Skeleton Coast: In the northern Namib region is the Skeleton Coast National Park which stretches from the Ugab River up to the Kunene River. This is one of the world’s most inhospitable, but hauntingly beautiful places and particularly well named.

Strong ocean currents and thick coastal fog have caused many ships to be wrecked along this stretch of coastline. These shipwrecks can still be seen today and The Skeleton Coast has been described as the world’s largest shipping graveyard.  Sailors washed ashore had to endure the cold Benguela current and choppy Atlantic waters and then would find themselves with no hope of survival in the desert. 

This isolated stretch of coast is dominated by sand dunes, gravel plains, salt pans and hills.  The Skeleton Coast is stark, but it is stunning.

The fog has created a unique ecosystem and has enabled some unusual plants and a surprising variety of animals to adapt to survival.  Over 100 species of lichen grow on the plains and desert-adapted elephant and even black rhino, lion and giraffe roam up and down the dry river courses.

Distances are vast in the Skeleton Coast Park and the northern section of the park is restricted to fly-in safaris only. This is the best way to see the enormity of this isolation, the beauty and harshness.