Sandwich Harbour is the great wilderness sight south of Walvis Bay. It lies about 40 km down the coast inside the Namib-Naukluft Park: a long, sheltered lagoon where the dunes of the Namib desert plunge straight into the Atlantic surf. Some of the dunes stand over a hundred metres high, their crests almost overhanging the water. The lagoon attracts huge bird populations — flamingos, pelicans, black-backed jackals patrolling the shoreline — and feels like a place at the very end of the world.
You cannot drive to Sandwich Harbour without a four-wheel drive and skilled tide planning; the route along the beach is only passable at low tide and the sand is treacherous. Almost everyone visits on a half-day guided tour from Walvis Bay (around N$1,500 per person) that includes the white-knuckle descent of the dunes by Land Rover and usually a picnic with sparkling wine on the way back. Permits to enter the park are arranged by the operators.