Shipwrecks, slipfaces and tight lines
The Kunene estuary, at the very top of Namibia’s infamous Skeleton Coast, is a destination that usually appears somewhere on every offroader’s top 10 list. It has all the hallmarks of a proper 4x4 destination: it’s extremely far from society; the road there is challenging; and the scenery is something you can’t really even describe.
The Kunene forms the northern border of Namibia and the Skeleton Coast National Park, and although you can visit the southern part of the park any day, the northern stretch of coastline to the estuary is closed to the public. You do still have the opportunity to tick this destination on your list, however, as a handful of people are allowed here with an approved tour operator in this 350 km concession area every year. We went to have a look at how this works.
National Park’s southern entrance gate near the Ugab River estuary (the other is the Springbokwasser gate on the C39) is about 190 km north of Swakopmund. So you can do this stretch of road, partly tar and partly salt road, pretty quickly and make your
