

Apps — Rides: LEFA. Maps: Google Maps. Do not hail taxis in the street, especially in Windhoek, as foreigners have been robbed by taxi drivers: have your hotel, guest house or tour operator recommend a reputable taxi firm, use only registered taxis showing the Namibia Bus and Taxi Association (NABTA) logo, agree the fare before you set off, have small notes ready, and never share a taxi with strangers.

As with other Namibian cities, there is no public transport in Swakopmund. But the city is small enough to get around easily on foot. More on Wikivoyage

From the Wikivoyage article on Swakopmund, written by travellers and licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Open in Google MapsSwakopmund on the map

Help

Emergency — 10111 or 999 or 112 (any emergency).
TravelCharika is not an emergency service: we cannot call for help or send anyone. Numbers can change; if one fails, ask someone local or your hotel.

Put together by hand from the sources listed, checked 8 October 2026. Apps, cards and rules change, so check before you rely on one.

Sources (12)

Swakopmund in pictures

Swakopmund Dune — i

Daniel Kraft, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Jetty, Swakopmund, Namibia, 2018 08 04, DD 61 — i

Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Jetty, Swakopmund, Namibia, 2018 08 04, DD 54 — i

Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Swakopmund, Namibia — i

dconvertini, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What Swakopmund is like

Swakopmund, known as Swakop, is in the Erongo region of Namibia. It is the country's biggest coastal town and a resort for Namibians on holiday. More on Wikivoyage

Worth seeing: Much of the downtown is built in early 20th-century German style. Woermannhaus, Bismarck Street. A German half-timbered house in the colors of the desert with a 25m high tower and arcaded inner yard. More on Wikivoyage
Worth doing: Swakopmund is Namibia's adventure capital, and there's a great selection of activities to try out on land, sea and in the air. Tours and activities may also be booked once you're in Swakopmund. More on Wikivoyage
Getting in: The best way to get to Swakopmund is by road from Windhoek. The B2 is the main road from Windhoek (362 km inland), and takes 4–5 hours by car. More on Wikivoyage
Staying safe: Swakopmund is generally a safe city, though you should follow some basic rules: Don't leave valuables visible in your car. Park at guarded parking lots if possible. More on Wikivoyage

From the Wikivoyage article on Swakopmund, written by travellers and licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the full article has far more. The numbers above are measured; this is experience.

Around Swakopmund

Also in Namibia

Windhoek best Feb, May, Sep

Nearby

Kind of place

Swakopmund is in Namibia, Africa. Distances are great-circle, so a short one can still be a long way round.

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