Shipwrecks, slipfaces and tight lines
The Kunene mouth is a treasure trove for bird-watching, dune riding, photography, observing timid wildlife and even fishing. The adventure, however, begins even earlier because you have to get there first…
Once the fish starts to bite, you may be stuck for a day or two – so keep that in mind while planning your trip
The Kunene estuary, at the very top of Namibia’s infamous Skeleton Coast, is a destination that usually appears somewhere on every offroader’s top 10 list. It has all the hallmarks of a proper 4x4 destination: it’s extremely far from society; the road there is challenging; and the scenery is something you can’t really even describe. The Kunene forms the northern border of Namibia and the Skeleton Coast National Park, and although you can visit the southern part of the park any day, the northern stretch of coastline to the estuary is closed to the public. You do still have the opportunity to tick this destination on your list, however, as a handful of people are allowed here with an approved tour operator in this 350 km concession area every year. We went to have a look at how this works.
THE SKELETON COAST National Park’s southern entrance gate near the Ugab River estuary (the other is the Springbokwasser gate on the C39) is about 190 km north of Swakopmund. So you can do this stretch of road, partly tar and partly salt road, pretty quickly and make your way to Terrace Bay in a day. Though there are some attractions along this section of the coastline that are worth visiting if you haven’t been here before. Take a stroll past the colourful houses of Wlotzkasbaken, a holiday town about 30 km north of Swakopmund that sprung up around a popular fishing spot. Shortly beyond the town, pull over for a photo of the Zeila shipwreck before you check out what Henties Bay, Namibia’s favourite fishing village, looks like. If the fishing bug bites you suddenly – or if you forgot something at home – Henties Bay is the best place to buy supplies before heading farther north. On the other side of Henties Bay, you’ll find several signs with interesting names: Trappies, Sarah se Gat, Tolla se Gat, Predikantsgat, Bakleigat… These places are popular fishing spots that might make you want to wet your line for a cob. And once the fish starts to bite, you may be stuck for a day or two – so keep that in mind while planning your trip. Cape Cross, 60 km from Henties Bay, is the spot where Portuguese sailor Diogo Cão planted a cross in
1485 while on a exploratory voyage along Africa’s coastline. Today, the area is a conservation area for Cape fur seals where they can sit and bake in the sun in their thousands. Bring a laundry peg for your nose as these seals haven’t yet heard of deodorant…
FROM CAPE CROSS, it’s a quick 75 km to the Ugab River where you find the gates of the Skeleton Coast National Park. You can’t miss them: each boasts a big skull. After paying your park fees (R60 pp and R10 per vehicle), you drive through the gates. You are now entering an area that the ancient Portuguese mariners called the “Gates to Hell”. You’ve got about 160 km from the gate to Terrace Bay. It is a fairly wellmaintained gravel road, but you will feel some bumps here and there, especially near Torra Bay. Stop at the Huab Lagoon to see if there are flamingos around before crossing the river where gemsbok and ostriches come to drink. Just beyond Huab lies the rusted skeleton of an oil drill, the remains of a failed attempt to locate the so-called black gold here. Shortly before Torra Bay (10 km) is a turn-off to the interior. This is the C39 that leads to the park’s eastern gate, Springbokwasser – if you continue along this road you come to the Palmwag-Khorixas road. Just past this road, you will see dunes to your right. The farther north you go, the bigger those sand dunes become. They eventually extend to the Kunene River, almost 350 km along. Don’t stress now that you’re missing out on the fun. There will be lots of opportunities for you to take on the dunes. Terrace Bay is 50 km past Torra Bay. It’s is a basic holiday resort with a restaurant, kiosk and petrol station. The latter is the most important, as it’s the last place you can fill up for the rest of the journey up to the Kunene and back again.
