Skeleton Coast to Cape Cross, April 2022

It is over three hundred kilometers of coastline down to Swakopmund and scenic but the landscapes of the Skeleton Coast are overwhelmingly superior. Our old friend Omukuruvaro (Brandberg Mountain) can be seen one hundred kilometres away on our left after exiting the Ugab gate. It was the dry Ugab river that we camped next to when pitched near Omukuruvaro a few days ago. We now cross the ephemeral river mouth which lies parched on the shores of the Namib desert coastline.

We drive all the way down to Swakopmund so that we can fill up again on water, groceries, etc. By luck we also find a large fishmonger (I can’t remember the name or find it again) and pick up some kob fish fillets, calamari and octopus. This is the last time I deliberately buy octopus as the purchase reminds of the big fella I saw in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. Those creatures are too intelligent to farm, hunt or eat.

We head back and stay at Windpomp 14 for the night. The receptionist tells us that we can stay tonight but that everything is fully booked for the long weekend starting tomorrow. We didn’t know about the long weekend and realise that everything below us will be crammed full and booked out so dial up the hotel by the Cape Cross Seal Reserve. Luckily they still have some camping pitches and we book the site for the next four nights to make sure we are safe.

The west coast of Namibia is a fisherman’s paradise but it doesn’t have much else going for it below the Skeleton Coast National Park. At best it is a windy fishing mecca and a staging point for adventures into the Namib Desert surrounding. We enjoy the Cape Cross Lodge sitting in their fire-lit lounge and catching up on reading. The lodge does good food at a good price and the occasional sunset beer watching the ocean is deserved after the desert distances driven. Fresh kob and calamari done on the braai (barbeque) along with chips from the lodge is exceptional.

Walks along the beach by the lodge inspire some photography attempts and the long unbroken stretch of sands and pebbles poke us into doing some running again after many days of sedentary travel in the car. There is a large colony of cape fur seals south of us and one or two of the seals can usually be seen swimming through the waves. Unfortunately, there are also quite a few decomposing seal bodies which wash up on the beach from the thousands strong colony. This keeps the local jackal and brown hyenas well fed.

We idly watch a few surfers in the waves. Apparently Cape Cross has got some good surf, but with water temperatures of about 16 degrees and warnings of sharks tempted in by the plethora of seals we give it a miss this time.