The Skeleton Coast is one of Africa’s most dramatic coastal wildernesses. Here the Namib Desert reaches the Atlantic, creating a stark landscape of dunes, gravel plains, fog-bound beaches and dry river systems stretching through north-west Namibia.
Desert meets ocean
The cold Benguela Current produces frequent coastal fog, an essential source of moisture for desert life. Cape fur seal colonies, seabirds and specialised plants and animals survive in conditions that initially appear almost empty.
A landscape best understood from above
The scale of the Skeleton Coast becomes particularly clear by light aircraft, when dune fields, riverbeds and the Atlantic edge can be seen in a single sweep. Remote camps then allow closer exploration by vehicle and on foot.
For travellers drawn to remoteness
This is not a conventional beach destination. Its appeal is wilderness, geology, history and the feeling of travelling through a landscape largely beyond human control. It combines superbly with Damaraland.
