Travel Namibia Extra 1

May 2010

www.travelnamibiamag.com

extra

INSIDE ■ Wetlands of Caprivi ■ Fighting fire with fire ■ Namibia’s boxing hero ■ Instant expert: braai

life

What it takes to survive

Moro News · views · people · places · conservation · community · wildlife · culture

The Extra reach

Welcome to the first edition of TRAVEL NAMIBIA EXTRA, a supplementary publication to our main Travel Namibia magazine, which has proven highly popular since its launch in November 2007.

To build on the success of Travel Namibia and enable us to reach more readers around the world more frequently, we’re making some changes to our traditional format.

First, we’re going to publish four times a year, rather than twice. There will now be one bumper issue at the end of each year, and three “Extra” editions which will each focus on a particular subject, allowing us to provide you with more detailed information and inspiration to help you plan your Namibian travels.

Second, we’re going to distribute all copies free as digital flipbooks. Not only will this allow easier access for readers across the world, it will also enable us to bring audio and video into a more content-rich experience in the future.

But if you prefer your magazines in printed format, don’t worry – printed copies are available on subscription for a nominal fee to cover print and postage costs.

It’s an exciting time, and we hope you’ll enjoy your Namibian exploration even more – starting with our desert search for the little ’uns in this issue. Happy reading!

JEANETTE BAKER, EDITOR

TRAVEL NAMIBIA EXTRA is published three times a year to complement TRAVEL NAMIBIA magazine, published each November. All issues of TRAVEL NAMIBIA (and TRAVEL NAMIBIA EXTRA) are available free of charge in digital format or in printed format for a small charge.

For orders or more information, visit: www.travelnamibiamag.com Email: namibia@travelafricamag.com TRAVEL NAMIBIA is published by Travel Africa Ltd. 4 Rycote Lane Farm, Milton Common, Oxford, OX9 2NZ, United Kingdom. www.travelafricamag.com Tel: +44 (0)1844 278883 Fax: +44 (0)1844 278893 Publisher Craig Rix (craig@travelafricamag.com) Editor Jeanette Baker (jeanette@travelafricamag.com) Production Phil Clisby (phil@travelafricamag.com) Designer Lisa Duke Cover Palmato gecko, by Fabian von Poser (Alamy.com)

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The wheel thing. A reflection revealed that the cobra was exploring the wheel hub

Guide post What began as a straightforward game drive out into the bush turned into a hair-raising episode of hide-and-seek for PAWS guide Clive Johnson.

“PAWS (People And Wildlife Solutions) is a Volunteer Conservation Project based on Okonjima Lodge’s 55,000 hectare reserve in the heart of the Namibian bush. Each morning the volunteers work directly in the reserve or at the AfriCat Foundation, and in the afternoons I take the volunteers on a well-deserved game drive – which on this occasion turned out to be especially exciting!

“I was taking the volunteers leopard tracking, and the drive began normally enough as we headed out into Okonjima’s 4500-hectare reserve. However, when I stopped to check spoor, a Western barred spitting cobra decided to join the volunteers on their activity and climbed into the Hilux’s wheel hub! It then decided to explore the vehicle further and venture into the engine, where it could not be found for some time. As you can imagine this created a little unease and nervousness amongst the volunteers.

“Not knowing the exact location of a Western barred spitting cobra can be a little disconcerting, especially when

all you do know is that it’s pretty close!

Luckily for everyone it eventually got bored and slipped away into the bush, much to the relief of myself and the volunteers!

Thankfully the rest of the game drive continued without incident!”

Clive Johnson, PAWS, (www.pawsnamibia. org), Okonjima Lodge

Homegrown talent

INSTANTEXPERT

Meet Daniel Kashela, a talented young Namibian boxer who is being sponsored by AfriCat as part of its community outreach programme. Daniel has been in the UK to get some advanced coaching at one of London’s top gyms, The Real Fight Club. ★ Date of birth: 6 November 1980. ★ From: A small town called Endunja in the Ohangwena region in the north of Namibia. ★ Family: I have one brother and one sister. My parents are not able to support me financially, for they don’t have any income, but whenever I fight in the North they always enjoy watching me fight. ★ On boxing: I love boxing so much and have done since I was a small boy. It’s my life, my passion, my talent. When I was a child, I started with traditional boxing, which is called ‘Onghadeka’. This traditional

