My friend Joe and I were on our way on one of our usual African safaris. This time our destination was Namibia’s Skeleton Coast.

A peculiar part of history...
Renowned as “The land God made in anger”, the Skeleton Coast got its name from all the shipwrecks, bleached whales and seal bones which used to cover the shore when whaling offshore was still legal. I’m grateful that whaling no longer forms part of most of the world’s societies today, even if some still find great business in this murderous industry.

Joe and I decided to set up camp in the nearby city of Swakopmund. It’s in times like these that I’m grateful Joe spoke German, since most of the locals here are German, understandably too, because Swakopmund was originally a German colony.

A day on the beach...
The entrance to the Skeleton Coast Park is somewhat different than other national park gates to say the least. Its two big iron gates have big pirate skulls on it. When you enter the park you are welcomed to a coastline filled with remnants of misfortune. It’s nothing like I’ve ever seen before, the perfect set up for a huge, scary and awesome Halloween party, if it was allowed of course.

I was surprised to learn that fishing is one of the park’s main attractions. Apparently thousands of fishermen stream here each year for the park’s line fish resources, this included Joe and I.

Joe has been a fisherman since a very young age, whereas this is all very new to me. After my first catch I think I was more hooked onto fishing than the fish. We spent most of the day fishing before we headed back home to our camp. The park only allows visitors between sunrise and sunset. Why I don’t know. Maybe it gets even creepier after dark, but I sure wasn’t ready to find out. I asked the ranger as we left who said that it was due to its sheer size and they do not want people getting lost in the dunes after dark. It is easy to disorient yourself and get very badly lost in the pitch dark at night.

Back in Swakopmund...
When we got back to our camp I was ready to hit the sack, but only after supper of course. We went to Swakopmund Brauhaus, one of city’s local German restaurants. I’ve only had traditional German food twice before and from what I recall this was by far the best meal. German cooking is as filling as one of my own mother’s home cooked meals, which to me is great. The Brauhaus was packed with cheery locals waving draft beer and smiling friendly at us as we entered. It was great to connect with some of them after our dinner where we were quickly made to feel at home!

All and all this has been a very satisfying trip, but then again, Namibia has never disappointed. Not exactly your typical African safari, it offers the best terrain for 4x4’s and is an excellent destination for camping. The people of Namibia are friendly and I felt disappointed that we only stayed for a week. I sincerely hope we will do this trip to Skeleton Coast again.


Author Bio:
Taga Safaris offers luxurious African safaris including Namibia, Botswana and South Africa to name but a few.