Skeleton Coast National Park, Namibia

From the Ugab to the Kunene, the Skeleton Coast Park and Wilderness Areas protect about one-third of Namibia's coastline. The southern half of this, the Skeleton Coast Park, is easily accessible to anyone with a car and some forward planning. It’s a fascinating area and, surprisingly, is often omitted from scheduled tours and safaris. This is a shame, though it does mean that from July to September – when much of the country is busy with overseas visitors – this is still a blissfully quiet area.

About 287km from Henties Bay, the restcamp at Terrace Bay is the furthest north that visitors can drive on the coast. It’s a real outpost, appearing just a few kilometres after a sign points off to Dekka Bay. It was built originally for a mining venture, and inherited by the government when that failed. Now there’s nothing here apart from the small camp for visitors, run by the Ministry of Environment & Tourism, and its staff accommodation. Terrace Bay’s facilities are mostly old and basic, but all the bungalows have a fridge, a shower and a toilet. Bedding and towels are provided. Though not luxurious, the accommodation is adequate and Terrace Bay feels so isolated and remote that it can be a lot of fun for a day or two.

80km north of Terrace Bay, this is the administrative centre of the Wilderness Area, and is not open to visitors. This acts as a base for the few researchers who are allowed to work here.

Squeezed between the larger Huab and Uniab Rivers, the Koichab (not to be confused with the Koichab Pan near Lüderitz) has quite a small catchment area and floods relatively rarely. Thus it seems more of a depression than a major riverbed. For fishing visitors, the Koichab is the southern boundary of the Torra Bay fishing area. Meanwhile south of this river, but north of Toscanini, you do pass the wrecks of the Atlantic Pride, the Luanda (1969), and the Montrose (1973), though they’re not always easy to spot, and often the road is far enough from the sea for the wrecks to be obscured.

Perhaps the most accessible river for the passing visitor is the Uniab River valley, between Torra Bay and Terrace Bay. If you only stop in one river for a good look around, stop here in the Uniab. Not only is it quite scenic, but its headwaters come from around the huge Palmwag concession, home to many of the region’s larger mammals. So the Uniab offers your best chance of spotting the park’s scarce bigger game.

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