Skeleton Coast Cape Cross Seal colony Tour
Description
We offer a light lunch in the desert, unique and quiet. The Skeleton coast offers harsh desert conditions, unique plant life , like the tiny Lichens and plants sustained by fog alone, shipwrecks, jackals and thousands of seals can be viewed at a location Diego erected the first Cross, on his voyage in 1493 In his search for a route around Africa. A must see to view thousands of Cape Fur Seals. Should you wish to see more Shipwrecks you must book the full day Shipwreck Tour as it goes another 200km further north.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We will pass various of houses located along the shore between Swakopmund and Henties Bay. These houses are known as vacation houses
We stop on the way to Cape cross between Swakopmund and Henties Bay where the Zeila Shipwreck is located in the sea.
Here you will see the gallows monument that was erected in 1978 as an appeal to keep the beach clean
we pass and learn about The Orania Desalinization Plant, who built it and why, then past Wlotska's Backen a local Holiday resort and how it came into being. We stop and walk through the tiny lichens in a Lichen Field and learn about how they survive in these arid conditions. We will be stopping at the Zeila ship wreck and onto Henties bay where we collect a light lunch platter. The route takes us past the Gallows monument that has now been changed, and onto Cape Cross seal colony. Where Diego erected a Marble Cross. There is a walk way to go where you get real close to thousands of seals. On spending time Photographing these likeable animals we sadly have to head home.
After hour stop at the seal colony we will then head back but first we will stop and refuel the car so we can have a smooth and save travel back to your accommodation
we pass and learn about The Orania Desalinization Plant, who built it and why, then past Wlotska's Backen a local Holiday resort and how it came into being. We stop and walk through the tiny lichens in a Lichen Field and learn about how they survive in these arid conditions. We will be stopping at the Zeila ship wreck and onto Henties bay where we collect a light lunch platter. The route takes us past the Gallows monument that has now been changed, and onto Cape Cross seal colony. Where Diego erected a Marble Cross. There is a walk way to go where you get real close to thousands of seals. On spending time Photographing these likeable animals we sadly have to head home.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We pick up at any accommodation establishment along the coast. Please send us the name of your place of stay at time of booking. We also pick up and drop off at the Walvis Bay airport. Please take note all cruise liner passengers. We stand in the port after the first gate with a Gazebo that has our logo on. Please note your guide will also stand with a name board. please note all Cruise Liner passengers, your tour pick up time starts an hour after you have docked. The tour will depart latest an hour and a half after the pick up time. Late comers are considered a no show
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- We require a minimum of 2 participants tp start the tour, should this not be met, we will offer you another date or experience or a full refund.
- This tour is seldom cancelled due to bad weather, as it never rains, but we have sand storms, should we have to cancel or postpone the tour we will offer you another time slot/date, or experience or a full refund.
- Please advise us of any special dietary requirements and allergies on booking
- Should you wish to see more shipwrecks along teh Skeleton coast please book the full day Skeleton Coast Shipwreck Tour
- This tour is not recommended for cruise liner guests as its very far to travel
- Please note German guides are limited and we do not have the capacity to give everyone a German guide, These will be allocated on a first come first serve basis. Please note we can not guarantee a German guide on every tour!!
- please note all Cruise Liner passengers, your tour pick up time starts an hour after you have docked. The tour will depart latest an hour and a half after the pick up time. Late comers are considered a no show
- Please note this tour is not meant for cruise liner passengers as the distance you travel is very far and it is a very long drive. Please contact us before booking
Reviews(14)
Had an awesome experience thanks to our tour guide Stephan. He was extremely knowledgeable, welcoming, and gave us a few good laughs. The seal colony is almost unbelievable until you experience it live, and the drive itself was fascinating… the scenery seemingly changing every 10-20 kilometers. If you are in the area, I definitely recommend you give this tour a go!
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear that you had such an amazing experience with our company. The seal colony really is one of those places that's hard to believe until you see it with your own eyes, and we're glad the ever-changing scenery along the drive added to the adventure. We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you back for another unforgettable experience 🤗. Thanks Uwe
Amazing tour of the Skeleton Coast with Riaan! He was the best- very attentive to his customers.
Thank you for leaving such a wonderful review! We hope to welcome you back for another tour. Thanks Uwe
We had a wonderful time with our tour guide Stephan. He showed us some spectacular places and made the trip an unforgettable experience.
