The Ugab gate
A famous skull sign.
Laika ac from USA — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Laika ac from USA — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Laika ac from USA — CC BY-SA 2.0 · ---=XEON=--- — CC BY 3.0 · Laika ac from USA — CC BY-SA 2.0
The Skeleton Coast is the northern part of Namibia's Atlantic shore, running for about 500 km from the Swakop River to the Kunene River. Dense fog and endless sand wrap it for most of the year. The San people called it «The Land God Made in Anger», and it draws those looking for a solitude unlike anywhere else. Its name comes from the whale and seal bones that once littered its beaches and from its many shipwrecks. The cold Benguela current creates thick fog, and annual rainfall rarely exceeds 10 mm. In the days of sailing ships it was possible to get ashore through the surf but very hard to launch again, so the only way out was across a hot desert. You drive a long salt road between sand and grey sea, with nothing but lines of horizon ahead. From the air the coast is a mix of orange dunes, white salt pans and violent surf. The park's southern section has a shipwreck, the Huab lagoon, a collapsed drilling rig and the Ugab gate with its famous skull sign. The middle of the coast is about 134 km in a straight line from Twyfelfontein. Vehicles may enter only the southern section, while the north can be reached only on an organised fly-in trip. You need a suitable 4WD and plenty of fuel and water, as distances between stops are long, and mind the gate times. Bring a jacket, as the fog is cold even in summer.
A famous skull sign.
A mark of the harsh coast.
Sand meeting the surf.
Northern Atlantic coast of Namibia, from the Swakop River to the Kunene River
Yes, into the southern section with a suitable vehicle, while the north is by organised fly-in only.
Because of the whale and seal bones and the many shipwrecks on its beaches.