sport is the reason so many young men love boxing. You fight with no gloves and everyone loves and respects this tradition. ★ Mentor: Mr Tobias Nashilongo – he’ll coach anyone who loves boxing. He does not just focus on the fitness of the boxer, but inspires all to live a healthy life, to be disciplined in all aspects and to not fall into the trap of violence and the risks of casual sex. He educates all his students about the dangers of HIV and how it can end your career and your life. ★ Ambition: I want to be great fighter who is recognised worldwide. ★ The toughest part of being a boxer: To always stay fit and keep training. ★ If I wasn’t a boxer I’d be… I’d love to be a marine biologist.

DID YOU KNOW:

The faeces of the desert elephants of Kaokaland are virtually devoid of moisture when passed, indicating that the maximum water extraction has taken place in the digestive tract.

GOING WILD AROUND AND ABOUT FOOTBALL

It’s almost here. The FIFA World Cup kicks off in South Africa on 11 June and football fever has gripped the continent. But it’s not just about the footie itself – many people are using the tournament as the perfect opportunity to explore Africa. In a recent survey, the majority of respondents who were attending the World Cup (nearly 73%) planned on visiting at least one other African country, whilst some 61% were interested in going on safari. And where better than Namibia’s extraordinary attractions, like Etosha, Damaraland and the Namib Naukfluft...?

See you there!

Did you Know: you could fit 70,000 FIFA-sanctioned football fields into the 37,000ha Private reserve of Little Kulala?

Braai ★ Braai… isn’t that what donkeys do?

Er, no, you’re thinking of ‘bray’. A braai (pronounced ‘bry’) is a specially constructed place for burning wood. ★ Why would you want one of those?

Because fire is very much a part of life in Namibia. For some it is a matter of staying warm and preparing meals. For others, lighting the fire is one of the rituals of companionship, hospitality and cooking. ★ Ah, yes, the good old days around the camp fire. How do you do it then? In some countries you need special permission to light up. This is not the case in Namibia.

Here, if you want to make a fire, you get the matches and light some wood. ★ Ok, I’ve got fire, now what? If you’re going to cook on the braai, you will need a braai grid, four level stones of about 10cm in height and a fork with long tines. Once the wood has burned down to glowing red coals, rake them into a flat, square heap. Place the stones at the corners of the coals and rest the braai grid on the stones. You are now ready to begin cooking. ★ So what should I cook? You can seldom go wrong with a selection of decent steak, but no braai is complete without the long coils of local sausage known as ‘boerewors’, or have a go at some sosaties (kebabs). ★ Anything else I should know? After you’ve finished, put the fire out with water. Sand is a second option, but coals can still cause fire if the wind blows the sand off the embers, so use this method only as a last resort. ★ Anything else I should bring? Some snacks in case it all goes horribly wrong!

(With thanks to www.tourbrief.com for information)

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Namibia Undiscovered

THE LIVING D Size isn’t everything when it comes to safaris. Meet the fascinating ‘Little Five’ – creatures that have adapted to survive in the harsh surroundings of the Namib desert. Words & pics: Ann & Steve Toon

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ommy Collard is reading the bushman newspaper.

He’s crouched half way up the slip face of a dune, peering intently at the fine orange sand. To us the dune slope is a blank sheet, smooth and apparently featureless. No news today, we think. Tommy knows better. He’s spotted some tiny irregularity in the sand, some minor blemish, as if someone had gently fanned the surface with Tommy’s battered bush-hat, raising an insignificant ripple. He starts to dig, with the same intense concentration we’ve seen in a jackal digging for bee-eater chicks, but with much greater sensitivity. Then, suddenly, he stands up, holding something protectively cupped in his hand. He clambers down the dune to where we’re waiting in excited anticipation, and proffers his treasure.

In the palm of his hand sits a palmato gecko, its large unblinking eyes staring back at us. Its skin is transparent, with ice cream colours of vanilla and raspberry showing through. Tommy 4 Travel Namibia

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places it carefully on the sand for us to photograph, and we can see how its webbed feet act like miniature snow-shoes in the sand.

