Skeleton Coast, Eating

Due to the park's remoteness, eating is offered only at the lodges.

If you are, however, staying in Henties Bay, there are two main restaurants in addition to several small takeaways, as well as petrol filling station shops.

To save money, is best to buy yourself a cooler either in Swakopmund or Windhoek and fill it with supplies before heading to the Skeleton Coast Park.

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Trekking, Ugab Trail

The two-night, three-days trek is offered only during the cooler months from April to October.
Groups of 6-8 are allowed and all participants must present a medical certificate of phisical fitness issued within 40 days from your healthcare provider or a doctor in Windhoek.

Also a good backpack is necessary, as you will be carrying all of your own equipment and supplies.



Every second and fourth Tuesday of the month, groups depart from the Ugab Mouth; the starting and finishing trailhead.

The trek is 50 km and it is important for groups to report at the Skeleton Coast Park entrance gates before 9h00 on their particular Tuesday.

Many groups choose to camp at Mile 108 the previous night.



Bookings should be made well in advance at the NWR Central Reservations Office in Windhoek.
For further details contact the Swakopmund Resorts Office at the Woermann Haus on Bismarck Street in Swakopmund.

The trek is not as demanding as Fish River Canyon Trail, however still provides amazing scenery and allows more choices of where to go because you are not confined to the course of the river.

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Terrace Bay

Also popular with anglers, Terrace Bay is the furthest north one can drive up to Skeleton Coast.

The place is remote and that's exactly the feeling you get.
If you are interested in doing some coastal fishing, remember to obtain your fishing license at the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, in Windhoek or Swakopmund before coming to this isolated bay.



If you have the time, this is a great place to relax, feel one with nature, and explore its nearby areas including the Uniab River Delts.

Take a day trek, birding, or try your luck with game viewing.
There is also space for 50 campsites, however the place rarely ever fills to capacity.
Make your reservation with NWR:

www.nwr.com.na

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Torra Bay

Before the C39 road splits towards Palmwag, when coming from Khorixas, it continues until reaching the Skeleton Coast National Park.

Torra Bay is a popular fishing retreat with several clearly marked areas for camping.

There is a petrol filling station and small shop, however like most places, it's better to replenish your supplies well in advance and expect nothing.



It is only open from the 1st of December till the end of January.
Book your reservation with NWR at their main office in Windhoek, or online at:

www.nwr.com.na

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Skeleton Coast (4)

Despite the coast's isolation, it is home to a variety of animals and birds.

On the plains: jackal, oryx, springbok, brown hyena, and ostrich, all maraud.

In the several dry riverbeds: lion, giraffe, desert elephant, and black rhino roam in constant search of vegetation and the sparse spring fed waterhole.

The northern section of the park is part of the concession area, while the south is open to more traveler friendly activities.



Arrival: the best way to visit the Skeleton Coast is with your own vehicle.
It is possible to hire a driver or company to take you there, but it will be rather expensive.

You may consider hiring a vehicle for only a few days to see the place, and then return to public transport or hitchhiking.

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Skeleton Coast (3)

The landscape is both diverse and alive: vast desert plains are home to large lichen fields and spring into life with the coastal fog, turning the otherwise white-backed dunes into a shade of green.
Over 100 species of lichen grow on the plains and on the westward facing slopes.



The windswept dunes further inland have a plethora of colors, from ivory to maroon.
The maroon coloration is contributed to the garnet sand, while some are even black in color due to magnetite and limonite particles shifting and existing with the ivory colored particles.

The area also hosts rugged canyons, deeply colored volcanic stone, and extensive mountain ranges.

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Skeleton Coast (2)

The area takes its name from the numerous vessels that fell victim to the coastal rocks.

Bones of countless whales reminiscent of the heydays of heavy whaling fleets, , and the remains of countless tugs, liners and trawlers left to the elements can be seen for miles.



Trees carried downstream during years of extensive rain, lay lifeless in heaps at the mouth.

Together, it seems whatever comes to the area, perishes and leaves only its skeleton.

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Skeleton Coast (1)

The Skeleton Coast is one of Namibia's most mysterious and bewitching places.

Europeans feared its incomprehensible size, vastness and isolation, which kept Namibia out of reach to European colonization for so many centuries.

Today, the same feelings are aroused, luring travelers towards the treacherous coastline and large desert wastes.



Beginning in the far northwestern corner, bordering Angola from the Kunene River, the desert stretches along the Atlantic coast until it touches the northern side of the Ugab River to the south.

The narrow tract of desert is approximately 40-50 km wide and 500 km long.

In 1971 it was declared a nature reserve , and today the nature conservation authorities manage its wilderness with tight regulations, limiting both development and the number of visitors able to enter the area.

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Henties Bay ((2)

Over 200.000 Cape fur seals call Cape Cross home.

Each year, from April to November, the government sponsors an annual seal cull, which employs several hundreds less fortunate Namibians but unfortunately also kill hundreds of seals each season.



