Things to do in Skeleton Coast
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Skeleton Coast
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Dry season, best overall: reliable roads, peak fly-in lodge months, cold nights and morning fog.
Seal pupping peaks at Cape Cross, Torra Bay opens in December and the festive period fills the park camps.
Warmest and quietest, Torra Bay open only in January, with inland rain able to deteriorate gravel roads and fill dry rivers.
What's on
- Cape Cross seal pupping November to December
The colony is at its largest, with pups born across the reserve.
- Torra Bay camping and angling season December to January
The campsite and kiosk operate and the summer angling season peaks inside the park.
Best things to do in Skeleton Coast
Cape Cross Seal Reserve
One of the largest Cape fur seal colonies in the world, seen close from a boardwalk through the colony.
Zeila Shipwreck
A rusting fishing vessel wrecked in 2008, viewed from the shore on the C34 south of Henties Bay.
Skeleton Coast National Park
Self-drive the salt road from the Ugab Gate to Terrace Bay, the northern limit for private vehicles.
Uniab River Delta
Reed-fringed channels and pools just south of Terrace Bay, the best birding stop in the self-drive section.
Suiderkus Shipwreck
A trawler wrecked on her maiden voyage in 1976 near Mowe Bay, seen only on concession excursions.
Dunedin Star Shipwreck
The famous 1942 wreck in the far north, reached only by fly-in safari or as a fly-over.
Where to stay in Skeleton Coast
Inside the park, Terrace Bay and Torra Bay
self-drivers who want to sleep inside the park
Terrace Bay is the northern limit of the public road and Torra Bay camps only in December and January.
Far north fly-in concessions
luxury trips and the coast north of Terrace Bay
The only way to sleep in or near the concession-only north is a fly-in lodge or safari camp.
Gateway coast south of the Ugab Gate
first and last nights of a self-drive trip, and cheap bases
Cape Cross and Mile 108 sit outside the park with the seal reserve, fuel on the way and no gate deadline.
Think twice about
- North of Terrace Bay
Concession-only, with no public road access, no gate permit that changes that, and no fuel, water or help. Go only with a concession lodge or fly-in safari.
- Undesignated spots inside Skeleton Coast National Park
Wild camping, sleeping in a vehicle at a viewpoint and off-road driving are prohibited and damage a desert surface that recovers very slowly.
Best restaurants in Skeleton Coast
Shipwreck Lodge
All-inclusive lodge dining in the wreck-shaped main building, for residents only.
Wilderness Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp
Included camp dining, with picnic lunches on the full-day coast excursion, for residents only.
Wilderness Serra Cafema
Included river-facing dining above the Kunene, for residents only, in near total darkness and silence.
Terrace Bay Resort
The only restaurant inside the park, serving set meals to residents at the end of a long supply line.
Cape Cross Lodge
Gateway a la carte seafood and game, with lunch open to day visitors on the road north.
Torra Bay Campsite
A seasonal kiosk and self-catering in December and January only, and no food offer at all otherwise.
Outdoor things to do in Skeleton Coast
Hoanib River
Full-day game drive down the dry Hoanib riverbed to the coast, tracking desert-adapted elephant and lion.
Hoarusib River
Guided 4x4 excursions up the Hoarusib riverbed from Shipwreck Lodge, with coast drives to seals and wrecks.
Kunene River
Seasonal boating past crocodiles and river birds at Serra Cafema, with Angola on the far bank.
Skeleton Coast Safaris
A three-night Schoeman family fly-in safari hopping by light aircraft between simple tented camps.
Terrace Bay
Surf fishing straight off the beach inside the park, with a permit and freezing facilities at the resort.
Torra Bay
Summer shore angling inside the park, from a campsite that only opens in December and January.
Best hotels in Skeleton Coast
Shipwreck Lodge
Ten wreck-shaped cabins in the dunes between the Hoanib and Hoarusib rivers, all-inclusive.
Wilderness Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp
Eight fly-in tents above the Hoanib River, with a full-day coast excursion on longer stays.
Wilderness Serra Cafema
Eight riverside suites on the Kunene in the far north, the most remote stay on this coast.
Terrace Bay Resort
The state resort at the end of the public road, the only catered roof deep inside the park.
Cape Cross Lodge
Sea-facing gateway lodge 4 km from the seal reserve, the last full-service bed heading north.
Torra Bay Campsite
Basic in-park camping open only in December and January, built around the summer fishing season.
Cape Cross Camping
Powered gateway campsites at Cape Cross Lodge, with hot showers and use of the lodge restaurant.
Mile 108
Rough off-grid anglers camp south of the Ugab Gate, with beach camping and fisherman cabins.
Is Skeleton Coast expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | NAD 1,400 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | NAD 3,800 a person |
| Splurge | NAD 24,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Skeleton Coast National Park: a few days ahead
- Suiderkus Shipwreck: months ahead
- Dunedin Star Shipwreck: months ahead
- Hoanib River: months ahead
- Hoarusib River: months ahead
- Kunene River: months ahead
- Skeleton Coast Safaris: months ahead
- Terrace Bay: weeks ahead
- Fly-in lodges, Skeleton Coast Safaris and any December stay need booking months ahead.
- Terrace Bay, Cape Cross Lodge and Torra Bay for December and January need booking weeks ahead.
- Overnight stays inside the park need a confirmed booking and a gate entry by 15:00.
Is Skeleton Coast safe?
- Inside the park there is no guaranteed fuel, no drinking water outside camps, no mobile signal for long stretches and no quick rescue.
- Carry reserve water, warm windproof clothing, sun protection, offline maps and a spare wheel, and tell someone outside the park your route and exit day.
- Do not drive at night, do not drive off-road, and do not wander far from your vehicle at unmarked stops where lion and hyena move.
Skeleton Coast travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Most wrecks have disintegrated or sit in the concession-only north, so a self-drive trip will not see a beach lined with intact ships.
- Older price lists for Terrace Bay and Torra Bay are often years out of date, so confirm current Namibia Wildlife Resorts rates.
- Swimming is not on offer: the Benguela Current is cold, the surf is dangerous and there are no lifeguards.
Getting around Skeleton Coast: public transport and more
- Self-drive the C34 from Swakopmund through Henties Bay and Cape Cross to the Ugab Gate, then Torra Bay and Terrace Bay, about 360 km in total.
- Enter inland at Springbokwasser Gate from Khorixas on the C39, and use light aircraft for everything north of Terrace Bay.
- Fill up in Swakopmund and Henties Bay and plan a full return range: Terrace Bay fuel has been interrupted and cannot be relied on.
Who Skeleton Coast suits
| Solo travellers | OK |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Skeleton Coast your trip
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