Tommy produces a mist spray from his truck, and gently coats the gecko in fine water droplets. The diminutive reptile thirstily licks the drops from its face with its long tongue. Usually it would survive on condensation from the Namib fog that rolls in over this coastal dune belt most nights. The fog – “the heartbeat of the Namib”, as Tommy calls it – accompanied us on our short drive out from Swakopmund earlier, but the morning sun has chased it back to the cold Atlantic, and the day is starting to heat up. Tommy returns the nocturnal gecko to its burrow and carefully covers it up with sand.

We climb back into the ‘Living Desert’ tour 4WD, a beast of a vehicle with oversized tyres which Tommy has deflated to cope with the soft sand, and resume our slow patrol along the foot of the dune.

Tommy points an infrared thermometer at the passing slip face: “Only 43 degrees. It’s still cool,” he announces.

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g deserttle 5

t i l s b i m Na ’

Our guide, Tommy Collard, starts to dig with the same intense concentration we’ve seen in a jackal digging for bee-eater chicks

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Namibia Undiscovered We’re careful to avoid driving on the small gravel flats between dunes, as these are very sensitive habitats, easily damaged, and any tyre tracks will take decades to disappear. Joy riders in 4WDs or quad bikes are a constant threat to the fragile ecosystem, and Tommy is part of a local body working to protect the area from the irresponsible minority who stray beyond the designated recreational areas.

Within minutes Tommy has spotted the first of many tenebrionid or ‘toktokkie’ beetles, foraging among the windswept plant detritus accumulated at the foot of the slip face (“beetle muesli”, Tommy calls it). Out comes the mist spray again, and we watch the glossy black fog-basking beetle live up to its name, standing on its head so that the condensed droplets run down to its mouth.

There’s more to come. Next Tommy shows us a dancing white lady spider, using a stick to point out its formidable fangs, and the spider rears up, threatening with front legs raised. It has a painful venomous bite, we’re told. We take a leaf from Tommy’s book and treat it with cautious respect.

Back in the vehicle we’re soon skirting a larger gravel plain, dotted with diminutive dollar bushes and jackal bushes. Tommy talks about his lifelong passion for wildlife: “When I was a kid my mum used to dread bathing me because she never knew what I would have in my pocket.” He set up the Living Desert tour to share his knowledge and enthusiasm for the Namib’s hidden and harderto-see desert-dwelling creatures, but it’s not just overseas tourists who benefit from his passion and expert bushcraft. In the past two years alone he’s introduced more than one thousand Namibian school kids to the fascinating fauna and flora of the desert dunes. He doesn’t take payment from the schools, but it’s clear he gets ample personal reward: “You see a kid fearful to hold a chameleon at first, and then you see in their eyes that breakthrough when it’s OK,” he explains.

Stopping the vehicle once again, Tommy leaps out and begins scurrying from bush to straggly bush, barefoot and bowlegged. He stops by a jackal bush, then circles it slowly, stops again, and beckons us over. “There!” he says, pointing at the sand.

The sand here is coarser, more granular, multicoloured. There’s nothing to see. “There,” he says again. “It’s a sidewinder.” We step back involuntarily, but still can’t see anything. Tommy crouches down and points at the sand grains.

Peering hard at the sand again we both suddenly spot them. Two tiny brown, jewelled eyes, smaller than the largest grains of sand, with black slits 6 Travel Namibia

desert’s ‘Little Five’ 1 The Palmato Gecko The palmato, or web-footed, gecko gets most of its water requirements from its diet of insects, mainly beetles and their larvae, termites and crickets.

But it also supplements this supply by allowing the fog to condense on its large eyes, then licking them with its long tongue. This also helps keep the eyes clean. The gecko is largely nocturnal, and has an almost transparent skin through which its blood vessels are visible, producing a variety of colours and patterns in different individuals.

