9 things to explore around Walvis Bay & the Skeleton Coast
9 things to explore around Walvis Bay & the Skeleton Coast
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Namibia has so many beautiful places to offer. Every part has its own qualities. After visiting the red dunes in Sesriem and the ghost town in Kolmanskop, it was time heading to the coast. We passed some beautiful roads and landscapes, like the Tropics of Capricorn, until we reached Walvis Bay and Swakopmund. We are excited to tell you what we found on our way to the ocean and how to enter the Skeleton Coast National Park.
1. Driving on the roads and finding a unique windmill
Have we told you, that we are obsessed with windmills? Ever since we did a road trip through Australia, we fell in love with them and we were totally surprised to see so many of them in Namibia. You will find them every few kilometers along the road. Some are located behind a fence, but this windwheel was absolutely perfect next to a little rest area. We found the windmill in Hardap, shortly before Solitaire (-24.2301081, 15.9114473).
The roads by themselves were so beautiful. Don’t worry if
2. Visiting an old petrol station in Solitaire
The petrol station in Solitaire is absolutely fantastic. Although many people stop there on their way to Sesriem, the location is really cool! There are many old cars next to cactus plants and old fuel pumps in the middle of the red desert. Furthermore, it´s nice to take a little break after a long car ride.
3. The famous Tropics of Capricorn sign and the Gau b Pass
After Solitaire, the landscape changes. Partially you will drive through the Namib Nauklkuft National Park, but there is no gate when you are driving on the main road. Red desert sand changes to a rocky, grey Canyon landscape. After a short stop at the famous Tropics of Capricorn sign with lots of stickers on it, we drove through the rocky Gaub Pass, a dried up riverbed. You will definitely feel like you left earth and arrived on the moon!
4. The Kuiseb Pass with beautiful quiver trees and the desert road towards the coast
After a couple of miles through the moon landscape, you will arrive at the famous Kuiseb Pass when the road changes from C14 to M36. There is a beautiful viewing platform with 3 quiver trees. It´s the perfect place to take a little rest and enjoy the view because driving on the rocky roads is very exhausting – no comparison to the soft sand roads near Sesriem. If you are not able to visit Keetmanshoop in the South of Namibia with the beautiful quiver tree forest, you can enjoy three of them here.
Are you prepared for an endless drive through the desert? From Kuiseb Pass to the coast, you have to drive 2 hours through the similar meager desert, more exact through the Namib-Naukluft National Park. Be prepared to download some music before, because there will be no signal. But no worries, you will be not alone on the main street towards Walvis Bay!
5. Walvis Bay and the Flamingo Lagoon
At first, you are very happy when you arrive at the coast after the long ride through the rocky canyons and desert. In the second moment, you notice that it is a lot colder at the coast. In the middle of Namibia, we had around 30-37 degrees. At the coast, it was around 17 degrees. The last kilometers before arriving in Walvis Bay, the temperature dropped really fast.
At first, you can visit the Flamingo Lagoon, there are so many pink flamingos along the coast, directly next to the parking space. Nevertheless, there isn´t white sand, it´s actually very muddy and smelly there :). However, we had a lot of fun!
6. Climbing the beautiful Dune 7 in Walvis Bay
We highly recommend climbing Dune 7 in Walvis Bay for
7. Pelikan Point and Sandwich Bay
We weren’t very lucky with the weather on the coast. The 17 degrees felt very colt after spending so much time in the warm desert and it was very cloudy. Therefore we skipped our actual plan to visit Pelikan Lagoon and Sandwich Bay with a guided tour. But we still recommend booking a jeep tour to Sandwich Bay: You will drive offroad with your guide through deep sand, enjoying big dunes directly next to the disturbed sea. We saw many amazing pictures from this location! You can also book a kayak tour and visit the Pelikan Lagoon. Search for Pelikan Point Kayaking, all the tours start there.
8. Stay in Swakopmund
Swakopmund is bigger than Walvis Bay and a little better to stay for the night. We spontaneously booked a campsite on Alte Brücke Camp and really liked it! It’s directly next to the ocean. The next morning we went grocery shopping at the Spar and explored the streets with nice buildings and palm trees. You will also see the Himba tribe for the first time, but it isn’t an authentic experience like visiting a Himba village in the North of Namibia.
9. Driving to Cape Cross and how to get into the Skeleton Coast Park
From Swakopmund, we took the C34 along the Skeleton Coast. Near Jakkalsputz we saw the first shipwreck in the ocean. Due to the troubled sea, strong wind and fog, many ships capsized in the past. That´s why you will find so many of these shipwrecks along the Skeleton Coast.
Our next destination was Cape Cross, to see hundreds of sea lions laying at the beach. Although the beach with all the sea lions really smells, it´s a nice experience. You will have to pay 80 NAM$ per person to
I only want to visit Cape Cross – Do I need a permit?
You can drive to Cape Cross without any permit. After visiting Cape Cross, you can leave the coast towards Brandberg at the C35 near Henties Bay,
I want to drive along the Skeleton Coast! When can I enter the National Park?
The area from the Ugab River to Terrace Bay is only accessible with a permit. The Skeleton Coast officially begins at the river mouth of the Ugab River, 200 km from Swakopmund. You will see a gate with skulls just before the Ugab River mouth.
The last time you can enter the park is at 3 pm. If you are not staying in Torra Bay or Terrace Bay for the night, you have to leave the National Park on the same day at the second gate. You can leave the park before Torra Bay on the C39 passing Springbok Water Gate and driving to Brandberg. The park is open all year long. After strong rainfall, it is possible that the Ugab River is filled with water, then the Skeleton Coast NP will be closed.
Where to stay in Skeleton Coast NP? And where do I get the permit?
There is only one NWR rest camp in Terrace Bay and one campsite in Torra Bay with a fuel station. You can reserve the camps at the NWR website. The permit for the Skeleton Coast National Park is buyable in the bigger towns like Windhoek and Swakopmund. We’ve heard that you might also get a permit directly at one of the two gates, but we are not sure about it.
Visiting the area North of Terrace Bay?
The Skeleton Coast National Park covers the coast area 500 kilometers up to the border of Angola. Unfortunately, the Northern part of the Skeleton Coast, starting from Terrace Bay to Angola, isn’t accessible for self-drivers, although it is the most beautiful section. This area can only be visited with a private safari tour or a flight safari.
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