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sandboarding
Go <anchor>sandboarding</anchor> if you visit Namibia. It’s like snowboarding, but down a sand dune. I’d only gone snowboarding once in my life and told the guy how terrified I was — but I was fine. The sand is really soft, and it doesn’t hurt to fall.
Adventures in Swakopmund, Namibia: Sandboarding and Skydivingmenufacebooktwitterinstagrampinterestyoutubesearchchevron-downchevron-up
# Adventures in Swakopmund, Namibia: Sandboarding and Skydiving

Sand. Sweat. Sun. A cooling wind to follow, from jumping out of a plane.

I stood on the edge of the dune in Swakopmund, Namibia. It looked impossibly steep, and I thought of my shoulder surgery. It has been years, but it still sticks in my mind when I’m looking at the edge of something I’m about to slide down or jump off of at top speed.

“I’m not going to believe that coming from someone who’s wearing a skydiving shirt,” joked Chris, the instructor, when I said I was a bit nervous to stand up-board down the dune face.

The sand wasn’t like the icy snow in the mountains near home in California, though. It’s a fine, soft landing and though steep, not too difficult to learn on.

Easily alternating between fast and slow with a heel and toe motion, the end of the run came quickly and left me wanting more.

Hoisting the board back up, I eyed the dune once again. Another steep climb. I was going to have to earn these runs.

From the top of the dune, a shining blue ocean beckons, as if teasing that only it can offer some relief from the heat.

swakopmund adventure activitiesMy tilted helmet (it’s a look)

Swakopmund sits on the Skeleton Coast in Namibia, nestled between the oldest desert in the world and the Atlantic Ocean. For me it was an active place, full of far too many activities to try during my two days there.

Reminiscent of its German colonial history, the town of under 50,000 people in a country of 2.5 million is an interesting mix of Europe and Africa. Markets with tribal wares sit alongside German-style cafes serving up sausages.

It offers the small town charms of dive bars, Sunday farmer’s markets, people who recognize you after a day or two, and of course, a wide array of adventure activities.

With so many choices such as quad biking, dolphin cruising, horse riding and skydiving (more on that later), sandboarding with Alter Action sounded the most unique to me and therefore was put at the top of my list.

I did fall, but it didn’t hurt much. I did get pockets, ears, hair, and a mouth full of sand, but I didn’t mind much.

Even two months later, I’m still finding sand at the bottom of my bag.

It was worth it, though, and as big kids what’s better than playing in a giant sandbox? Few things, I’d say.

swakopmund adventure activitiesLater that evening on the beach

After the fourth run it was time to head off for skydiving with Ground Rush Adventures. The day was packed but it was perfect, because I didn’t have any down time to think about the fact that I’d be flying through the air, tempting fate and putting all of my trust in a parachute, soon.

I wondered if it would be like bungee jumping. I still didn’t know how I felt about it a month after jumping off of Bloukrans Bridge in South Africa, the highest commercial, natural bungee jump in the world and the first I’d ever tried.

I met the guy I’d be jumping tandem with, Francois, and immediately felt at ease. He’s the kind of guy I’d be friends with, whether I was strapped to him and trusting him with my life or not. He approached it with such excitement and enthusiasm that it was hard for me to have any fear.

swakopmund adventure activitiesJumping barefoot ’cause I’m ’bout that life doe. And suitless, because if I don’t get to wear those red and yellow pants then I don’t want to wear ANYTHING.

The scariest part of a skydive is the buildup. Sitting in the plane as it goes higher and higher, way past the point where it seems it should stop and with entirely too much time to think, is the worst. I was oddly relaxed and excited, though, knowing that I didn’t really have to do anything but spread my wings and fly.

swakopmund adventure activities“Now I’m freeee, free falling” (I am so sorry, that’s probably stuck in your head now)

The launch felt completely different from jumping off a bridge. There was a free-fall, yes, but at that altitude and watching everything below me, felt slower and almost peaceful. When bungee jumping, my body was moving faster than my brain could comprehend, which is why the free-fall is so damn scary. The body is sending panic signals to the brain quicker than the brain can say, “it’s cool, there’s a rope strapped to you!”

Skydiving was different with the rush of warm wind – so warm that I didn’t even need a jump suit – and the gorgeous setting sending so much dopamine through my brain that I instantly fell in love with the sensation.

Before I knew it, the parachute was deployed and Francois, sensing that I wasn’t even an ounce of scared, placed the handles in my hands and said, “pull!”

swakopmund adventure activitiesYepswakopmund adventure activitiesI finally know how a bird feels (well a flightless one, maybe)swakopmund adventure activitiesSO beautiful

We spun quickly in one direction, me laughing and he pulling my hand down even harder so that we’d go faster, then in the other direction. I wanted it to last forever.