When alarmed, the palmato gecko can run at considerable speed, holding itself high above the surface of the sand, and leaving distinct fig-like imprints from its webbed feet.

desert’s ‘Little Five’ 2 The FOG-BASKING BEETLE The fog-basking tenebrionid beetle’s unique method of collecting water – by standing on its head in the early morning and allowing the fog to condense on its back and run down to its mouth – is so effective that a single beetle can drink up to 40 per cent of its own body weight in a single morning. Namib desert tenebrionids have the highest body temperatures recorded in any cold-blooded animal and come nearer their lethal maximum temperature than most other cold-blooded animals. They bury themselves under the sand to avoid the most extreme high temperatures, emerging periodically to forage. They can also use their long legs to raise their bodies by ‘stilting’. In the right wind conditions a few millimetres’ elevation can make all the difference.

Tommy places the palmato gecko carefully on the sand and we can see how its webbed feet act like miniature snow-shoes

desert’s ‘Little Five’ 3 The DANCING WHITE LADY SPIDER One of the two species of dancing white lady spider endemic to the Namib escapes parasitic wasps and predators such as geckos by rolling into a ball and cartwheeling down dunes at high speed. It hunts at night, patrolling the dune slip face for insects, and rests up in a burrow made out of silk and sealed with a silk trap door. It’s been estimated that a spider will shift up to 80,000 times its own body weight of sand when excavating a burrow. It’s during this process that the spider is most vulnerable to attack by pompilid wasps, which will sting and paralyse the spider before laying their eggs in its body.

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Namibia Undiscovered DESERT’S ‘LITTLE FIVE’ 4 THE PERINGUEY’S ADDER

( OR SIDEWINDER)

The Peringuey’s adder, or sidewinder, is one of the smallest adders in the world, reaching no more than 32cm long. The adder’s characteristic sidewinding movement allows it to keep the bulk of its body off hot sand at any given moment, to avoid overheating. The Peringuey’s adder has eyes on the top of its flattened head, which allows it to burrow into the sand, leaving only the eyes and occasionally the tip of the tail above ground. Some have black-tipped tails, which they flick to lure unsuspecting lizards to within striking range. for pupils, are staring straight up at us. “It’s only a baby,” says Tommy. How on earth did he see it?

Gently, he pushes at the sand near the Peringuey’s adder with his stick, and the snake wriggles to the surface. It’s no more than 15 cm long, half-grown, and thinner than a pencil, covered with tiny sand-coloured scales – perfect camouflage. A miniature forked-tongue tastes the air, and then to our delight it sidewinds, with a graceful and surprisingly rapid sinuous movement. But it doesn’t move far, just a metre or so, then settles back into the sand, wriggling down until once again only its tiny eyes are visible. Even when we know where it is, we can barely make out the disturbance in the sand where it wriggled, the telltale evidence that alerted our expert tracker to its presence. Tommy tells us that the sidewinder may stay around that same jackal bush for as long as three months, and might eat only once in that time.

Back to the truck again, and we drive to a spot where Tommy’s recently seen a Namaqua chameleon. It doesn’t take him long to locate it, sunbathing on a dollar bush, surveying the world like some swivel-eyed Buddha. Its skin is dark, nearly black, soaking up the morning sun. As the day gets hotter it will turn lighter, to reflect the heat.

Namaqua chameleons are unfussy eaters – living

in the desert you take what you can find – and this fellow would happily consume any or all of the other critters we’ve seen so far. But it doesn’t have to go hunting today. Tommy produces a huge dune cricket from his pocket, and tempts the chameleon into the open. It stalks the insect slowly, then darts forward with an unexpected turn of speed and fires its massive sticky tongue at the unfortunate prey. The grasshopper doesn’t stand a chance, and we’d swear the chameleon is smiling as it crunches on its free breakfast.

Satisfied, the chameleon crawls back to its bush, and it’s time for us too to head for home. But there’s one last surprise. On our way back, Tommy takes us high up on a dune, from where we survey the endless sea of sand stretching to the horizon. We’re only a few miles inland from the eccentric Bavariaby-the-Sea that is Swakopmund, but this feels like another planet. We race the 4WD up to the crest of a dune, stop briefly at the top, poised just like a roller-coaster car before its descent, then suddenly slide down the sheer slip face.

The sand roars beneath us. It’s as if the desert is talking to us. We look back at the dunes.

