Shipwreck Lodge
Shipwreck Lodge Is A Unique Lodge Located Just A Couple Of Kilometres From The Shore Inside Skeleton Coast National Park.
Shipwreck Lodge has an amazing location in the heart of the Skeleton Coast National Park. It is perhaps the only upmarket lodge you can stay at which offers quick access to the beaches of the Skeleton Coast, whilst also offering inland exploration through the park along the Hoarusib River course. The accommodation is quirky but very comfortable, and the general standards of hospitality are excellent for such a remote place. This is one of the key places to consider if you want to experience the Skeleton Coast.
Rooms
Accommodation is offered for around 20 guests in 10 individual rooms, each built from wood and designed to resemble the shipwrecks which the coastline is famous for. Each is built on low stilts and is spacious with twin and double beds and a comfortable day bed all affording views over the desolate desert. A small vestibule with luggage racks and a tea and coffee station, separates the bedroom from the en suite bathroom (with double vanity unit, shower and loo). Two of the rooms are family units and can accommodate up to two children in the same room (using the day bed and an additional trundle bed). The rooms are set along a dune ridge, accessed via a sandy pathway, and have a wood burning stove for those chilly winter nights and a small furnished deck for warmer days.
Central Areas
The central areas of the lodge include a cosy lounge and a bar/dining room. To the fore is an outdoor terrace with views across the dunes to the Atlantic Ocean in the distance.
Facilities
Wi-Fi – Yes
Power for Charging – Yes
Swimming – Yes
Area
The coastline of Namibia, where the burning desert meets the cold Atlantic Ocean, is known as the Skeleton Coast. Strong currents and harsh conditions have historically led to many a shipwreck, some of which can be seen today. Whilst the far south of the country has been closely controlled for diamond mining, and the central region has been quite accessible around the towns of Walvis Bay and Swakopmund, the northern half of the coast is officially designated as the Skeleton Coast National Park. Conditions on the beach are usually quite unforgiving, with strong winds and frequent fog. Moving away from the beach, the sand dunes build and the landscape is an empty wilderness of sand dunes, low rocky ridges and gravel plains. On the eastern edge of the park, the mountains of Damaraland and Kaokoland rise out of the desert. Most of the wildlife found in the park is seen along the beach, with seal colonies providing the main food source for predators such as black-backed jackals and brown hyaena. Desert adapted species such as oryx and springbok will venture throughout the park, whilst water dependant species such as desert elephant and lion are only likely to be found along the river valleys entering the eastern edge of the park. Whales and dolphins can be seen off the beach, and the coast is well known for offering excellent beach fishing.
Activities
The unpredictable weather on the Skeleton Coast will determine the duration and availability of activities but central to your stay will be a half day 4×4 excursion along the Hoarusib River looking for signs of the desert adapted wildlife and enjoying the varied landscapes. Further activities include a guided or self-guided walks along the coast, sandboarding, local nature drives, sundowner drives, beach lunches and quad biking (please note that there are only seven quad bikes at the lodge and children under the age of 16 are not allowed to ride the quad bikes). You can also take a guided day excursion to the Mowe Bay seal colony which includes stops at the Suiderkus and Karimona shipwrecks, Westies diamond mine, and the remains of the Ventura Bomber.
Seasons
Shipwreck Lodge is open year round. April to September is dry but can be very cold at night, and mornings can be foggy. October to March is warmer and less foggy, but you can experience rain.
Children of all ages are accepted at the lodge. For families with younger children, the two family units are ideal, offering a little more space to sleep two extra children on the day bed and an additional trundle bed. The destination and range of activities will naturally appeal to active, older children.
All guests at Shipwreck Lodge pay a conservation, community and reserve fee included in the accommodation rate and this goes towards protecting wildlife and habitats and supporting communities. Your stay at Shipwreck Lodge helps to support the conservation of desert dwelling brown hyena and lions that have adapted to life in the desert. With a better understanding of behaviours, population dynamics, and potential threats, the lodge can work with conservation partners and local communities to ensure that these endangered predators are protected.
Shipwreck Lodge supports the Desert Lion Conservation Project and Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation in an effort to protect the desert-adapted lions of northwest Namibia from human-wildlife conflict. This is done through the implementation of satellite-based monitoring and automated early warning systems.
