The seals of Cape Cross
On the Skeleton Coast, Cape Cross is a seal reserve, the Cape Cross Seal Reserve. The Portuguese navigator Diogo Cão landed here in January 1486, the first European to reach the area, and set up a stone cross.

Key facts
Before you go.
- Starting point
- The Skeleton Coast, in western NamibiaCape Cross (Wikipedia)
- GPS coordinates
- -21.77278, 13.95083Cape Cross (Wikipedia)
- Official price
- 280 Namibian dollars per foreign adult (Cape Cross Seal Reserve), in force since 1 April 2026 · checked on 1 November 2026Park entrance and conservation fees from 1 April 2026 (ministère namibien de l’Environnement, publié par NWR)
Good to know
Three things to remember.
Two replicas of the first cross stand there today.
Cape Cross (Wikipedia)The original was taken to Berlin in 1893 by a German naval officer.
Cape Cross (Wikipedia)Entry is free for children aged 8 and under.
Park entrance and conservation fees from 1 April 2026 (ministère namibien de l’Environnement, publié par NWR)
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Sources · 2 pages consulted, with the exact sentence used
- Cape Cross (Wikipedia)
Cape Cross […] is a headland in the South Atlantic in Skeleton Coast, western Namibia. […] Cão reached Cape Cross in January 1486, being the first European to visit this area. […] What can today be found at Cape Cross are two replicas of that first cross. The original Cape Cross padrão was removed in 1893 by Corvette captain Gottlieb Becker […] of the German Navy, and taken to Berlin. (coordinates -21.77278, 13.95083)
- Park entrance and conservation fees from 1 April 2026 (ministère namibien de l’Environnement, publié par NWR)
Revised and updated park entrance and conservation fees to be implemented from 01 April 2026 · Ai-/Ais Game Park, Cape Cross Seal Reserve […] · Adults · Other foreign nationals: Total Park Fee (N$) 280. Persons aged 8 years and below · All nationalities: Nil.
Opening hours, prices and access conditions change: check them with the official source before you go. Viafro publishes no price without a source and a date.