In just a few short hours they have been transformed for us from a beautiful, but barren, wasteland to a rich and amazingly diverse ecosystem.

EXPERIENCE THE LIVING DESERT Tommy Collard runs Living Desert tours daily from Swakopmund.

The cost of N$550 per person (children under 12 are half-price) includes pick-up at your accommodation at around 8am, and soft drinks.

Tours last around five hours.

For full details visit www.tommys.iway.na. A similar tour is run by Chris Nel under the name Living Desert Adventures, visit www.livingdesertnamibia.com for details.

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He clambers down the dune to where we’re waiting in excited anticipation and proffers his treasure

desert’s ‘Little Five’ 5 The NAMAQUA CHAMELEON Namaqua chameleons grow large – up to 30cm long – and are among the fastest-moving of their kind. Their eyes move independently, allowing them to see in both directions at the same time when hunting insects. When they spot prey, both eyes fix on the target, allowing them accurately to judge the distance to fire out their long tongue. The chameleon’s body colour changes according to its mood, as well as to regulate its body temperature by reflecting or absorbing heat. So sophisticated is this adaptation that an individual will sometimes have one side of its body black and the other pale grey. When angry or nervous the chameleon turns black all over. Namaqua chameleons will also regulate their body temperature by digging holes in the sand to shelter in.

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Namibia Undiscovered

Desert life

survivors

Marq De Villiers sifts the sands in search of other examples of Namibia’s tenacious desert life.

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he English word ‘desert’ derives from the Latin for ‘abandoned’, but the notion that deserts are devoid of life is simply wrong. Plants, insects and animals have all become finely-tuned to desert environments over the centuries, sometimes in astonishing ways, evolving strategies that allow them to survive in places where other creatures would simply perish.

The Namib is a relatively narrow strip of land, more than 2000km long but only a few hundred wide, consisting of some hardpan and huge amounts of sand, including the world’s highest dunes. It hardly ever rains here, but as a coastal desert alongside a cold ocean current, it is fog-prone, and many living things have evolved to capture that moisture from the air.

At the Gobabeb Research Institute in the Namib, scientists have for years been cataloguing and studying the wildlife. They talk with a proselytising zeal about the dazzling array of creatures they have found and their idiosyncratic adaptations to the extreme heat and dryness. They showed me a tiny scarab beetle that had learned to irrigate its ‘landholdings’, excavating tiny furrows at a constant gradient to channel condensation. Other marvels include the lizard that hops from foot to foot to diffuse heat absorption, a beetle that curls into a ball to roll down dunes to conserve energy and a spider that spins a small coneshaped web to attract and condense dew.

Plants too are perfectly attuned to desert life. One of Namib’s shrubs has learned to exude salt, which then extracts moisture from the air and feeds it back to the plant. Namibia’s national plant, the Welwitschia

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mirabilis, thought to be linked genetically to pine trees and ancient enough to share some of the characteristics of primitive mosses, can live with miniscule amounts of water. Individual plants can grow to two metres, but they never have more than two leaves per plant. Even in the absence of moisture the leaves just keep on growing, albeit at a glacial pace. Moderate-sized welwitschias have been carbon-dated to about 1000 years old; some of the larger ones are probably much older. When the rare rains come, a welwitschia can grow almost as rapidly as grass.

One of the most resilient desert plants is the acacia, which has evolved both tap and lateral root systems to maximise its search for water. The tap root descends to extraordinary depths. The thorny mimosa shrub has similarly deep roots, as does the prolific tamarisk, prized for the shade of its dense foliage.

Most of the desert’s creatures are small, with dull colours and moderate water requirements. They live in burrows and holes, emerging only at night. The Namib’s snakes have evolved devious ploys for catching prey. The Cape cobra has learned to feign death, lying in the open sun looking thoroughly desiccated until an unwary rodent crosses its path.

The most exhilarating of all desert animals, perhaps because of their scarcity and natural grace, are the antelopes. Many species inhabit the fringes of the Namib, including gemsbok, eland and springbok, proving that all kinds of life can thrive in this seemingly inhospitable landscape.

