Namibia : Skeleton Coast

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wild shoreline	Himba	oryx

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Wilderness Skeleton Coast Camp

Schoeman Skeleton Coast Safaris

Wilderness Skeleton Coast Camp
You realise the remoteness of the skeleton coast camp when you are approaching the airstrip and all you can see in every direction are mountains, sand dunes and never ending desert cut only by the skeletal fingers of dried up river courses. In one of these river courses, set on an island, is the Wilderness Skeleton Coast Camp. It is a rare oasis in this harsh but beautiful desert and must be one of the worlds most remote luxury tented camps, it is perfectly hidden in the river bed and until you are on top of it you wouldn't know it was there.

The six tents are extremely comfortable with solid teak furniture ensuite bathrooms with flushing toilets and hot and cold running water, which is a real luxury when the water has to be transported into camp from a well outside the park. There is a lovely open-air dining room, which is set under a magnificent ancient lead wood tree. Its branches have intertwined to provide a perfect canopy as a shelter from the sun.

This is the only camp within the 300,000-hectare concession area within the Skeleton coast national park so there is no chance of you meeting anyone else when you are out on drives. Your day is different to the usual safari in that you will have breakfast at the camp and head out for the day to explore the area with a picnic lunch and arrive back in the mid to late afternoon. It is a wild, desolate and incredibly fragile environment and there is plenty to do and see. Chris and his guides are excellent and fascinating in their explanations of the geology of the area and about the animals and plants, which have adapted to the harsh environment. Your days will be filled with visiting roaring sand dunes, seeing vast multicoloured plains, towering canyons and eroded mountains, salt pans, freshwater springs and huge seal colonies along the coast line where you walk and see whale skulls and bones and pick about in the flotsam which washes up on this wild shoreline. Chris has a close relationship with one of the local Himba chiefs who invites guests to his village and gives a fascinating and natural glimpse of local life.

You will be amazed at the amount of wildlife you can see in this desolate wilderness, such as oryx, ostrich, springbok, jackal and maybe hyena, giraffe, elephant and cheetah but its not really a place for game viewing so think of it as a bonus. The Skeleton Coast is a unique place to visit and is fascinating but be prepared for long bumpy drives and if you want to see animals around every corner it probably isn't for you but the scenery is out of this world and I would recommend it to anyone.

click on the photos for a larger version

Wilderness Skeleton Coast Camp	perfectly hidden	six tents

extremely comfortable	picnic lunch	wild and desolate

multicoloured plains	eroded mountains	seal colonies

the coast line	whale skulls	Himba village

springbok	giraffe	unique place