Kolmanskop is an abandoned mining town (some call it a ghost town!) 10km's from Luderitz that sprung up in the 1920's.

The village boomed, and had the makings of a very successful town with retailers, manufacturing and light industry aside from a great social infrastructure of skittle alleys, a public playground and swimming pool, a grand community centre complex complete with a theatre and an orchestra that played at tea dances.

The well-equipped hospital housed the country's first X-ray machine, it was on a railway line, and boasted majestic homes for the mining management.

As the diamond deposits in the immediate vicinity became depleted, the townspeople began to move away, and by 1959, the last people left the village, leaving it deserted and a miserable remnant of a bustling past.

In 1980, a number of buildings were restored and more followed with the advent of Namibia as a premier tourist destination. Guided tours of Kolmanskop last approximately 1 hour, and are conducted Monday to Saturday at 09h30 and 11h00, as well as Sundays at 10h00.

Permits must be obtained prior to the tour from Luderitz. There is a restaurant open for light lunches from Monday to Saturday and the museum is open until midday.