The Skeleton Coast No-man’s-land where hot desert meets cold sea along an inhospitable shoreline. Here there is no drinking water or food. On the beach lies a wreck – a reminder of the many disasters that have befallen seafarers on this coast. The Skeleton Coast from the Orange River to Walvis Bay fringes the Namib, which is surely one of the harshest landscapes in the world. A bleakly cold sea to the west and a barren wilderness of sand to the east. The area is swept by the cruel winds, with vicious sand storms.
The attraction of this remote area of the Skeleton Coast lies in the colour, changing moods and untouched profile of its landscape. Its aura of mystery and mightiness is largely due to the dense coastal fog and cold sea breezes caused by the cold Benguela ocean current from the Arctic, and bones scattered on its beaches from where the park's name derives. The landscape in the park ranges from sweeping vistas of wind swept dunes to rugged canyons with walls of richly coloured volcanic rock and extensive mountain ranges. Its level coastline characterizes the park, only occasionally broken by scattered rocky outcrops.
The southern section consists of the gravel plains, but north of Terrace Bay high dunes occur in the immediate vicinity of the coast. Of special interest along the Skeleton Coast are the clay castles of the Hoarisib, the salt pans near the Agate mountain and one of the largest seal colonies in the world at Cape Fria. The southern section of the park is accessible to the general public and attracts anglers to its superb fishing grounds. Because of the ecological sensitivity of the area, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism manages it.
The Skeleton Coast Park, a seemingly hostile, barren environment will allow you to experience the mystery and subtlety of nature hidden in its fragile mistiness if you take the time and utilise all your powers of observation. It is a fascinating area, with its history of rumours of "diamond rich" deposits, which lured the hopeful and proved to be illusions. |
