The red-and-white Pelican Point lighthouse stands at the far tip of the long sand spit that shelters the Walvis Bay lagoon from the Atlantic. Built in 1932 by the South African Railways and Harbours administration (Walvis Bay was a South African enclave until 1994), it is a slim 34-metre concrete tower painted in alternating bands. The light is fully automated now but the keepers' cottages have been converted into a small private lodge — a remote and atmospheric place to stay if you want to be utterly alone with the dunes and the sea.
Day visitors usually see the lighthouse from a passing catamaran on the way to the seal colony. To reach it overland requires a 4×4 along the beach and the lodge's permission. The seal colony around the base of the tower runs to about 60,000 animals and the noise and smell are formidable; bring earplugs and a strong stomach if you walk close.