Namibia

The ghost town of Kolmanskop

10 km inland from Lüderitz, Kolmanskop was a rich mining village born of a diamond find in 1908. The ghost town is now a tourist destination run by Namdeb, owned by the Namibian government and De Beers.

Inside an abandoned, sand-filled house at Kolmanskop
James Kerwin Photographic · CC BY 2.0

Key facts

Before you go.

Starting point
Lüderitz, 10 km awayKolmanskop (Wikipedia)

Good to know

Three things to remember.

  • Several tour operators in Lüderitz take visitors to the area’s attractions.

    Lüderitz (Wikivoyage)
  • The name comes from Johnny Coleman, a transport driver who abandoned his ox wagon in a sandstorm.

    Kolmanskop (Wikipedia)
  • After the find, a large prohibited area, the “Sperrgebiet”, was declared to exploit the diamonds.

    Kolmanskop (Wikipedia)

Plan the trip

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Sources · 2 pages consulted, with the exact sentence used
  1. Kolmanskop (Wikipedia)
    Kolmanskop […] is a ghost town in the Namib in southern Namibia, 10 kilometres […] inland from the port town of Lüderitz. It was named after a transport driver named Johnny Coleman who, during a sand storm, abandoned his ox wagon […] Once a small but very rich mining village, it is now a popular tourist destination run by Namdeb, a joint firm owned by the Namibian government and De Beers. […] In 1908 […] a railroad worker Zacharias Lewala found a diamond […] the German Empire declared a large area as a "Sperrgebiet" […] (coordinates -26.70406, 15.23236)
  2. Lüderitz (Wikivoyage)
    There are several tour operators in Lüderitz which will also take you to some of the areas attractions. […] Do visit the nearby ghost town of Kolmanskop.

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