The annual culling sparks controversy and debate each year.
The seal's genitals are sold to the Asian market, the skins are flipped into high quality products for the European market and the meat goes to Taiwan, while the rest goes into cattle feed.

Cape Cross is also home to a very intriguing lichen reserve.
Explore this interesting organism on foot, and watch them come to life with a little sprinkle of water.

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Henties Bay (1)

Located 80 km north of Swakopmund, Henties Bay is a fishing town popular among anglers (the best way to visit Henties Bay is in your own vehicle).

The Delta of the Omaruru River is here and provides a nutrient rich environment for hungry fish offshore.
It's most popular for Cape Cross (another 46 km north of Henties Bay), whose history dates back to 1485 when Portuguese explorer Diego Cao was the first European to set foot on Namibia.



Here he planted a 2 m high stone cross in honor of king John I of Portugual.
The original cross was taken down by German sailors and taken to the Oceanographical Museum in Berlino, but in 1974 a second cross was replaced in the same spot as Diego Cao's original.
The cross is made of Namibian Dolerite, blending in beautifully with the rocky outcrops.
Cao's original inscriptions can now be read in Latin, Portuguese, English, Afrikaans and German.

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Walvis Bay, Sandwich Harbour

Namibia's only Marine Reserve and one of Namibia's four Ramsar sites, Sandwich Harbour was once a natural harbour for whalers and fishermen who used the natural cove to gain easy access to the fresh waters.



Sandwich Harbour is a natural lagoon on the Namib Deserts coast approximately 55 km south of Walvis Bay.

It is one of southern Africa's most recognized wetlands because of its ability to attract and support thousands of birds throughout the year.

Since 1969, the harbour has been without any kind of permanent human settlement, although you can still see remnants of an old whaling station at the foot of the dunes along with other buildings slowing being engulfed by the blowing sands.

The entire area is a Marine Reserve and is within the boundaries of the Namib - Naukluft Park.

It's beauty and serenity is comparable to the rest of the park, as well as the Skeleton Coast.

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!Nara Melons

According to archaeologists, pieces of pottery found near Walvis Bay had thick layers of soot believed to have come from cooking 
!Nara melons.


This is how it is done: the flesh of the melon was removed with bone knives and stewed over a lowfire until it became a thin soup, when the seeds were separated from the concentrate.

When cooked, the melon concentrate was tipped from the pot into a thin puddle on the sand, where it was left to dry before being stored.

The dried concentrate remains edible for more than a year.

The food energy value of dried concentrate is more than three times as high as that of the fresh melon.

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Around Walvis Bay, Rooibank

Located about 20 km to the southeast of town, Rooibank was named after the red rock formations surrounding the area.



The Topnaar peoples have lived here on the banks of the Kuiseb River for many years, and are commonly known as the !Nara people because throughout their history they have harvested the !nara melons that are so abundant along the Kuiseb River.



Traditionally, the people fished, hunted seals, birds and turtles.

Here is one of the best places in Namibia to visit a Topnaar settlement.

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Around Walvis Bay, Dune 7

Easily marked with signs along the C14 and about 6 km from town, this is the coastal area's highest dune.

Challenge yourself by climbing to the top ...... it may look easy, but is quite 
exhausting .... !

Enjoy a magnificent sight from the top,
and then tumble, roll and slide your way
down.

There is also a picnic area with tables, long
drop toilets and palm trees to shelter you
from the sun.

Many of this facilities are being slowly 
engulfed by the sand .....

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Around Walvis Bay, the Guano Platform

Questa foto di Protea Hotel Pelican Bay è offerta da TripAdvisor.


Guano Platform


Approximately 9 km north of Walvis Bay, the guano platform is believed to be the only place in Namibia where eastern white pelicans breed. 

The wooden platform bobbles in the sea and acts as a roost for Cape, whitebreasted and crowned cormorants.

The guano collected is used as fertilizer, yielding an annual 1,000 tons.

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Walvis Bay, Flamingos

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Walvis Bay is also home to around 40.000 lesser flamingos and 30.000 greater flamingos.
They generally live around 35 years and mature at around 5 years of age.
They can easily seen in the lagoon.


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It is the color of their beak that separates the two species.
The lesser flamingo juvenile have a black beak and the greater flamingo has a pale pink beak with a black tip.
The greater flamingo will always be seen near the mouth of the lagoon, feeding on invertebrates, while the lesser flamingo feeds on blue-green algae, which gives it their pink feathers.


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The lagoon is also a critical home to the African black oystercatcher.
According to the Coastal Environmental Trust of Namibia, the African black oystercatcher is near threatened, with an estimated 5.000 left in Africa.


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Although a popular site among bird populations, jackals also find home and food here.
Jackals feed upon the birds ans seal pups, continuing the circle of life.
Despite the presence of these predators the lagoon is a safe environment to enjoy a day of up close and personal encounters with the lagoon's wildlife.


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