The Skeleton Coast Park is one of our planet's most inhospitable, but hauntingly beautiful places - it is wild, desolate and uninhabited. It has everything from roaring sand dunes, windswept plains, towering canyons, salt pans to seal colonies, shipwrecks and even one of the most productive fishing grounds anywhere. Fresh water springs permeate through barren sands to create rare oasis in the desert, which sustain pockets of wildlife. Springbok, Gemsbok (Oryx), the Desert Elephant, Ostrich, Jackal and Brown Hyena eke out an existence in this rugged terrain, along with vegetation like Welwitschia, which has adapted to the harsh conditions.The Skeleton Coast National Park has three zones. The southern half is the public area of the national park focused around Terrace Bay and its accommodation, which is used predominantly on self-drive safaris. The northern zone from Mowe Bay northwards is a totally private concession within the National Park, while extreme north of the park is the research area. Between Mowe Bay and the research area is about 200,000 hectares of incredible countryside, which is totally isolated and private. The cold Benguela Current travels all the way up from Antarctica and brings plankton rich water to this coastline - along with massive amounts of fish.The real bonus though, is that this current also moderates the temperatures. We were in the middle of the desert in the height of mid-summer and the temperatures never rose above 28 degrees C. Although the area is so vast, there is so much to see and experience. Even though this a luxury safari, the terrain is harsh, rough and rugged. Wilderness will try and make this as comfortable as possible, but they have no way of hiding from the elements. This is not a safari for those without a spirit of adventure, but it will be enjoyed by those who are looking for a true wilderness experience in some of the most spectacular scenery in southern Africa. The safari can be extended to 8 days.