The unmistakable Welwitschia mirabilis, which can live on miniscule amounts of water

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Namibia Undiscovered

Adapting to

SURVIVE HIGH TEMP GEMSBOK

These large oryx are able to survive longer without drinking water than probably any other wildlife species.

The gemsbok can withstand a rise in its body temperature to 45°C, enough to kill other mammals. A maze of blood vessels protects the animal’s brain, acting like a car radiator to ensure that warm blood pumped from the heart is cooled by exchanging heat with blood in surrounding vessels which has been cooled by evaporation in the gemsbok’s nose. This cooling method also reduces the animal’s need to sweat, preserving water. Gemsbok mostly graze at night, when the moisture content of plants is higher. During the hottest time of day, if there is no shade, they stand with their smallest profile turned towards the sun, and their large sides catching the breeze. The gemsbok’s white belly reflects radiation from the hot red sand.

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The harsh hot and cold extremes of the Namib desert’s dune fields and gravel plains have resulted in an extraordinary range of adaptations among its ingenious and tenacious inhabitants.

HORNED ADDER Buried to the eyeballs in sand, the Horned adder looks pretty harmless, but those horns are a give-away for the devil inside him. His venom is mildly poisonous and will cause swelling, pain and necrosis if he bites.

The horned adder feeds mainly on small lizards, although rodents and amphibians are also eaten, and these are caught by ambush. It is thought prey may be attracted into the snake’s range when it waves the black tip of its tail. Being active at dusk, it prefers to protect itself from the heat during the middle of the day. It will either lie in the shade of small scrub or will shuffle down into the sand.

SOCIABLE WEAVERS In Namibia, where temperatures can range between 15˚C at night and the mid-40s˚C during the day, one creature builds an apartment complex with natural air conditioning that modifies these fluctuations and maintains bearable internal temperatures. This enables the residents to enjoy a comfortable siesta during the heat of the day.

It looks like a haystack in a tree.

Sometimes, the whole tree top is a thatched edifice. Inside this communal home may be up to 300 individual chambers, little baskets all knitted together with entrance tunnels from the bottom. The residents are sociable weavers, close relatives of the European sparrow.

Sociable they certainly are: they even ‘rent’ to other species such as pygmy falcons and Rosyfaced lovebirds.

But they don’t weave! Building and repairs simply involve pushing pieces of straw into the mass, which is held together by its own weight.

THE NAMIB CAMEL The ostrich’s scientific name, Struthio camelus, hints at its desertadaptation. Like the camel the ostrich is unusual among vertebrates in exhaling air that isn’t saturated, retaining some of the moisture that would be lost if it were. Most of the ostrich’s water is obtained from its food, though it will drink when surface water is available. The species regulates its body temperature by drooping its wings to shade its body from the sun and allows heat to escape through the lightly feathered skin under its wings. It also fluffs up its back feathers to allow the breeze to cool its skin. When air temperatures get really high, the ostrich pants rapidly and pulses its oesophagus, known as ‘gular fluttering’. This allows the bird to lower its body temperature by evaporative cooling, although it comes at the cost of losing moisture as sweat.

The ostrich regulates its body temperature by drooping its wings to shade its body from the sun

SHOVEL-SNOUTED LIZARD The shovel-snouted lizard (Aporosaura anchietae) is a remarkable sand-diving denizen of the dunes in Namibia’s moist coastal desert. When foraging on dune surfaces during the heat of the day it resorts to a curious thermoregulatory dance to cool off. Walking high over the sand as if on stilts, it alternately raises opposite front and hind legs into the air, using the base of its tail as support. On cool days it remains above the surface for most of the day, while on hot days, especially when dry winds are blowing, it might not appear at all.

As with other reptiles, the body temperature of Aporosaura assumes the temperature of its surroundings.

To increase its body heat, it emerges during the day when the surface of the sand has been sufficiently warmed by the sun. When the surface becomes too hot, it either dives back into the cooler sand below with a rapid corkscrewing movement, races up to the crest to cool off in the breeze, or resorts to its thermoregulatory foot-lifting dance.

It is thought that its pineal gland (or third eye) plays an important role as a sensory organ in its adjustment to variations in temperature.

