Africa’s remote, wild landscapes are epitomised in the Skeleton Coast, and when an eerie Atlantic mist suddenly sweeps across the landscape, there’s really no place more stark or spectacular. Empty, isolated beaches are scattered with bleached whale bones and thousands of shipwrecks, with an interior that's simply miles of rolling sand. It all makes for a magical, hauntingly picturesque scene.
Don't expect to live in simplicity, though – the lodge has been wonderfully constructed to match the remarkable scenery of the Skeleton Coast, with each room designed to evoke the beach-lining shipwrecks. Solar powered private tents are luxurious with contemporary grey furnishings and sprawling thatched roofs, and feature en-suite bathrooms. A stylish swimming pool is on hand, a welcome relief from the dry desert heat, but chilly evenings are welcomed with wood-fired stoves in your tent before you enjoy all-inclusive meals and drinks. The central lounge, encircled by a wraparound deck, is a wonderful place for sundowners accompanied by uninterrupted views across the sand, all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.
The landscape is spectacularly explored with daily game drives across the Mars-like dusty plains, its pristine shores dotted with whale carcasses and ships destroyed by the unrelenting environment. The lunar landscape is, surprisingly, filled with desert-adapted wildlife, such as elephant and kudu who roam the beach, having followed one of the ephemeral rivers that seasonally overflow into the Atlantic, such as the bright red Hoarusib Riverbed. Black rhinos and mountain zebras travelling up and down the river are not an unlikely sight, either. Mowe Bay greets you with seals flopped in their hundreds on rocky shores lapped by raging seas, and you'll also spot giraffe, lions, baboon, and even hyenas. Head on 4×4 excursions to the famous Clay Castles, spurting out of the ground in great mounds, and drive across large dune fields undulating in otherworldly orange waves to the famous Suiderkus shipwreck, teeming with perched cormorants.