THE BIZARRE BUT BEAUTIFUL NORTH WEST IS DEFINED BY INACCESSIBLE SHORES THAT LEFT THE LANDSCAPE LITTERED WITH HUNDREDS OF SHIPWRECKS, YEARS AGO. IT IS HERE YOU WILL FIND THE TRANQUIL SKELETON COAST, A STRETCH OF WILD DESERT BETWEEN SWAKOPMUND AND THE ANGOLAN BORDER.
Despite the eerie name derived from the bleached bones that lined the beaches, there is life in Skeleton Coast National Park where desert meets ocean. Huge seal colonies in the Cape Cross Seal Reserve attract scavengers such as jackals and brown hyenas while a variety of animals and 247 species of birds prefer the vegetated inland river valleys. In addition, desert-adapted wildlife including protected lion populations inhabit the region. The list of attractions continue. In Damaraland, which lies between the Skeleton Coast and Etosha National Park, the Petrified Forest near the town of Khorixas features large tree trunks that have ‘turned to stone’ over time. There is also Twyfelfontein boasting a plethora of Bushman engravings, but to see the White Lady Bushman painting you need to hike up Brandberg Mountain. Cultural interactions with the nomadic and pastoral Himba people in Kaokoveld will provide great appreciation for their survival skills and striking appearance. In the same region, namely Kunene Region, spectacular boulders called Spitzkoppe await eager climbers.
THE BIZARRE BUT BEAUTIFUL NORTH WEST IS DEFINED BY INACCESSIBLE SHORES THAT LEFT THE LANDSCAPE LITTERED WITH HUNDREDS OF SHIPWRECKS, YEARS AGO. IT IS HERE YOU WILL FIND THE TRANQUIL SKELETON COAST, A STRETCH OF WILD DESERT BETWEEN SWAKOPMUND AND THE ANGOLAN BORDER.
Despite the eerie name derived from the bleached bones that lined the beaches, there is life in Skeleton Coast National Park where desert meets ocean. Huge seal colonies in the Cape Cross Seal Reserve attract scavengers such as jackals and brown hyenas while a variety of animals and 247 species of birds prefer the vegetated inland river valleys. In addition, desert-adapted wildlife including protected lion populations inhabit the region. The list of attractions continue. In Damaraland, which lies between the Skeleton Coast and Etosha National Park, the Petrified Forest near the town of Khorixas features large tree trunks that have ‘turned to stone’ over time. There is also Twyfelfontein boasting a plethora of Bushman engravings, but to see the White Lady Bushman painting you need to hike up Brandberg Mountain. Cultural interactions with the nomadic and pastoral Himba people in Kaokoveld will provide great appreciation for their survival skills and striking appearance. In the same region, namely Kunene Region, spectacular boulders called Spitzkoppe await eager climbers.
