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The Skeleton Coast

The dune coastline of the Skeleton Coast owes its name to the many ships wrecked along its inaccessible shores. Lost in the sea fog and the trapped by hidden reefs and sandbanks, merchants, fisherman and diamond hunters have lost their ships and often their lives to this inhospitable landscape. Today their beached hulks can still be seen throughout the wilderness reserve that forms the Skeleton Coast Park.

Things to do
Weather
Self Drive


BAOBAB trips to Namibia can be arranged on a tailor-made and self-drive basis. Please examine the accommodation guide for a choice of hotels and guesthouses with guideline prices and itineraries and then contact us for a precise quote for your chosen holiday (or for further assistance to help you make up your mind!!).

Things to do

Swakopmund: The largest town along Namibia’s skeleton coast is the former German colonial town of Swakopmund. With its collection of German architectural styles and historic buildings it is unlike any other settlement in Namibia. With its cooler coastal climate it makes an ideal base for a couple of days in any itinerary. Highlights include the museums, gift shops, markets and the Tug – a converted tug boat which now houses a fine fish restaurant with excellent views of the sun setting into the Atlantic Ocean.


Township Tours: A few kilometres from the centre of Swakopmund is the suburb of Mondesa. Established as a township in the 1950’s the area offers the opportunity to see Namibia through a traditional African way of life. Organised township tours can be arranged here with local tour guides keen to show tourists the living history of their homelands.

Boat Safari: Swakopmund and nearby Walvis Bay are renowned for the quality of their marine tours. The area teems with bird life including flamingos, gulls and cormorants as well as huge pelicans which will follow your boat out to sea. Tens of thousands of Cape Fur Seal also colonise the coast and are seen in their hundreds all year round. Dolphins are also commonly spotted as are whales at certain times of the year when they are attracted by the plentiful food reserves of the cold Antarctic waters.

Cape Cross Seal Reserve: Cape Cross is infamous as the point on the coastline where the Portuguese explorer Diego Cao planted a stone cross on his voyage of discovery over 500 years ago. The original is now in Portugal but a replica remains in place and is one of the coastlines most photographed landmarks. Cape Cross is far more attractive to visitors however for the 23 colonies of breeding Cape Fur seal who reside here. Seals can be seen throughout the year but during the November and December breeding season the numbers swell to over 200,000 individuals – the largest colony anywhere in Africa.

Weather
The Namibian summer is October through to April and temperatures during this time can easily reach in excess of 35 degrees centigrade inland. The winter period is much cooler and is also drier as the rain that does fall is experienced during summer. There is less than 50 mm annual rainfall along the coast but the cool currents can produce cloudy days and foggy evenings.

Self Drive
 Namibia is an extremely safe country in which to drive. Main roads are well surfaced and good quality road signs are present. Namibia drives on the left which is ideal for visitors from Britain. There is very little traffic outside of the main towns and you can drive for many miles without encountering another vehicle. Be aware however that distances are sometimes huge between the main tourist sites and you should not be tempted to visit too many sites in a short period of time as you will spend most of the day driving. Our consultants would be pleased to suggest an appropriate itinerary for your trip.




Namibia Coastal Accommodation