1

Well there is no bad time to visit Namibia! :)

However December and January are very hot and it is when the rains start so heavy afternoon thunderstorms are to be expected.

2

December and January can be wet, as threedogs says. You never quite know until the time is there though, and you might be able to escape most of the rain by staying far west in the country, perhaps especially in January.

Skeleton Coast is easy to get to if you just want to go to Torra Bay, or is it Terrace? I always forget, you need to check it out at NWR's web page to find out what the requirements are and what accommodation that is available. But from there on, you need a special permit.

I think there are some organized tours further up Skeleton Coast. You can check out e.g. Wilderness Safaris, perhaps. But be warned: they're not cheap!

Up to Cape Cross is easy 2x4 sedan car driving, but from there on a 4x4 can be handy is there is a lot of loose sand on the road. You never know.

3

Rain may not be ideal for safari, but could be great photo opportunity.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/youngadventure/sets/72157625578378522/

4

I agree with threedogs. It is really hot then. Summer months (May-September) are definitely better for visiting Namibia, because they have 'winter' then. I've been there in July and the temperature during the day was just perfect: 25-30C, though at night it dropped to about 0C.

5

We were there in July also and weather was perfect for the dunes at Sossusvlei - t-shirt warm during the day so perfect for climbing. I cannot imagine doing it in their summer months - Dec/Jan.

We drove the Skeleton Coast from Springbok Gate all the way south. There really is nothing to see and the road can be hard on tires. We had one flat. We were fortunate to have a clear blue sky but I am told that when the fog rolls in, driving there can be a new kind of hell.

North of Springbok Gate / Torra Bay you must have a special permit from NWR as this area is restricted. South of Springbok Gate you can travel but must be through Springbok Gate by 1 pm so that you can get through the southern gate at Ugab River by dark. We were told at NWR we must be through by 4 pm but when we went through they told us as long as we were out by 7 pm. In any event the deadline was not hard to meet because there is nothing to see. Most of the time the road travels quite far from the beach. When we did get near enough to walk out we found the ocean front uninspiring. There is nothing but endless coarse grey sand and endless crashing grey waves - no interesting rocks or shells or vegetation.

South of Ugab River is what the section of the Skeleton Coast that most people go to see, the West Coast National Tourist Recreatin Area. This is more interesting. If you have a 4WD there are lots of sand roads out to the water for fishing. There is the Cape Cross Seal Colony - thousands of seals grunting, squealing and defecating in a small area. The smell will stay with you for days. Mile 108 is interesting and you can camp there. Then you come to Heintes Bay where we ended up spending a whole day while they tried to fix the tire we blew earlier in the day. It's a small but somewhat interesting town once you spend enough time there to talk to people.

Walvis Bay further south was a cool experience. We took a ride out to Sandwich Harbour up and over the sand dunes. Worth every penn of the 1050 Rand each.

Road reports and photos of our trip at http://www.lifewellspent.com