Set in the northwest of Namibia, the Skeleton Coast is considered one of the harshest and most inhospitable environments in Africa. The landscape is hauntingly beautiful, comprised of shifting sand dunes, treacherous seas and rocky landscapes. The fog rolling off the sea and notorious strong currents have seen the demise of many ships over the years and the many shipwrecks and whale carcasses are what remains today.While the area is not traditionally known for its wildlife, there is an unexpected variety. Highlights include huge seal colonies, desert-adapted lions, elephants, giraffes and finally jackals and hyenas, who prey on the seal pups.Very few appreciate the sheer magnitude of the Skeleton Coast, which stretches the 400km of coastline up to the Angolan border. Those wanting to visit the Skeleton Coast must stay within the Skeleton Coast National Park, in which there exists only one luxury lodge. The area is forbidden to any other visitor without the right government permit. For those who choose not to stay within the park, instead base themselves in Swakopmund. From there, they can enjoy the Skeleton Coast from the skies on a scenic flight, which is arguably the way to see it. For those not on a budget, the best way to view these incredible landscapes is with Skeleton Coast Safaris, who have access to the most remote and inaccessible parts of Namibia.
All of the trips we create for The Skeleton Coast are designed and tailored specifically for you. We create each trip from a blank piece of paper, building the holiday you had dreamed, using our experience, knowledge and contacts to design the ultimate experience.
Below are some of examples of trips in The Skeleton Coast that we have created, designed to showcase the destination, our expertise and create some inspiration.
15 Day Itinerary
Guide Price: £12,900pp
Experience the enchantment of Namibia, from romantic starlit dinners amidst rugged mountains, exploring the diverse landscapes like the red sand dunes of Sossusvlei and Mowe Bay to tracking endangered black and white rhinos through Ongava National Park.
Duration: 15 Days
Guide Price: £12,900pp
Destination:Â
Experience the enchantment of Namibia, from romantic starlit dinners amidst rugged mountains, exploring the diverse landscapes like the red sand dunes of Sossusvlei and Mowe Bay to tracking endangered black and white rhinos through Ongava National Park.
Featured
This stunning lodge has been designed to resemble the shipwrecks that line Namibia’s beachfront on which the lodge sits on.
The south-western part of Namibia is mainly barren deserts with few settlements, but a small corner of this part of the country does hold some interest for more adventurous travellers. The tiny desert outpost of Aus is the first staging point that you visit and is renowned for a population of feral desert horses.
The vast Kalahari Desert covers huge swathes of South Africa and Botswana, as well as seeing its western fringe creep in to Namibia. The landscapes are ones of low rolling red sand dunes and they are especially striking at sunrise and sunset when the light adds a magical hue to proceedings.
The far south of Namibia is home to the Fish River Canyon, the second largest canyon in the world and one of the most beautiful parts of this incredibly dramatic country. At 160 kilometres long, reaching up to 27kms wide and 550 metres deep, it is hard to put in to words the majesty of a visit to the canyon.
Namibia’s great cartographical oddity, the Caprivi Strip spurs off from the bulk of Namibia and runs for some 450kms until it reaches Botswana and Zambia, the latter being the world’s shortest land border at just 150 metres long. Its existence is owed to former German Chancellor Leon von Caprivi who negotiated the acquisition of the land in 1890 to allow German access to the Zambezi River.
Found in the far north of the country and marking the border between Namibia and Angola to the north, the Kunene is one of Namibia’s few perennial rivers and as such is a magnet for both people and wildlife. The river feeds in to the Okavango and Kwando Rivers which eventually form the mighty Zambezi, meaning the system spans the continent from west to east.
The harsh but beautiful deserts of the Kaokoveld stretch across 45,700 square kilometres of north-western Namibia and across the border in to neighbouring Angola. The wide Kunene River runs through the very west of the region, whilst the rest of the Kaokoveld is characterised by dry river courses, open desert plains and towering mountains.
Running through the centre of Namibia from just north of the capital city Windhoek, the Central Highlands are a wonderfully scenic area and represent the first or last stopping point on many circuits through the country. Huge open plains are interspersed with jagged mountain ranges and, although the scenery here is wonderfully dramatic, the region is better-known for the conservation projects that take place within the private nature reserves that are found here.
Nestled in between jagged mountains and sitting at an altitude of 1,700 metres, Namibia’s capital city of Windhoek is the start and end point for most trips to the country. Visitors will generally bookend their visits with nights staying here and there is a wide selection of lovely boutique properties, as well as some very good hotels to choose from.
Walking down the promenade in Swakopmund, you could almost be in a seaside town in Germany rather than the vast landscapes of Namibia. The city has a distinctly German look and feel, dating back to the Colonial Era.
Etosha National Park is considered Namibia’s top destination for game-viewing. The park is centered on a vast open salt pan, which takes up about a quarter of the park’s land and is surrounded by grassy savannah plains and acacia woodland.
For many, Sossusvlei is the most photogenic region in the whole of Namibia. Located in the Namib-Naukluft National Park, a vast area of protected desert and mountains larger than Switzerland, you will find a sea of rusty red dunes that have over time been shaped by the winds and the underground Tsauchab River.
Damaraland’s raw and rugged beauty makes this perhaps one of our favourite areas in Namibia and certainly one of the most scenic. It is made up of a glorious collection of the most dramatic landscapes the country has to offer –Â from Spitzkoppe, Erongo and Brandberg in the south to the breathtaking stark red mountains in the north.
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