Skeleton Coast Holidays

On the Skeleton Coast, fierce Atlantic waves collide with the desolate dunes of the Namib Desert, creating a curtain of thick fog that veils the bones of ancient shipwrecks and whales beached on its shores. Portuguese sailors christened this notorious coastline the Gates of Hell, while Namibia’s native bushmen still refer to it as the Land God made in Anger – it’s easy to see why. The Skeleton Coast is a land best traversed in a 4×4, lest you get stuck in the desert’s unforgiving, ever-shifting sands and dust storms. Along the way, you’ll stumble across the eerie, salt-air-rusted remains of ships protected by this remote national park which stretches 311 miles down from the Angolan border.

Look out for desert-adapted elephants and lions rambling among some of the world’s largest lichen fields, which flourish in shades of emerald and amber thanks to the dense Atlantic sea fog. The semi-nomadic Himba people also call this remote landscape home, covering themselves in a reddish sunscreen of butter and ochre that echoes the colours of the desert. Most explorers stop along the Skeleton Coast to enjoy the comforts of Swakopmund, a candy-coloured German colonial port where you can gorge on strudel and Bavarian beer. Close by is Cape Cross where you can brave the torrid Atlantic to visit a noisy, writhing colony of Cape fur seals.

Let our Namibia travel experts help you plan your journey along the wild Skeleton Coast, with itineraries that take in port towns, boat trips and desert adventures.