Skeleton Coast

Ocean and desert meet here.

The Skeleton Coast runs along north-western Namibia. The official Skeleton Coast Park begins at the Ugab River and extends around 500 kilometres north to the Kunene River on the Angolan border.

Cold air from the Benguela Current often brings dense coastal fog. Together with beaches, gravel plains, dunes and dry riverbeds, it gives this part of Namibia its stripped-back character.

Shipwreck remains and other debris lie along parts of the coast. They are traces of a shoreline that has never been easy to navigate.

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The fog makes the coast quieter than you expect.

Drive north from Swakopmund or Henties Bay and the landscape becomes steadily emptier. Cape Cross sits on the southern approach to the park and is known for its large Cape fur seal colony.

Further north are simple coastal stops such as Mile 108. Here, campsites sit almost on the beach and the Atlantic stays close day and night.

Temperatures at the coast can be noticeably lower than inland. Warm layers belong on this route just as much as sunscreen.

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