Namibia's Skeleton Coast is one of our planet's most beautiful places and is now host to one of our finest safaris.
Over much of the past decade, access to this private area within the National Park has been restricted. However, in April 2000 we opened our 12-bedded, luxury tented camp and we can now offer superb 4 or 5 day fly-in safaris to this incredible area, with guaranteed departures every Wednesday and Saturday.
Close on 300,000 hectares (660,000 acres) of the National Park has been set aside as an exclusive safari experience for those who want to really get away! It is wild, desolate and uninhabited - and stunningly beautiful.
Skeleton Coast Camp is a six-roomed luxury tented camp in the heart of Skeleton Coast Park within the private concession area. It is built on an island in the dry Khumib riverbed, about 20km inland from the coastline. Each of the 6 tents is large, roomy and has a en-suite bathroom. We have a wonderful old gnarled Leadwood tree which offers shelter from the elements, and makes for a shady dining room for our outdoor meals.
Because of the uniqueness and vastness of this area, most activities are done in 4x4 vehicles that are closed to the elements. All vehicles have pop-top roofs and sliding windows to enjoy the fine weather. There is however plenty of opportunity to walk and stretch the legs too. Activities include either full-day nature drives or walks with a picnic lunch, returning to camp in the evening, or half-day nature drives or walks returning to camp for lunch and venturing out again in the afternoon.
Excursions may include visits to the clay castles of the Hoarusib River, Rocky Point, the roaring dunes, lichen fields, seal colonies, Himba villages, shipwreck sites and secret water seeps that attract wildlife like oryx, springbok, giraffe, ostrich, brown hyaena, jackal and other smaller mammals. Walking also plays a part in the activities; due to the pristine nature of this area many parts are accessible only on foot, as vehicle tracks can damage the environment. Many specially adapted species of plants like Lithops and Welwitschia can be visited in this way.
The terrain is rugged and harsh, hence this camp will be enjoyed by those who are looking for a true wilderness experience, in some of the most spectacular scenery in southern Africa.
This is not a pure game viewing safari, but rather a cultural experience. Freshwater springs permeate through the barren sands to create rare oases in the desert that sustain pockets of wildlife. Springbok, Gemsbok (Oryx), the rare desert Elephant, Cape Fur Seals, Brown Hyaena, Jackal, Ostrich and occasionally even Cheetah eke out an existence in this rugged terrain, alongside desert-adapted vegetation such as Welwitschia and Lithops, the succulant "flowering stones".
LOCATION
- The camp is located on the Khumib River within the private concession area of the Skeleton Coast Park.
PRICING / CHILD POLICY
Low Season: Jan - June and November to December
High Season: July to October
Children over the age of 8 years are welcome
Scheduled departures from Windhoek Eros Airport
- 4 Day / 3 Night Safari departs every Wednesday, return to Windhoek every Saturday
- 5 Day / 4 Night Safari departs every Saturday, return to Windhoek every Wednesday
- 8 Day / 7 Night Safari departs every Wednesday to Wednesday or every Saturday to Saturday
ACCOMMODATION
Number of tents:
- 6 tents in total
This camp can accommodate 12 guests plus tour leader
Tent details:
- Tents are large luxury "Meru" style.
- Tents have doors and wooden floors
- En-suite bathrooms with shower, wash basin and toilet inside the tent. Guests are requested to keep water usage to a minimum.
- Soaps, shampoos and insect repellents are supplied in each tent.
- Each tent has a solar powered overhead fan
CAMP DESCRIPTION
- This is a tented camp built up on wooden decks on an island in the Khumib River
- Central lounge, bar and dining area with views of the desert
- Library
- Outside eating area for fair weather under old Leadwood tree.
GAME VIEWING
Area mainly renowned for physical beauty and not for game viewing. The stark contrast between the harsh environment and the animals that inhabit it make this area spectacular. Possible wildlife one can see include: Oryx, Springbok, Giraffe, Ostrich, Cape Fur Seals, Brown Hyena, Jackals, Cape Fox, Bat Eared Fox, Honey Badger and Genet as well as Cheetah and Desert Elephant. Many fascinating desert species of plants. Bird watching also good with many of the Namibian endemic species occurring in the area.
ACTIVITIES
This safari is unlike any other of our safaris. The area is so vast and there is so much to see and experience that we abandon our traditional early morning and afternoon activities. We leave camp after breakfast and spend the full day exploring the park. A picnic lunch is enjoyed out in the wild and we return to base camp in the late afternoon. We travel in 4 x 4 Land Rovers and cover an extraordinary variety of terrains.
Activities include the following:
- Full day nature drives with walks
- Excursions to seal colony and natural springs
- Coastal ecology
- Visit to a working Himba village and tracking Desert Elephants
- Visit to the clay castles/roaring dunes/lichen fields as well as other areas of amazing geographical diversity.
SUGGESTED DAILY ACTIVITY SCHEDULE
Below is only a suggestion as to what may happen in camp - as daily wildlife sightings tend to throw the schedule right out of schedule.
07h00 - Early morning breakfast
08h00 - Depart camp with picnic lunch for a full day excursion
Winter/summer
18h00/19h00 - Return to camp in the evening
19h00/20h00 - Dinner - local Namibian game dishes and fresh cape salmon caught by the guests and cooked on an open fire.
ELECTRICITY & WATER
- Solar power for lighting and hot water
- 12v battery power (charged by solar power) is used for lighting in each guest tent.
- Video battery can be charged, but please bring lots of spare batteries as this facility is limited.
DRINKS POLICY
All local drinks are included in the nightly tariff.
LAUNDRY POLICY
No laundry service is possible due to water shortage.
EXTRA PAYMENT
Payment can be effected by cash (US$), travellers' cheques or the following credit cards: Visa or MasterCard.
FLYING TIMES
To/from Swakopmund 2 hrs 15mins
Windhoek to Swakopmund 45 mins
To/from Windhoek 2 hours 30 mins
AIRSTRIP DETAILS
Located one minutes' drive from camp - this is a soft sand strip which is suitable for Caravans only.
Cessna 210 aircraft would have to use Puros Airstrip - guests can then be transferred from this airstrip to the camp but the journey can take anything from one to three hours (depending on what they see and whether they stop en route etc).
Skeleton Coast Park
The Skeleton Coast Park is one of our planet’s most inhospitable, but hauntingly beautiful places – it is wild, desolate and uninhabited. It has everything from roaring sand dunes and windswept plains, to towering canyons and saltpans, and even one of the most productive fishing grounds anywhere.
Freshwater springs permeate through barren sands to create rare oases in the desert that sustain pockets of wildlife. Springbok, gemsbok (oryx), the rare desert elephant, ostrich, Cape fur seals, jackal and brown hyaena - and even cheetah on rare occasions - eke out an existence in this rugged terrain, along with the vegetation like the ancient welwitschia plant which has adapted to the harsh conditions.
The arid desert environment in the Skeleton Coast is within the northern reaches of the Namib Desert. The Benguela current brings cold waters all the way from Antarctica and helps to moderate temperatures. The cool air off the ocean meets the hotter desert air and nearly every morning, a cool mist envelops the coastline, bringing life-sustaining moisture to the desert. By about 9 or 10 in the morning the sun’s rays have burnt this mist off.
