The Skeleton Coast
The Skeleton Coast in Namibia is known for its treacherous waters, strong currents, and shifting sandbanks, which have caused numerous shipwrecks and the demise of marine creatures over the centuries. The coastline is littered with bleached whale bones and the skeletal remains of unlucky vessels, earning it the name “Skeleton Coast” or “the land God made in anger” by the indigenous San People. The town of Swakopmund, Namibia’s premier tourist destination, is located on the Skeleton Coast and offers a range of adventure activities.
Why visit the Skeleton Coast
SHIPWRECKS
The Skeleton Coast is considered the deadliest coastline on earth, with 119 recorded shipwrecks. Many more wrecks remain unrecorded due to the lack of survivors. Scenic flights along the coastline offer the best views of these shipwrecks and depart daily.
SANDWICH HARBOR
Sandwich Harbor is a Ramsar site, part of the Namib Naukluft Park that many have heard of, but few have visited. It is located 50 km south of Walvis Bay It is a breathtaking landscape that is not likely to be matched anywhere else. Giant sand dunes run straight into the Ocean, creating breathtaking sceneries to be explored and photographed.
SWAKOPMUND
Founded in 1892 during German colonization, Swakopmund has retained much of its European influence. The architecture reflects German grandeur, and the town has a European-style café culture with sidewalk eateries and diners. The towns history is captured in it’s museum. The majority of locals speak fluent German. Swakopmund is known as Namibia’s adventure capital, offering a range of activities such as quad-biking, dune drives, catamaran dolphin and seal cruisers, camel rides, hot air balloon rides, sky diving, scenic flights, living desert tours, paragliding moon landscape and exploring the desert to see unique plants like the welwitschia.
WALVIS BAY WETLANDS
Walvis Bay Wetlands is a great lagoon that attracts tens of thousands of birds, including many flamingos. The lagoon, salt pans and the bird sanctuary which form the Walvis Bay Wetlands are one of the most important coastal wetlands of southern Africa. Over 150,000 migrant birds spend the summer months in Walvis Bay and non-breeding palearctic, and intra-African species dominate. Possible sightings include over 150 species of bird that have been recorded in this region. You can see Greater Flamingo, Lesser Flamingo, Great White Pelican, Chestnut-banded Plover, African Oystercatcher, Cape Teal and Black-necked Grebe there are also European and northern Siberian migrants that travel between 10 000 and 14 000 kilometres to reach Walvis Bay each year. These long-distance travellers consist of Curlew Sandpiper, Sanderling, Grey Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Little Stint, Marsh Sandpiper and Red Knot, Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Caspian Tern and Black Tern.
SEAL COLONY
The Cape Cross Seal Reserve is home to one of the largest populations of Cape fur seals in the world. The colony marks the location where the first European explorers arrived on the coast of Namibia in 1486. Visitors can observe the captivating interactions of the seal colony from an extensive walkway, separated from the seals by a low wall. Information points scattered around the grounds provide interesting details about the lives of the seals.
