Namibia TRAVEL NEWS
WWW.TRAVELNEWSNAMIBIA.COM
VOLUME 27 No 3 | AUTUMN 2019
NamibRand
THE MAGIC OF
ULTIMATE ETOSHA LET US BE YOUR GUIDE TO NAMIBIA'S GREATEST NATIONAL PARK
A HIPPO IN KHAUDUM
Discover the wild N$45.00 incl. VAT R45.00 incl. VAT
NORTHWEST
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For more information contact us via telephone on: +26461 299 2222, send an e-mail to: carenamibia@fnbnamibia.com.na or visit your nearest branch. If you are a Platinum, Private or Wealth Business Client please contact your private or business banker. For corporate queries please contact the RMB Client Service Centre via telephone on: +264 61 299 8899 or send an e-mail to csc@rmb.com.na Ts & Cs apply.
Namibia TRAVEL NEWS
"The iconic red dunes of the Namib Desert enthrall me every time I visit NamibRand. There is nowhere like it on earth. The colours, textures and feeling that grasps a hold of your soul and refuses to let go. That is NamibRand to me." - Elzanne Erasmus
is published by Venture Media in Windhoek, Namibia www.travelnewsnamibia.com Tel: +264 61 383 450, Hyper City Unit 44, Maxwell street, Southern Industrial PO Box 21593, Windhoek, Namibia MANAGING EDITOR Rièth van Schalkwyk PRODUCTION MANAGER Elzanne Erasmus elzanne@venture.com.na
PHOTOGRAPHERS Elzanne Erasmus, Pompie Burger, Nina van Schalkwyk, Annelien Robberts, Liza de Klerk, Willie Olivier, Annabelle Venter, NACSO, WWF in Namibia, Rièth van Schalkwyk
PUBLIC RELATIONS Janine van der Merwe janine@venture.com.na
PRINTERS John Meinert Printing, Windhoek
LAYOUT & DESIGN Liza de Klerk
Travel News Namibia is published quarterly, distributed worldwide and produced solely on Apple Macintosh equipment. The editorial content of TNN is contributed by the Venture Media team, freelance writers and journalists. It is the sole property of the publisher and no part of the magazine may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.
CUSTOMER SERVICE Bonn Nortjé bonn@venture.com.na ONLINE EDITOR Nina van Schalkwyk nina@venture.com.na TEXT CONTRIBUTORS Elzanne Erasmus, Pompie Burger, Nina van Schalkwyk, Annelien Robberts, Willie Olivier, Annabelle Venter, Ginger Mauney, Rièth van Schalkwyk, Kirsty Watermeyer
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TRAVEL NEWS NAMIBIA is a high-quality glossy Namibia travel and lifestyle magazine tasked with promoting Namibia to the world. Travel News Namibia is published quarterly in English and annually in German. The NAMIBIA HOLIDAY & TRAVEL is an annual tourism directory with over 200 pages of updated information on the country, regions, people, activities and wildlife. The NAMIBIA TRADE DIRECTORY is an annual trade and industry portfolio and is the pillar of information dissemination to the private-sector and the promotion of foreign investment.
EDITOR’S LETTER
A NEVER-ENDING LIST OF REASONS TO
GO SLOW AND STAY LONGER The world is obsessed with lists. THE 10 BEST KEPT SECRETS. THE TOP 5 DESTINATIONS FOR THOSE IN A HURRY. BEST 10 MOUNTAINS TO CLIMB. 3 PLACES TO VISIT BEFORE YOU DIE. Always in caps and never more than 20 of anything on the list. As if today’s traveller cannot count further. But it seems to work well, because there is hardly a travel magazine without at least one numbered list of something on the cover. After many decades of travelling in my country – camping, lodging, flying, driving, walking, cycling, as a child, for work, for adventure or pure pleasure – I had the bright idea to surprise my millennial colleagues with my own list. Not the kind to be ticked off before I die, and unfortunately nothing that can be repeated either. MY TOP 5 LIST IS OF MEMORIES OF ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK. I will keep it to five, not because readers of this magazine get bored with longer lists, but because the word count of my editorial is the limiting factor. I choose Etosha since it is one of Namibia’s not-to-be-missed tourist destinations and one that we have written about in Travel News Namibia for the past 25 years. I cannot remember how many times I have been to that magical place, but if I put my mind to it I am sure that I will be able to recall 100 memories. 1. My first memory is of the lion feed at Leeubron, before I even went to school. The first time I saw a lion, let alone a pride, devouring a gemsbok. That was at a time when feeding carnivores for the sake of visitors was not considered politically incorrect. The practice was stopped before my next special memory. On that same trip I saw the Phantom Forest (Sprokieswoud) for the first time. The gnarled shapes of the Moringa trees, created by elephants feeding on the succulent bark, are still a delight, except that nowadays they have to be protected from their creators, with yet another fence. 2. As a girl guide my next memorable visit was working at Namutoni during the winter holidays, cleaning the bungalows. Not very glamorous, but the upside was that during those three weeks we helped to move hundreds of flamingo chicks from a drying pan to one with enough water to see them through. Also not something that will happen today. 3. The first time I saw a rhino in the wild was at the Okaukuejo waterhole. We stayed up all night and fortunately it was full moon, because in those days there were no floodlights.
