Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Henties Bay lies at the junction of the coastal salt road and the C35, which turns inland to-
wards Damaraland.
Note that motorcycles are not permitted in Skeleton Coast Park. No permits are re-
quired to transit the area, and the salt road from Swakopmund is passable year-round with
a 2WD.
CAPE CROSS SEAL RESERVE
The best-known breeding colony of Cape fur seals along the Namib coast is this
reserve
(per person/car N$40/10; 10am-5pm)
, where the population has grown large and fat
by taking advantage of the rich concentrations of fish in the cold Benguela current. The
sight of more than 100,000 seals basking on the beach and frolicking in the surf is im-
pressive to behold, though you're going to have to contend with the overwhelming odori-
ferousness of piles and piles of stinky seal poo. Bring a handkerchief or bandana to cover
your nose - seriously, you'll thank us for the recommendation.
No pets or motorcycles are permitted, and visitors may not cross the low barrier
between the seal-viewing area and the rocks where the colony lounges.
Although it's primarily known for the seals, Cape Cross has a long and illustrious his-
tory. In 1485 Portuguese explorer Diego Cão, the first European to set foot in Namibia,
planted a 2m-high, 360kg
padrão
(a stone cross in tribute to Portuguese king João II) at
Cape Cross.
In 1893 however, a German sailor, Captain Becker of the
Falke,
removed the cross and
hauled it off to Germany. The following year, Kaiser Wilhelm II ordered that a replica be
made with the original inscriptions in Latin and Portuguese, as well as a commemorative
inscription in German. This cross remains at the site, in addition to a second cross, made
of dolerite, which was erected in 1980 on the site of Cão's original cross.
There are
campsites
(per person N$100)
here on the water's edge, which appear well
set up a bit away from the stink, but were closed when we called through and it was un-
clear when they would reopen.
Cape Cross Lodge
( 064-694012;
www.capecross.org
;
campsites N$380, s/d
N$1300/1950; )
has an odd but strangely appealing architecture, which is self-de-
scribed as a cross between Cape Dutch and fishing-village style. The nicer rooms have
spacious outdoor patios that overlook the coastline, though you really can't choose a bad
room at this all-around stunner of a lodge, conveniently located just before the official re-
serve entrance. It's a superb, isolated spot right on a sweeping bend of the bay overlook-
ing blue seas and rollers lolling in and crashing over white sand beaches. The restaurant
(mains N$70 to N$100) dishes out plenty of seafood including a fish sandwich (with ad-
mittedly weird mayo) and a seafood platter for N$195.
