The Skeleton Coast is an excellent year-round destination, and it stays relatively cool throughout the year – that’ll be that eerie Atlantic fog. But the desert temperatures can change at the drop of a hat, going from freezing to boiling in a matter of minutes, and you should always travel with a warm jumper (or two).

November to April are the summer months at the Skeleton Coast. In the desert, rainfall patterns are never guaranteed, but you can expect some showers at this time. The rain does, however, keep the air clear and crisp. The mornings are also less foggy, and this is an excellent time of year for birders to visit as the migrants are out in force.

May to October are the winter months. During the day, temperatures hover around a very pleasant 21 to 25 degrees Celsius, but be warned – the mornings and evenings can be chilly, especially on an open game drive. There’s virtually no rain at this time of year and the desert is at its iconic, splendid best.

If you are driving to Shipwreck Lodge, please click here to download our directions.

Seasonality

• Green Season: 10 January – 31 March
• Shoulder Season: 01 April – 30 June & 01 November – 09 January
• High Season: 01 July – 30 September & 20 December – 19 December
• Peak Season: 01 August – 31 August & 01 October – 31 October

• Day excursions to the Mowe Bay seal colony, with stops at the Suiderkus and Karimona shipwrecks, Westies Diamond Mine and the remains of the Ventura Bomber.
• Sundowners drives to the roaring dunes.
• Quad biking (mornings only; aged 16 and over) and sand boarding across the dunes. We recommend pre-booking the quad biking activity in advance.
• 4×4 drives along the Hoarusib River, including the Clay Castles and the chance to spot some of the unique, desert-adapted wildlife.
• Beach lunch (weather permitting).

Landscape

The words ‘eerie’ and ‘mysterious’ are often bandied around when it comes to describing Africa’s most interesting locations, but the Skeleton Coast has to be one place that truly deserves the metaphors. Shrouded in mist, the jaw-droppingly beautiful National Park begins at the Uqab River and runs roughly 500 kilometres up the Atlantic Coast to the Kunene River. Described by the San Bushmen as ‘the Land God Made in Anger’, the beaches are strewn with bleached whale bones and the wrecks of over a thousand ships, and the interior is an uninhabited desert of rolling, endless sand. But it’s magical and hauntingly picturesque, and, in our books, that makes it an absolute must-see.

Shipwreck Lodge itself is located in an unrivalled spot in the Skeleton Coast Central Concession Area, a piece of land between the Hoarusib and Hoanib rivers. The lodge is within the Skeleton Coast National Park and roughly 45 kilometres from Mowe Bay. The area contains irreplaceable and vulnerable wildlife habitat for species of the highest conservation importance, including elephant and the elusive brown hyena. Importantly, it also hosts the only other viable lion population in Namibia outside of Etosha National Park.

Wildlife

The Skeleton Coast is an area known for its extraordinary landscapes and wildlife sightings are rare – but when do you spot something, it’s a magical experience. First up are the desert-adapted elephant, digging deep beneath the sand for the last vestiges of water. Then, making use of the wells left behind by the pachyderms are giraffe, lion and baboon, and perhaps even a brown hyaena or two, but sightings are rare. There are also thousands of plants and insects that flourish in the sand, surviving from the moisture of the cold fog that drifts inland from the ocean. Incredible stuff – but that’s not all. Marine life positively thrives, feeding off the nutrients in the Atlantic, and the most iconic species are the Cape fur seals that line the rocky shoreline in large colonies. Birdlife is also prolific and you should most certainly pack your binos for Rüppell’s korhaans and Benguela long-billed larks. Further toward the coast, you should also be able to spot tractrac chats, as well as jaegers and skuas around the seal colonies.

The Skeleton Coast National Park is officially the least visited of all of Namibia’s parks. Just the sort of place, then, that we at Natural Selection like to have our lodges. Shipwreck Lodge is located in the Skeleton Coast Central Concession Area, a critically important piece of land for protecting vulnerable wildlife species. The lodge is a joint venture between Natural Selection and local Namibian companies Trip Travel and Journeys Namibia, as well as the local communities that border the park. We couldn’t be more delighted to welcome you to this incredible part of the country!