Luxury Skeleton Coast and Kaokaland Safaris

Located in the northwest corner of Namibia, Kaokoland is bordered by the Kunene River to the north, the Hoanib River to the south, and the Atlantic Ocean and Skeleton Coast National Park to the west.

Kaokoland is a remote and wild area with spectacular landscape that includes sweeping plains, rugged mountains and dry riverbeds. It is one of the most ‘untouched’ areas of Namibia and it is perfect for adventurous travellers who are keen to get off-the-beaten track.

Those who venture to this unexplored region can enjoy game drives along dry riverbeds in search of wildlife, such as desert-dwelling elephant, endangered black rhino, lion, leopard, cheetah, zebra, giraffe and antelope, that live in this harsh environment.

From the Ugab River, north of Swakopmund to the border with Angola, the Skeleton Coast National Park protects around a third of Namibia’s coastline. Although colloquially the Skeleton Coast is a term that can be used for the entirety of Namibia’s coastline.

The Coast of Skulls has claimed many ships over the past few centuries, however due to the force of the sea very few wrecks remain. This is a barren stretch of coastline with sporadic seal colonies and rolling banks of fog that can penetrate up to 50km inland are common.

To experience it’s raw beauty staying at one of the remote fly-in camps is the best-way and you might be rewarded with sightings of the wildlife that manage to eek out an existence in this challenging environment.  

This corner of Namibia is sparsely inhabited. With approximately 16,000 inhabitants (5,000 of them Himba), it has a population density of only one person to every 2km² which is about a quarter of the national average.

The Himba are an ancient tribe of semi nomadic pastoralists who live in scattered settlements throughout Kaokoland and there are opportunities for tourists to visit a Himba village to learn about their traditional way of life and to gain an understanding about how they survive in this harsh desert environment.