For me, the big draw of Namibia was the dunes of Sossuvlei, the mirage that they are on fire as the sun rises and sets each day, a scene we were lucky enough to view from a hot air balloon. For my good friend and travel buddy Em, it was all about the allure of the Skeleton Coast. And our whole group was more than eager to dive into this sandy coastal spot especially when we learned we could go sandboarding in Namibia and race each other on ATVs once we arrived at Shipwreck Lodge.
The experience did not disappoint—it was one of the highlights of our two-week trip through Namibia.
Getting to the Skeleton Coast
For the entirety of our time road-tripping around Namibia, we had a lovely driver named Nico who our African tour company hired for us. We debated the option of self-driving because my husband is an excellent driver and we love the freedom being our own guides affords us, but in the end, we settled on someone else navigating. This wound up being very wise—Namibia is not the easiest country to navigate yourself, especially with a majority of the roads being dirt and unmarked.
Getting to the Skeleton Coast was no different. We had been at Desert Rhino Camp directly before we arrived at the Skeleton Coast, which meant a ride in an open-air 4×4 back to where Nico had left the van, then a few hours west to the coast in our cozy eight-passenger van. Once we arrived in Torra Bay, we took a bathroom break then continued onto Möwe Bay where there is a small visitors center. We had a quick snack and got a briefing on the coastline before being picked up by Shipwreck Lodge’s in-house transportation, another modified Toyota Land Cruiser.
About 90 minutes of bouncing around in the Toyota while literally cruising on the beach—there are no paved roads to Shipwreck Lodge beyond Möwe Bay—and we had arrived. Even if we had taken a charter flight, something I may very well do on our next Namibia trip, we would have flown from Windhoek or Swakopmund to Möwe Bay and still had to drive a distance in the sand.
What is the Skeleton Coast?
If you’ve seen imagery of Namibia in magazines, you’ve likely seen snapshots of the Skeleton Coast. It’s a long stretch of coastline that reaches up to the Angola border at the northern edge of Namibia and down to the Swakop River. It’s a lot like San Francisco: chilly, foggy, wild and beautiful. It was the first time all trip we needed long sleeves for warmth.
People go to the Skeleton Coast for its remoteness, as well as the chance to see a lone elephant lumber across the wash or a lion emerge from the dunes to go hunting for the seals that inhabit the waters. We, however, were there for Shipwreck Lodge.
If you’re staying nearby in Swakopmund, Skeleton Coast is a natural next stop if you’re doing a loop of Namibia clockwise.
Staying on the Skeleton Coast at Shipwreck Lodge
Emilie and I had both seen imagery of Shipwreck Lodge and always wanted to go there. This collection of cottages housed in the sand not only look like shipwrecks—which is how Skeleton Coast got its name, from the many ship skeletons that dot the coast and the whale bones that have washed ashore—but utilize eco-friendly materials in their construction. Because of the extremely delicate nature of the ecosystem and the desolation of the lodge’s geography, every piece had to be brought in the same way we arrived.
Of all the cool places we stayed in Namibia, Shipwreck Lodge was by far the most unique. We paid for an all-inclusive, 12-day tour, but you can check here for nightly prices at the lodge.
Sandboarding in Namibia
One of the main reasons travelers to Namibia find their way to the Shipwreck Lodge is because of the activities it offers. Sandboarding in Namibia is extremely popular, and this is the only area where you can do it in the country.
Our morning and afternoon activities were included in our packaged stay, so we didn’t have to pay extra for sandboarding like we did our balloon ride, meaning it was a no-brainer. On the first morning of our stay, Imms and crew split up our group: Half of us would sandboard while the other half would drive ATVs (or quad bikes as they call them) through the desert to the sandboarding hill. Then, we would switch.
I was in the first group, riding the quad bikes while Imms transported the others from the lodge deep into the dunes. I’d ridden ATVs (or UTVs) in the US before, but this was different: For one, I had to learn how to use a clutch. And for another, we were riding on the very soft surface of the sand.
You can only ride these quad bikes with a guide as there are designated riding paths so as to preserve the dunes.
We rode for about half an hour before we reached our stopping point. It was so much fun, though, I could have spent all day on this quad bike.
When we reached the other group, they were covered with sand and loopy grins. We swapped out and took to the sandboard, which was essentially a sled for the dunes.
Shannon, our most adventurous travel buddy, went first, immediately pummeling down the dune and getting a mouthful of sand as she hit the bottom.
I took a cue from her and used my neck gaiter to cover my face and not suffer the same fate. If you love sledding or downhill sports of any kind, sandboarding in Namibia is definitely for you.
The worst part? The walk back up. The dune was seriously steep.
Meanwhile, my mom was in the other group of quad bikers and totally smoked everyone. 74 years old and driving that thing like she’s a 16-year-old boy!
Other things to do on the Skeleton Coast
While sandboarding in Namibia is definitely a big reason people come to the Skeleton Coast, there are plenty of other activities you can book like 4×4 safaris and guided tours of shipwrecks and diamond mining camps, but when we arrived back at the lodge, we went on a hike to the sea.
When we arrived at the beach, we found the Shipwreck Lodge team had set up a very special lunch for us with the best waterfront view in the house.
That afternoon, Imms took us on a game ride where we saw more oryx and springbok—but sadly, no hyenas, much to Shannon’s dismay—as his Land Cruiser took us higher and higher to a ridge where he had the ultimate perspective of the surrounding topography.
We got to the top and spent some time just soaking in the views. As was our daily routine, Imms and Nico set up a sundowner for us and poured out G&Ts and rose, and we toasted another perfect day in Namibia.