There is only one place in Etosha where one can get out of the car and walk on the pan. The most liberating feeling after all the “Don’t get our of your car” signs. The Pan Lookout Point is close to Halali Camp. What a pity that I didn’t do a jumping jack pose on that early morning in 2012. 4. The pink sunsets are always mesmerising, but one that I will forever remember, is of the sun setting over the waterfilled pan during the official opening of Onkoshi Resort. Special, because the pan seldom has that much water, but also because Onkoshi is the only camp where one can see the sun set over the pan. Driving to Onkoshi in a game viewer with Nethumbu Nandi-Ndaitua, then the Minister of Environment & Tourism, earlier that day a lioness walked along the road, looking at us as we slowly passed. Just one of my countless lion memories. 5. The last memory on my list represents all the chance visits. Those that I don’t really plan but which happen because we can never resist the temptation to drive through, rather than around Etosha. My most vivid memory of such an unplanned day visit is a spectacular wind storm with swirling white dust over the pan against a dramatic indigo backdrop of an approaching rainstorm. I hesitate to spell out the moral of the story, but I hope the tourism trend world-wide will inspire visitors to go slow and stay longer. Savour the detail of the experience of each day. Travelling to tick off lists is not good for the planet and also not good for Namibia’s roads.
Rièth van Schalkwyk
TRAVEL NEWS NAMIBIA AUTUMN 2019
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CONTENTS 10 BUSH TELEGRAPH The new and exciting 14 WILDERNESS, WATERFALLS AND WILDLIFE in Epupa Falls 21 CAN A HANDBAG CHANGE THE WORLD - Myeisha 24 BIKES ON A BEACH to iconic Sandwich Harbour 30 THE BIRTHPLACE OF TIME Etosha National Park 40 CORRIDORS OF THE FUTURE Sobbe Conservancy 44 MELE FARMSTALL at the edge of the desert 46 MAXI LOUIS with MYD 52 THE LOUVRE OF THE DESERT Tsodilo Hills 60 BALANCED BIRDERS The 7 "unofficial" categories of birders. 68 THE MAGIC OF AN OUTPOST Boulders at Wolwedans 76 TRAVEL NOTES from a vagabond 80 ONCE UPON A TIME There was a Hippo in Khaudum
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TRAVEL NEWS NAMIBIA AUTUMN 2019
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Enter at windhoeklightevents.com
CAN YOU CONQUER IT?
Not for Sale to Persons Under the Age of 18. Enjoy Responsibly.
CURRENT PRESIDENT: Hage Geingob
Secular state
Multiparty parliament Democratic Division of power between constitution executive, freedom of religion legislature and
90%
Christian
Freedom of the press/media
MAIN SECTORS:
Mining, fishing, tourism and agriculture
46%
BIGGEST EMPLOYER:
Agriculture FASTEST-GROWING SECTOR: Tourism Diamonds, uranium, copper, lead, zinc, magnesium, cadmium, arsenic, pyrites, silver, gold, lithium minerals, dimension stones (granite, marble, blue sodalite) and many semiprecious stones
CURRENCY: The Namibia Dollar (N$) is fixed to and on par with the SA Rand. The South African Rand is also legal tender. Foreign currency, international Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Diners Club credit cards are accepted.