As we touched down on the ground, a crowd of friends from my Acacia crew smiling and waving at the bottom ran over with hugs and a glass with brandy.

swakopmund adventure activitiesAgain, again!

Ever since that glorious day I’ve toyed with the idea of returning in order to get certified to jump solo. I could do that all day, every day, and never get tired of it.

It looks like I’ve found a new addiction.

*Acacia, Ground Rush, and Alter Action brought this post to you. However, you will never read a positive review on BMTM for an activity that I did not love. Your trust always comes first.

Do it Yourself:

- Stay: For a rare moment we weren’t in tents in Swakopmund, opting for dorms at Amanpuri Guesthouse. It became a running joke in my safari group that the slogan of the place was, “a place to stay.” Not a “nice,” or “great,” place to stay. Just a place to stay. It was actually quite a nice place to stay, though, and I’d recommend it for affordable and clean dorms or private rooms.
- Sandboard: Alter Action was tons of fun to board with, and it’s super cheap at $45 for a full day with a DVD of your boarding misadventures (because pretty much everyone falls at some point!) included. Highly recommended.
- Skydive: Tandem dives run at the equivalent of $170. The crew is awesome and the view must be amongst the most beautiful in the world. A common complaint of skydivers in other places in the world is that the cold hurts their faces as they fall – not an issue in the middle of the hot desert.

#### About Kristin Addis

Kristin Addis is the founder and CEO of Be My Travel Muse, a resource for female travelers all around the world since 2012. She's traveled solo to over 65 countries and has brought over 150 women on her all-female adventure tours from Botswana to the Alaskan tundra.

#### Hello There!

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Welcome to Be My Travel Muse, one of the top female travel blogs in the world, welcoming over 5 million readers annually.

I'm Kristin, and my vision of a better world is one where more women are empowered and living out their dreams. Solo traveling is the best method I've found to become the best, bravest version of me. This site is all about how YOU can have the adventure of a lifetime in an easy, fun, approachable way, so that you can feel empowered, too. Want to learn more about me?



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### Comments

1. Archanasays

Love how you got all the badassery covered! Thanks for all the details of what exactly goes on in your mind while that plane is rising up :D. Also, that tank top in the 1st picture = dope!

- Kristinsays

  06/05/2015 at 6:24 am

  Thanks Archana! Yes all the sandy badassery! Haha. The plane going up is the hardest part – the rest is in the hands of the instructor anyways.

  Reply

I’ve always wanted to try sky diving. I like your description of it – and I think I like the idea of that more than bungee jumping. Now that you’ve done both, which do you prefer?

- Kristinsays

  06/06/2015 at 8:01 am

  I prefer sky diving for sure but I still do like bungee jumping and did something similar – gorge swing – in Victoria falls after this. You bungee then swing at the bottom. I loved it so much I went 3 times!

  Reply

That tank top rocks – I love finding unique shirts from places I go (not like, uhm Hard Rock !) and that has to be one of the cooooooolest. Can’t decide whether to sandboard, skydive, or take a nice flight over the dunes. So much to choose from!

- Kristinsays

  06/06/2015 at 7:59 am

  Thanks! I love getting clothes as souvenirs when I travel but agree, not from hard rock! haha

  Reply

What an exciting experience, my heart beats faster even thinking of skydiving. But, hopefully I can try one soon 🙂

You’re such a bad ass! I love it =)

This is my dream trip! Probably the coolest place on Earth to Skydive.

I just booked a road trip to Namibia with my boyfriend this Fall for 3 weeks. Can’t wait to explore all these sights and go skydiving. Your photos are unreal… Thanks for sharing Kristin! 🙂

- Kristinsays

  07/09/2015 at 4:08 am

  That’s awesome! It’s definitely up there in my favorite country list. So beautiful and with an endless list of things to do.

  Reply

That view really is amazing. I just got a rush reading your post so I can only imagine how much better it was like in real life!

- Kristinsays

  07/15/2015 at 10:06 pm

  Thanks, Tiffany! Was such a rush that I definitely need to do it again! (and again, and again, and then probably again)

  Reply

Hey!

Thanks for all the great reviews on Swakopmund. It is our favourite place in Namibia and we often go on the weekends.

A visit to Sandwich Harbour is another must-do.

We are tour and safari guides in Nambia, after leaving our lives in Europe. If you come back we’d love to show you around Windhoek and the Caprivi strip is another favourite of ours 🙂

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