Between Nowhere And The Kunene

The vast plains of Namibia end on the banks of the Kunene River, which forms the border with Angola. Travel up the Skeleton Coast to the mouth of the Kunene for scenery, shipwrecks, and fishing where very few have fished before.

- Evan Naude

The beach at St Nowhere is pretty much the opposite of what you’d expect a beach at a holiday destination to look like: Dark sand is buried under kelp and driftwood; the sea is choppy; and a cold wind breathes down my neck. It’s late afternoon but the sun is invisible, hidden behind a thick bank of grey fog over the Atlantic Ocean.

Where is St Nowhere? Or more importantly, what is St Nowhere? It’s about 100 km north of Henties Bay on the Skeleton Coast of Namibia, and it’s a fishing resort. People don’t come here for sundowners and postcard snaps for Instagram…

I zip up my jacket to my chin and pull my beanie over my ears. I drove here from Windhoek to start a journey to an even more remote place: the mouth of the Kunene River.

The long way north

Dawn is as grey as dusk was yesterday. Coffee does little to warm me up. I’m travelling with a recce team from Bhejane 4x4 Adventures – they’re working on a new tour of the Skeleton Coast. Visitors to the northernmost part of the Skeleton Coast National Park are restricted and only tour operators with a permit may enter the concession area north of Möwe Bay. Only 20 tour groups travel to the mouth of the Kunene each year.

Usually, tour groups spend one day at the river mouth before they head inland to explore the Kaokoveld, but concession holders Skeleton Coast Adventure Tours/OIG have permission to fish in the area. Add birdwatching, dune driving and the knowledge that the nearest town is more than 200 km away, and you’ll want to stay there forever!