Skeleton Expeditions

the most adventurous safaris in southern Africa

Typically lasting 6 to 10 nights, Skeleton Coast Expeditions are arguably the most remote, adventurous and exciting safaris of their type in Africa at the moment. Only a handful of government permits are available each year, so you will have an area of around 16,000 square kilometres all to yourselves.

Days are filled with an endless stream of remarkable experiences, amazing landscapes, desert and coastal wildlife, historic shipwrecks and abandoned diamond mines, as well as visiting authentic Himba villages further inland. A truly life-punctuating adventure.

The expedition comprises at least two overland vehicles, fully equipped with everything needed to get safely through this wild terrain. It is an authentic mobile camping safari, carrying with it everything that will be needed for a week or more in the utter wilderness.

The trips inherently demand very experienced expert guiding, there are few people who know the desert like the guys who will accompany you. The nature of the experience leads to a wonderful sense of intimacy amongst the crew and guests. There are enough staff to carry out all the work for you, but most guests like to get involved, sharing navigation and other chores during the day, communally preparing meals and sharing stories around the campfire. You may even be able to drive one of the vehicles if you wish, although the appropriate insurances will need to be obtained in advance.

These are private expeditions, so just you and the crew. There are no restrictions on group size, although it tends to work out rather pricey for groups of 1, 2 or 3 guests. There is no minimum child age, we have done it ourselves with a six year old and we do feel that was probably on the lower limit.

More information on the day by day progress of an expedition can be found on the pages for each overnight location …

• Mowe Bay Bivouac
• Sarusas Springs Bivouac
• Dunedin Star Bivouac
• Kunene Dunes Bivouac
• Cafema Valley Bivouac
• Hoanib Valley Bivouac

Skeleton Coast North inherently features in a relatively low proportion of trips. This place is too harsh and obscure for most people. It also demands a high commitment of time and money.

The usual stay duration is 3 nights in a single lodge or 4-8 nights on an overland expedition.

Seasonality

The climate on the Skeleton Coast is really quite remarkable and unlike any other on the continent, in that there is virtually no change in conditions year round.

Temperatures during the day average around 21C/70F in most months, possibly dropping by a couple of degrees during Aug-Nov. At night the low temperatures are around 13C/55F, possibly also dropping by a corresponding amount Jun-Sep.

There is virtually no rainfall in any month of the year, although we have seen some charts recording highs of around 5mm or 1/4″ in March. Most months are well under 1mm.

Dec-Apr : Windy season

The most significant seasonal variation are the Dec-Apr onshore winds, which can be relentless during what is the green season further inland. In reality, this tends to have little adverse effect on a trip, since it adds to the atmosphere, with bracing visits to the coast and cosy sheltered campsites tucked further inland.

The other seasonal factor is that the ephemeral rivers that feed down into this area are more likely to flood due to rainfall inland during the Jan-Mar season. Such floods can block the tracks that lead along the coast, but these events tend to be over almost as quickly as they start, at worst causing a delay of a couple of hours. The effects on wildlife movements are reasonably slight in this area.

May-Nov : Fog season

At this time of year, the onshore winds tend to be less strong, which can lead to heavy blankets of fog along the coastal strip, which almost always burn off through the morning to restore the usual searing sunshine. It is the moisture from these fogs that sustains so much of the specialist wildlife in the area.

There is also no great seasonal variation in visitor traffic into this area, which is consistently very low, close to zero in most parts. The only thing to watch out for is that you may need to book well ahead to secure rooms at Shipwreck Lodge during the main holiday season Jul-Sep. For overland expeditions it is always necessary to book well in advance as permits are so very limited.

Getting around

There are three main ways to get around Namibia and visit Skeleton Coast North …

Self-drive

The first option is to self-drive, which is reasonably safe and easy to do. The upside is that it is by far the lowest cost way to get around. The downside is that, for safety reasons, you are obliged to stick to a relatively limited network of main roads locations.

Whilst it is definitely not possible to self-drive inside the Skeleton Coast North area, there are ways to include it in a self-drive trip, by leaving your vehicle at a remote location and travelling on with a guide.

Flying safari

The second option is to travel around by light aircraft. This is both a great deal easier and enables you to access some wonderfully remote locations. The downside is that it’s much more expensive, as much as three times the price of self-drive.

It is possible to fly into the Skeleton Coast North area, landing at the airstrip at Mowe Bay and staying at the only permanent accommodation, Shipwreck Lodge.

Guided overland expedition

The third option is guided overland expedition, which enables you to really explore the truly wild and wonderful parts of the country. The downsides are that this can be quite an arduous way to travel and can become quite costly.

In this Skeleton Coast North area, these private guided overland expeditions are by far the best way to travel and the only way to truly explore the whole area.

Government permits for these expeditions are extremely limited and we usually sell them out at least a year in advance. No surprise really, as this is probably the most outrageously cool safari that we know.

Combinations

Many of the very best trips to Namibia combine two or three of these ways of travelling around.

best explored by serious overland expeditions