Not to be missed during your stay here is a visit to the eerie mining town of Kolmanskop, which flourished in the early 20
th century before being abandoned when its bounty of diamonds began to be exhausted after World War I. In the century since, nature has begun to reclaim the once-prosperous town, whose houses are now half-filled with sand, lending it a creepy ghost-town atmosphere. Also worth a visit is the harbour town of Luderitz, which has some fine Portuguese colonial architecture. Other highlights include a visit to a nearby hide to watch the wild horses who roam the plains of the Namib, and the many hiking and mountain biking trails through the Gondwana Sperrgebiet Rand Park.