Skeleton Coast Safari Plane Tour – Skeleton Coast, Namibia

Skeleton Coast Safari Plane Tour – Skeleton Coast, Namibia, takes you above kilometers and kilometers of a waving sea made of sand. Here and there you can spot decayed shipwrecks, crumbled animal skeletons, and sometimes even human bones covered by the sand. Namibia’s outlying and wild Skeleton Coast certainly feels like a place out of this world. If you truly want to explore this coastal desert’s wonders, there’s only one perfect way: from high and above. Jump aboard a small plane and get ready for an exceptional flying safari over the both dead and alive Skeleton Coast.

The Skeleton Coast goes north towards Angola and the Kunene River, and south towards the Ugab River, It’s a 30-km-wide and 500-km-long desert, holding the sand dunes of the Namib Desert. The Himba, tribe wrapped in their characteristic ochre robes, flamingos, ostriches, elephants and colonies of hundreds of sea lions, all share the same huge wilderness, completely unbothered.

Things to Do

The littered shipwrecks

This place is especially known for its deadly water currents combined with the all-covering fog and the shallow sandbanks. As a result, this coast has been for years the disastrous end to many vessels and living creatures. All of them eventually thrown to the sandy coast and left there to fight an unforgiving death. Of course, you will mostly encounter the rusty remains of hulls, all kinds and sizes. However, every now and then you will also come across eroded and bleached bones, both whale and human. But this lonely coastline is much more than just death and destruction.

The Eduard Bohlen

With around 1000 shipwrecks lying around, the Skeleton Coast has gained many names through time. The Bushmen of Namibia called this coastal area “The land God made in anger”, while Portuguese sailors called it “The Gates of Hell”.

A flight goes straight from Windhoek, Namibia’s capital, across the Khomas Highland. Then, it takes you to the coast and to the first shipwreck site: the Eduard Bohlen, a steamer that crashed against Conception Bay’s shore. The sand almost completely buries the rusted and broken down remains, standing separated from where the coast is nowadays.

Cape Cross

Your journey then continues over Cape Cross, and here is where life stands out over the disaster that makes Skeleton Coast famous. Here, an enormous colony of sea lions lie around close to the shore. Over one million of these peculiar animals swim, eat and take over the whole area.

A unique lunch time

As nature calls and hunger hits you, you will experience the unsettling but unique feeling of landing on a makeshift landing strip. Now you can pick your spot on the sand and have lunch at the beach. A flying-safari-style meal, along with shipwrecks and remains of scattered old diamond mines.

The Ugab formations

Once you get back on board your plane, the route heads further inland. Then you spot the meeting point of the Congo and Kalahari plates, the collision forming an almost lunar-shaped string of black ridges. This is the Ugab formations, the dark color of the rock contrasting against the bright white of the sand surrounding it.

Your tour then continues into the wilds and with reaching Kuidas, you find the first camp snuggled in the Huab Valley. Take that well-deserved shower, a three-course meal and have some rest in a cozy bed. A good night’s sleep urrounded by the Skeleton Coast’s wilderness, and a delightful view of the deserted but graceful landscape.

The San Bushmen’s marks

The San Bushmen people once trailed the area, and you can find evidence in the surrounding hills and caves. Look out for ancient rocks carved with drawings almost untouched by time.

The Huab River formations

As you take a short four-wheel journey on this spot and head to the heart of this wide valley, you’ll stumble upon the Huab River formations. Extraordinary and outstanding red lava and yellow sandstone; nature sketching a sublime picture on the ground.

However, remember to never drive off the road or get too far from your car; this is not only prohibited but can be dangerous.

The ‘roaring’ dunes

Again inside your plane, the flying safari goes north, further away from the coast. Then it reaches a narrow band where grains of sand have a specific size and create a unique phenomenon: the roaring dunes. The slightest contact between the grains and they produce vibrations, making a roaring sound that seems to shut down even the sound of the breeze. Slide down this dunes and you’ll be amazed by the loud echoing roar of the sand, unbelievable until you see it yourself.

The Hoarusib Valley and the Himba tribe

You will find the second campsite at Purros, further north, sheltered by tall palm trees in a verdant oasis. Here, at the Hoarusib Valley, you have the highest chances of seeing the desert elephant, adapted to the harsh environment of the sandy desert. Last but not least, you will have the once-in-a-lifetime experience of meeting the only tribe in Namibia who still live traditionally: the Himba tribe. Take the chance and see the lifestyle of these people gathered in huts, their traditions and dances. Besides, you can look at their crafts, pots and jewelry, and even take some pieces home.

The Kunene River

From Purros, the fly heads over the Thousand Dunes Valley, to the Angolan border. The third and last campsite is on the Kunene River banks, overlooking the slowly flowing waters. After days of flying, walking and driving through endless sand, you will be so glad to finally see some water, that you won’t even care about the families of crocodiles infesting the river.

How to get there

Several airlines fly to Namibia, like Air Namibia, who offer flights via Frankfurt, Germany.