Good guide - good Tour , glad you loved it. Thank you for review. Much appreciated. Uwe
A full day of diverse scenery and experiences. Our knowledgeable guide Hannes was able to adjust our schedule and experience with our interests. An excellent tour combines the coast, desert, history and of course the very loud and smelly seals!
This is wonderful to hear. The Skelton coast tour has interesting and hard history, with lots of little interesting things. Glad you liked it. Far way to travel in the Namib Desert. Glad you liked it. Wishing safe travels.
This tour was amazing! We only had so much time in Swakopmund and wanted to see as many sights as possible. Our guide, Winton, was fantastic. Arrived promptly, helped us pick out our lunch, and we were off. He explained the shipwreck, the flora, and the seal colony, as well as the local history. When it was lunchtime, he set up a table right on the beach, which we also off-roaded - that was a fun addition. We highly recommend this tour!
Thank you for your kind words and for choosing our Skeleton Coast tour. Glad you loved it and the lunch setting. It's only desert they say... haha so much to see and do. Thank you Uwe
Another superb day with this company. Great service and professional guides. Lots of information. Took us to all the places wished to visit. Happy to make stops as requested if we saw something that interested us. Great lunch (too much in actual fact) provided in a atmospheric spot. Can't recommend them enough
you stopped my heart for a second , with your caption. hahaha The skeleton coast tour is a lot of traveling in a day and we are so glad that you had a lovely day. History is deep and harsh in this area. Thank you for choosing Desert Dunes and Dust tours. Uwe
This guided tour in Namibia was a highlight of our trip! Booking was easy —our accommodation took care of everything. Our guide William was wonderful: friendly, knowledgeable, and a skilled driver who made us feel at ease from the start. We had a great time with him, learning so much about the fascinating nature and history of the area. Though we could have done the trip independently, the guide added immense value, offering insights we’d never have known on our own. The seal colony was definitely worth a visit (even with the strong smell), and the small towns along the way were filled with character and history that brought the journey to life. The price was very fair for the quality of the experience.
great to hear you had a wonderful skeleton coast tour. Great to hear the guide was knowledgeable and took great car of you. sights are far between and history and geology is interesting and harsh. It is always better to go with a guide as they have invaluable knowledge, its like adding color to a bleak picture. great to hear you were satisfied. Uwe
The Skeleton Coast is just that. Few and far between things through the desert. We saw 2 out of the 3 possible shipwrecks but that was only due the tide being high at the time. Great to see the old mining works and the Seal Colony is just humbling, you get up so close that I wouldn't have believed it, until I took this trip. Our guide was helpful and knowledgable about the area and was able o provide us with much information and valuable knowledge of Namibia as a whole when we asked questions. It is a long day and a lot of travelling but well worth it.
Great to hear that you had a lovely day tor of the Skeleton coast. Its far to drive and long distances between sightings and difficult because of the distances. We are glad you had an interesting day and could imagine how difficult life was in the desert years ago. Those days men were men , hard as nails, without water, winds fog, sandstorms and the like everyday. Wish you safe travels. Uwe
I did a tour with this group back in March of 2024. Of all my time in Namibia, this was my worst experience. I am not exaggerating. There was so much driving and nothing to see. It was so bad that after the seals, we had the driver take us back. The vehicle was not the best. At one point, the doors would not open and the driver had to crawl through the trunk. As for shipwrecks, we seen one and then went to a piece of metal that could have been from anything. Save your money and do this on your own. Even the snacks were bad. I have the pictures to back up all that I wrote. The tour is misleading, the company that books is not the one that executes. Good luck in trying to get someone to take responsibility because all point fingers at the other.
Thank you for your concerns and criticism. This helps us solve issues. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused. We did use another company that day as we were all fully utilized on a cruise liner visit. We humbly apologize that they did not meet our standards. We will not use them again. Please initiate a refund from your side and we will approve it on our side. The tour is very long and Cape Cross is 150km from Swakopmund. There long desert stretches with little site seeing. So far we have had a lot of good feed back about the amount and quality of the food we serve along the way, but will definitely take it up with the caterer. Please accept our apologies. Uwe
A great days outing with John van Wyk. Such a beautiful coast line. Just a word on the second shipwreck ... its not there anymore! The sea has done its own clean up job!
Thank you for your kind words Dena. The sea has been coming in, when we were there a month ago the shipwreck was in the shore waves and i was wondering how long. The Winston is also gone. Great to hear our guides are doing a good job. Wishing you safe travels. Uwe
