Terrace Bay (chalet accommodation only) is open all year for overnight stays (no day visits).Transit permits to travel between Ugabmond and Springbockwasser are available all year.
Gate hours for transit entry are from 07:30 & 15:00 transit visitors must exit the park before 17:00 The narrow strip adjoins other coastal parks all the way to the Orange River, but relies heavily on conservation collaboration with the people controlling the communal land and its resources to the east.įour permit types available: Transit Terrace Bay visitor Torra Bay visitor concession visitor (guided only) The park protects a unique tract between the Ugab and Kunene rivers. This is the realm of wind, sand and rock, of lichens, crouching plants and small creatures, criss-crossed by vagabond large wildlife. The desert is a home, both temporary and permanent, for countless uniquely adapted life forms. Still, their subterranean flow feeds estuaries and creates vital springs, sustaining life. Years of dryness are punctuated by the rare and often violent floods of ephemeral rivers, which may breach the desert and reach the ocean only once or twice a decade. While the waters of the Atlantic are rich in life, an erratic climate presents fluctuating onshore fortunes. An endless stretch of inhospitable coastline, especially for the uninitiated. For those forced to survive here without outside help, the name Skeleton Coast has ample justification. Among them lie the bones of unfortunate men. The beaches are littered with the bones of seals and whales, and dotted with mining remnants and the skeletons of ships. The ocean is cold and treacherous, the land a desert. There are no trees on the coast, and very few places where fresh water might be found.