Skeleton Coast

Namibia is most certainly known for its sweeping sand dunes and impressive game reserves. However, in between the dunes of Sossusvlei and the wildlife sanctuary that is Etosha National Park, there lies a lesser-known treasure - the undomesticated landscapes of Damaraland.

This north-western semi-desert region is one of the country’s most spectacular, with vast, arid plains intersected by sudden towering outcrops of rust-colored granite. With such an abundance of natural beauty, it comes as no surprise that there are endless adventures to be had. Brandberg, Namibia’s highest peak, also offers the chance to see rock art. Hiking, rock-climbing and birding are all popular pastimes in Damaraland, while offering the opportunity to observe the region’s rare desert-dwelling lion, black rhino and elephant on foot.

The area’s name derives from the whale and seal bones that once littered the shore from the whaling industry, although in modern times the coast harbours the skeletal remains of the shipwrecks caught by offshore rocks and fog.

The Skeleton Coast is the northern part of the Atlantic coast of Namibia, although the name is sometimes used to describe the entire Namib Desert coast. The Bushmen of the Namibian interior called the region “The Land God Made in Anger”, while Portuguese sailors once referred to it as “The Gates of Hell”.

The coast is largely soft sand occasionally interrupted by rocky outcrops. The southern section consists of gravel plains, while north of Terrace Bay the landscape is dominated by high sand dunes.

Northwestern Namibia is the kind of raw and rugged wilderness that so many places claim to be but so few actually are. Highlights include the Namibian High Plateau, the Khomas Hochland, the Naukluft hike, Bullspoort & Quivertree trail, the Tsaugab River that feeds Sossusvlei and has shaped the Sesriem Canyon. Also not to be missed is the unique Rostock Ritz and the quaint small towns along the Atlantic.

In the Kaokoland, mountains rub shoulders with desert expanses and nomadic Himba villages, fairy circles and desert-adapted giraffe dot the dry and dusty landscape.

You’ll discover unique, desert-adapted wildlife and flora, absorb the camera-bending vistas and enjoy a selection of activities that truly make the most of the environment.

The Orange River, the mighty Fishriver Canyon and the massive dune fields covering over 400 km of coastline are all on the menu in the South. Then there is the impressive Neckertal Dam (nicknamed the Desert Dragon) and Naute Dam.

We visit Lüderitz - the first port where the German Schutztrupplers set off to explore the country back in the 1900. After the discovery of diamonds in the area Kolmanskoppe was formed which retains the feel of a frontier town founded on the 20th century diamond boom. The D707 is the most scenic district road linking Sossusvlei to the historical South - with Helmering Hausen, Bethlehem and the Tiras mountains.

Another rare sight to look forward to around Aus, is the Namib Desert horse, the only feral herd of horses residing in Africa, with a population ranging between 90 and 150.