Best hotels in Skeleton Coast

Staying at this camp is an incredibly fortunate and memorable experience. Not only are you in one of the oldest deserts in the world, living in beautifully curated comfort that allows it’s environment to still be the star of the show, but you’re sharing a home with some of the toughest, most unique wildlife in the world. The desert adapted lions that live here have become the subject of a gripping documentary called Vanishing Kings: Namibia’s Desert Lions. Don’t miss an opportunity to visit this conservation capsule in the far northern reaches of Namibia.

Namibia's Skeleton Coast is a strange and beautiful slice of African wilderness. Think wind-swept dunes, dramatic beaches and icy Atlantic seas, renowned for driving many a ship ashore - and it’s these ships that Shipwreck Lodge has taken its inspiration. Rising eerily from the dunes, the cabins are modelled on the relics from times past and whilst austere from the outside, the interiors are plush, cosy and offer the perfect respite from the harsh surroundings. Fantastically varied wildlife – seal and flamingo colonies, hyenas scouring the shoreline, desert-adapted lion and elephant – and a selection of excellent activities – quad biking, beachcombing and dune sundowners – make this a desert adventure of note.

This spectacular, multi-day flying safari takes you on a birds-eye journey over one of the most enigmatic coastlines in Africa; Namibia's vast and rugged Skeleton Coast. Famous for its shipwreck "skeletons," you'll wind your way along the beach in a small plane, sometimes just a few hundred metres high, and marvel at the ever-changing geological formations and desert-adapted wildlife below. On the ground, you'll be whisked off in a Land Rover to drive through dunes and deserts, salt pans and floodplains and discover the country's wide diversity of unique flora and fauna. Starting in Swakopmund and ending at the oasis of the Kunene river on the border with Angola, with spectacular dunes, wildlife, and aerial scenery in between, this is one of those must-dos in Africa.

With its architecture a blend of Cape Dutch and west coast fishing-village style, Cape Cross Lodge is a striking stopover if you're travelling along Namibia's remote Skeleton Coast. Located an hour-and-a-half's drive north of Swakopmund and just four kilometres from the Cape Cross Seal Reserve, it's a modern and comfortable place to stay. The glass frontage overlooking the ocean maximises the natural light, the meals are good and wholesome, the beds are cosy and comfortable, and you're quite likely to see animals passing on the shore – brown hyena and jackal hunting for prey.