“A day dream, an idea, a concept can come to fruition if there is a driving force strong enough to make it happen.” — Erwin Viktor Bursik
T
HE think tank at Gondwana Collections had a dream — a floating houseboat stationed in a backwater canal in the Okavango swamp where a couple could be safely ensconced overnight in complete luxury with all the modcons yet in total solitude with no means of “escape”. After a few days spent training the Gondwana Collection skippers it was time to relax again, and some of that time was spent aboard the realisation of the houseboat dream ... The Namushasha River Villa was built in Windhoek and is now anchored in a small backwater cove in the delta. The aft
46 • SKI-BOAT May/June 2020
deck overlooks the grass plains of the Bwabwata National Park and its abundant wildlife, and the front deck has views of a magnificent papyrus swamp which boasts an abundance of bird life. It’s a wonderful place to spend some time — fascinating and relaxing during the daylight hours before they bloom into magnificent sunsets, and haunting as darkness descends surrounding one with Africa’s night noises. Many of those sounds floating across the water are made by the ever-present hippos and, depending on the season, elephants and other terrestrial beasts of Africa which come to quench their thirst after dark. The narrow beam of light from a handheld spotlight not only adds visuals to this “sound vista”, but also creates a million minute “stars” as the numerous flying insects take to the air over the glittering waters.