WATER-BEARING BIRDS The sight and sound of hundreds, even thousands, of sandgrouse flying in to waterholes in the morning is one of the quintessential wildlife experiences of the Namib desert.

Namaqua sandgrouse eat only dry seeds, so they need to drink regularly, as do their chicks. But bringing up baby chicks close to busy waterholes is a recipe for high infant mortality.

These specially adapted feathers act like a sponge, retaining the water all the way back to where his thirsty chicks are waiting to drink Instead, the male adult sandgrouse will fly up to 50km from his family to fresh water, where he lands briefly to drink, and soak his breast feathers.

These specially adapted feathers act like a sponge, allowing him to retain the water all the way back to where his thirsty chicks are waiting to drink.

Chicks can fend for themselves foodwise, but are dependent on the adult male for at least six weeks before they can fly to water.

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Olweendo

Around

Skele Coa

Catch up with the latest conservation and wildlife news from across the country.

NAMIBIA FACTFILE n Language: English (official), Afrikaans, German and several ethnic languages n Time zone: GMT+2 n Int dialling code: +264 n Visas: Not required for UK and Ireland passport holders n Money: Namibian dollar (N$), currently tied to the South African rand, which is widely accepted for cash payments. Banks are capable and efficient. Traveller’s cheques in UK£ and US$ are both accepted.

Most hotels, restaurants and shops accept credit cards; petrol stations require cash. ATM machines (BOB tills) will accept foreign cards: you must select ‘credit card account’ regardless of actual account type. n Getting there: Air Namibia (www.airnamibia.com.na) flies to Windhoek from Frankfurt. British Airways (www.ba.com) and South African Airways (www.flysaa.com) fly from London Heathrow to Johannesburg and offer good connections to Windhoek. n Internal flights: Air Namibia operates a limited service. Small reliable, privately-run 4-6 seater light aircraft link lodges and bush airstrips all over the country.

Flying is the only way to access the northern Skeleton Coast. n Self-drive: Roads are excellent, the traffic lights and signposting clear, making driving a pleasure.

The trunk roads are very good tarmac, but most others are smooth gravel: stick to 80kph on these as going faster frequently leads to accidents. A 2WD is adequate unless visiting in the rains or heading to off-beat areas like Bushmanland or Caprivi.

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n Places to stay: Hotels are generally clean and safe. Private guest farms welcome visitors nationwide. Stylish lodges and bush camps are the norm in the wilds. Good, clean campsites are nearly everywhere. n Safety: Namibia is generally a very safe country. n Health: Malaria occurs in the northeast and central Namibia – principally in Caprivi, Kavango, Owambo, and Northern Kunene.

It does not occur in all these areas throughout the year and it’s best to consult a travel clinic for the appropriate precautions a few weeks before you leave. Your tetanus, hepatitis A, polio and diphtheria jabs should be up to date. www. fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk is a good source of information. n People: The Himba are probably the best-known ethnic group in Namibia, but the tribe make up just 1% of Namibia’s culturally diverse population. A large proportion of the population are Owambo, with smaller numbers of Kavango, Damara, Herero, San Bushmen, Topnaar and Tswana. Around 12.5% are white Namibians or mixed-race, mostly of Afrikaner or German descent. n GEOGRAPHY: Namibia is essentially a desert country, but it also has some widely contrasting landscapes including the thorn bush savannah and rugged mountains of the Central Plateau, the open plains of Etosha Pan and the lush flood plains of Caprivi. n FIND OUT MORE: Namibia Tourist Board www.namibiatourism.com.na

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islands in africa / www.islandsinafrica.com

namibia The Wetlands of the Caprivi: wildlife census monitoring

The Caprivi is defined by its wetlands, the large tropical river systems of the Okavango, Kwandu-Linyanti and Zambezi-Chobe. Because of its higher rainfall and diversity of ecosystems the Caprivi has a higher carrying capacity for wildlife, with more species of plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs and fresh water fish than elsewhere in Namibia.

But exactly how many? Namibia’s CBNRM/Conservancy policy has created strong incentives for rural communities to protect their wildlife and natural resources and, to get a clear picture of whether these were working, it was decided to monitor wildlife numbers. Different methods were used including fixed foot patrols, boat patrols and aerial surveys. A complete count of all the wetland areas of the Caprivi has now been carried out on three occasions, and they reveal encouraging information on wildlife trends.

