The Skeleton Coast Park is located in Namibia and protects a long stretch of arid and inhospitable coast; sand dunes, cold and threatening ocean, powerful waves, wrecks of ships that have been wrecked here, skeletons of whales and sea lions, animals and plants that have adapted to live in this place on the verge of survival.

The section of the park located North of Terrace Bay is inaccessible, the only way to get thereis to participate in a fly-in safari or stay at the only lodge located in this area; while the South section of Terrace Bay can also be visited on a self drive.

It is possible to enter from one of the two entrances of the Skeleton Coast Park, one, the Ugab Gate, is located just North of Swakopmund, along the C 34 that runs parallel to the coast, the other, the Springbokwasser Gate, is located on the C39 that, from the C 34, heads towards the interior of the country.

Many visitors are limited to crossing this park, while it is also possible to stay indoors, in order to live more the experience in this desolate place.

In this section of the park are several ephemeral rivers, that often fill with water only once or twice a year, but often the humidity of the subsoil and the fog are sufficient to keep alive some plants, that have managed to adapt to this habitat.

In some places there are some waterholes that can conserve water for a longer period; here there are reeds, where you can see several birds, such as plovers or ducks.

North of Torra Bay you begin to see the sand dunes, that extend from here to the Northernmost part of the Skeleton Coast Park.

Along the coast there are several points where fishing is allowed, but it is necessary to obtain a permit; moreover many surfers go here in search of the powerful and icy Atlantic waves.

It is also possible to spot ruins of an abandoned and ruined mine or an auger to extract oil; here are also the remains of one of the wrecks that is easier to see, many in fact are found in places lost in the sand dunes, this wreck is instead a few meters from the road and on the water's edge; even if very little remains of the ship that was, it is interesting to see and photograph.
 

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Skeleton Coast - Photo Credits: Silvano Greco

skeleton coast namibia exploringafrica SafariADV romina facchi travel safari africa

Skeleton Coast - Photo Credits: Romina Facchi