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Sandboarding

Adventure on the dunes at Swakopmund, Namibia

The Namib desert, the oldest desert in the world, houses some of the largest sand dunes on this planet. There is no better way to experience these wonders in an environmentally friendly way than to zoom down them head first on a traditional Swakopmund sandboard. Over the years the equipment used to whizz down the dune slipfaces has advanced from a simple piece of cardboard to snowboards especially adapted for speeding down the sandy surfaces.

There are two styles of sandboarding, 'stand up' and 'lie down'. For the lying down style you use a specially polished board to slide headfirst down a dune, reaching speeds of up to 80 km per hour. No experience is necessary to try this out.

For the standing up style you use standard snowboarding equipment and you 'surf' your way down the dunes. It is advisable to have some snowboarding or surfing experience to get the most of the day but it isn't necessary. After you've worn yourself out trying not to scrape your skin of on the sand, it's time to relax while someone feeds you some lunch and a few drinks.

Safaris around Namibia which visit Swakopmund generally have time for you to join a morning of sandboarding, and the activity can easily be included into your self drive safari around Namibia.