The great news is that wildlife numbers are stable or increasing dramatically, as in Species 2004 2007 2009 the case of buffalo, Buffalo 3,262 5,951 9,633 impala and waterbuck.

Elephant 860 3,062 3,450 Of concern are the Hippopotamus 1,387 1,269 1,291 floodplain ungulates, Impala 742 1,361 1,457 Kudu 98 234 171 specifically lechwe Lechwe 738 767 777 and reedbuck, which 76 162 105 occurred in vast numbers Reedbuck Sitatunga 2 7 19 in the Caprivi in the past.

Waterbuck 60 30 130 Their present recovery Wildebeest 6 35 64 is slow and therefore Zebra 1,084 1,653 1,689 special monitoring and Lion 4 10 24 protection is needed for Wattled Crane 8 24 41 these species.

Oshakati

Skeleton Coast

1

Ondangwa

Opuwa

Rundu

Tsumeb

3

Kamanjab

Grootfontein

Otavi

Tsumkwe

Otavi Mountains

Outjo

Terrace Bay Khorixas

Mudumu NP

Kaudom

Etosha NP

Sesfontein

Mahango NP

Katima Mulilo

Central Namibian Highliands

Otjiwarongo

Na

4

Okonjima

Waterberg Plateau

mi 2

Karibib Windhoek

Swakopmund

Walvis Bay

Sossusvlei (dunes)

SOUTH ATLANTIC OCEAN

Gobabis

Rehboth

Namib Naukluft NP

This albino boa is being temporarily cared for at the Living Desert Snake Park, which assists when illegally owned snakes are found in Namibia

3 Okahandja

Naukluft Mountains

Aranos

Hardap Dam

Maltahohe

Mariental

Namib Rand NR

Lüderitz Aus

Keetmanshoop

Naute Dam Fish River Canyon

Grünau Karasburg

2

Swakopmund: The Living Desert Snake Park

For the opportunity to get close to an impressive selection of snakes and reptiles, head for the The Living Desert Snake Park in Swakopmund. It contains 25 species of harmless and venomous snakes, as well as geckos, lizards and scorpions, in environments that closely resemble their natural habitats. Of particular interest, travellers can see cobras, adders, the python and the famed and deadly boomslang. Optional excursions take travellers for a half day into the Namib Desert, allowing you to see snakes and small creatures such as lizards, rodents and insects in their natural habitat. The guide accompanies you in your own vehicle, so an off-roader with space for the guide is required.

Tel +264 (0)64 – 405 100. Email snake@iway.na

AfriCat

www.tourbrief.com

Oranjemund

Etosha: Fighting fire with fire

What do you do when lightning ignites a veld fire? That was the question facing the staff at the Etosha Lodge and Camp late last year.

Thirty staff and three vehicles from the lodge helped to put out a huge fire southeast of Okaukuejo which was eating its way to the park’s border. A backfire was started at a gravel road to prevent the flames from leaping to the other side. A total of 120 men fought the fire under the guidance of nature conservation officials from Okaukuejo.

Altogether 120,000 ha of grazing were destroyed by this fire, and it wasn’t the first – in total, almost 40% of usable grazing in Etosha has gone up in flames.

Veld fires caused by lightning are a natural phenomenon. Animals are usually able to flee, unless their escape route is barred by fences.

Thankfully the first rains, which followed almost immediately after the last fire, have already brought forth delicate fresh green.

4 Okonjima: Cheetahs released back into the wild

May is going to be a big month for Okonjima, home of the AfriCat Foundation. Their new reserve is about to open, which will give them 22,000 hectares of protected predator habitat.

The first group of cheetah – 18 cats to begin with – is due to be released. These cheetah will be hunting naturally-occurring prey, tracked daily by AfriCat research staff and Okonjima’s guests. For more information, www.africat.org

Travel Namibia 15

Gondwana Collection

rt ese b D

Henties Bay

Omaruru Usakos

Namibia Safari Planner

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16 Travel Namibia

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