THE LAST OUTPOST of the park is at Möwe Bay, a ranger station and research post 80 km north of Terrace Bay. Möwe Bay isn’t open to the public (ordinary visitors may only drive to Terrace Bay). To travel here and beyond, you must be part
Between here and the next river, the mighty Kunene, it is 200 km of deserted beaches
of an approved tour group. As your guide finishes the paperwork, you can reduce your tyre pressure and engage 4x4, because there are no more gravel roads past Möwebaai. Only 2 km away lies the wreck of the Suiderkruis, today just a pile of crumpled rusty steel on a beach. This fishing boat was forced onto the rocks by the rough surf in 1976 on its maiden voyage. Your guide will lead the convoy as far as possible along the beach, but the tide may force you to follow a twin-track above the high-water mark or even cut a trail through the dunes. There are hundreds of shipwrecks on the Skeleton Coast, but the most famous one is the Dunedin Star. On 29 November 1942, this cargo ship was wrecked some 80 km south of the Kunene River mouth, and the rescue effort to save the 106 passengers eventually took almost a month. Several lifeboats were used, a convoy of 4x4s tried to reach the shipwreck from the interior, and they even employed Lockheed Ventura Bomber from Cape Town to parachute provisions down to the survivors. This plane landed near the shipwreck at one point and then promptly got stuck in the desert sand. Later, after the successful rescue effort of the Dunedin Star’s passengers as well as the aircraft crew, a convoy was sent to retrieve the aircraft. The plane was finally able to take off again, but barely 45 minutes later the left engine gave up the ghost and the plane crashed into the sea near Rocky Point, about 50 km north of Möwe Bay. Today you can still see some sharp metal from the plane where it washed out 10 km from the Hoarus estuary. You reach Rocky Point on the other side of the river, and from there it is 15 km to the Khumib, the last of the great Kaokoland rivers that flow into the sea. Between here and the next river, the mighty Kunene, it is 200 km of deserted beaches.
THE FOLLOWING TARGET is Angra Fria, 90 km north of the Khumib. Just beyond Angra Fria is the place where the Dunedin Star passengers and crew were stranded. By now, you should have a good idea of the absolute unforgiving nature of this coastline, especially when the weather is bad. And when you stand where these people had to survive – one of them a baby – you can only wonder how they managed it. Next to the rotten planks of the former shelter is a plaque: “In memory of Mathias Koraseb and Angus McIntyre”, two crew members of the rescue team who lost their lives. It was erected in 2017 by Sidney Palmer, 75 years after surviving as a tiny baby on this beach. You’ve still got 110 km to go – north all the way. Along the beach, wherever the cold waves allow you a piece of solid sand, or back and forth between the skeletons of seals, whales and jackals above the high-water mark. Cormorants, seabirds and groups of flamingos patrol the waves, while stretches of smelly seals lie on the sand, baking in the sun. On their outskirts, cunning red jackals wander around, looking to poach a pup or two. Occasionally you’ll see the traces of a brown hyena, also known as the ‘strandwolf’ or ‘jut’, but sighting a live one is quite rare. Then, suddenly, you reach the end of the beach. A broad strip of water flows from the interior, pushing a brown stain deep into the sea. Use the panoramic feature on your smartphone and capture the Kunene on the right and the Atlantic on the left in the same photo to show your family back home: this is where Namibia ends!
ABOUT 15 KM SOUTH of the estuary is a neat camp set up by the concessionaires for tour groups visiting the area. Depending on the tour, you could spend up to three nights here. So there’s plenty of time to visit the estuary at different times of the day and see how many of the 72 different bird species you can see here. Often you see large flocks of pelicans and flamingos, but don’t walk too close to the water, as the crocodiles also like
Your route depends on the type of tour or tour operator you’re travelling with. Some cut a winding trail through the dune field
to lie on the shore. If you’re lucky, you might even see turtles in the estuary. Speaking of animals: make sure you don’t leave any food in the camp, as a jackal will definitely come around once you leave the camp. You will have noticed the dune field around the camp already… and now is your chance to get acquainted with a slipface. These sharp slopes of more than 30° are sometimes as low as hip height, but can also be as enormous as a five-storey building. Your guide will show you a few and teach you how to get used to that hollow spot in your stomach as you drive down a slipface. A relatively new allowance for tour groups in these regions is that you may cast a line at the estuary and a limited stretch of coastline. The cod bite nicely but you might catch a blacktail, gurnard, or catfish.
AFTER YOUR TIME at the Kunene mouth, you hit the road south again. Your route depends on the type of tour or tour operator you’re travelling with. Some cut a winding trail through the dune field for a day or so until the convoy arrives in the Hartmanns Valley. From there, it goes to Purros where you explore the dry rivers of the Kaokoland before finishing at Sesriem. Other tours aim south to Angra Fria, then turn inland and swing south to Purros just before Orupembe. And if your main aim is angling, your convoy will head south again to the Skeleton Coast National Park’s Ugab gate, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re just driving back in the other day’s tracks. Even though you have to take into account tides and weather conditions, the Skeleton Coast still holds many attractions to take you south via an alternate route. There are the rock circles of the Strandlopers near Angra Fria; slightly further south, you get vast gravel plains; the oases of the Monutum and Nadas rivers; the abandoned Sarusas crystal mine; and then there are the Hoarusib and Khumib rivers, which get more spectacular higher up their courses. Two things are guaranteed on the Skeleton Coast: you won’t get bored and you won’t be able to see everything during one visit. You will have to come again and again.