TAX AND CUSTOMS All goods and services are priced to include value-added 15% tax of 15%. Visitors may reclaim VAT. ENQUIRIES: Ministry of Finance
Tel (+264 61) 23 0773 in Windhoek
TRANSPORT Public transport is NOT available to all tourist destinations in Namibia. There are bus services from Windhoek to Swakopmund as well as Cape Town/Johannesburg/Vic Falls. Namibia’s main railway line runs from the South African border, connecting Windhoek to Swakopmund in the west and Tsumeb in the north. There is an extensive network of international and regional flights from Windhoek and domestic charters to all destinations.
NATURE RESERVES:
of surface area
HIGHEST MOUNTAIN: Brandberg OTHER PROMINENT MOUNTAINS: Spitzkoppe, Moltkeblick, Gamsberg PERENNIAL RIVERS: Orange, Kunene, Okavango, Zambezi and Kwando/Linyanti/Chobe
EPHEMERAL RIVERS:
judiciary
ECONOMY
MONEY MINING: MATTERS
15%
Numerous, including Fish, Kuiseb, Swakop and Ugab
FLORA
37,000 km gravel
HARBOURS:
Walvis Bay, Lüderitz
46
MAIN AIRPORTS: Hosea
airstrips Kutako International Airport,
Eros Airport
RAIL NETWORK: 2,382 km
narrow gauge
TELECOMMUNICATIONS: lines per
LIVING FOSSIL PLANT:
Welwitschia mirabilis
BIG GAME: Elephant, lion, rhino, buffalo, cheetah, leopard, giraffe
20 240 250 50 676
5,450 km tarred
6.2 telephone
200 ENDEMIC 14 vegetation zones plant species 120 100+ species species of lichen of trees
PHYSICAL
CAPITAL: Windhoek
INDEPENDENCE: 21 March 1990
ENVIRONMENT INFRASTRUCTURE ROADS:
antelope species mammal species (14 endemic)
reptile species frog species bird species
ENDEMIC BIRDS including Herero Chat,
Rockrunner, Damara Tern, Monteiro’s Hornbill and Dune Lark
DRINKING WATER Most tap water is purified and safe to drink. Visitors should exercise caution in rural areas.
TIME ZONES
GMT + 2 hours
ELECTRICITY 220 volts AC, 50hz, with outlets for round three-pin type plugs
www.travelnewsnamibia.com
Direct-dialling facilities to
221 countries
100 inhabitants
MOBILE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM: GSM agreements with
117 countries / 255 networks
INFRASTRUCTURE
SOCIAL
824,268 km²
FAUNA
GENERAL
SURFACE AREA:
13,650 people 4 medical doctor per
privately run hospitals in Windhoek with intensive-care units
Medical practitioners (world standard) 24-hour medical emergency services
POPULATION
2.5 million
DENSITY: 2.2 per km²
400 000
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE:
(15% of total)
14 regions 13 ethnic cultures 16 languages and dialects
inhabitants in Windhoek
ADULT LITERACY RATE:
85%
English
POPULATION GROWTH RATE:
2.6%
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS: over 1,700 schools, various vocational and tertiary institutions
FOREIGN REPRESENTATION More than 50 countries have Namibian consular or embassy representation in Windhoek.
BUSH TELEGRAPH
CONSERVATION PIONEERS IN NAMIBIA AND STORIES BY GAME RANGERS
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TURNS 25!
Fish River Canyon
WWW.TRAVELNEWSNAMIBIA.COM
HOTEL HEINITZBURG
If ever there was a compelling and insightful read, it is well-known conservationist Peter Bridgeford’s latest book Conservation Pioneers in Namibia and stories by game rangers. It’s a book of personal stories, tales, anecdotes and experiences, many that have never been told before, and it provides a fascinating insight into the early days of conservation in Namibia. It tells the stories of conservation ‘firsts’, such as capturing roan antelope in Khaudum and the challenges of capturing black-faced impala in Kaokoland. It’s a book about the commitment, dedication, sacrifices and hard work of those who laid the foundations of conservation in the country. Read a full review on our website: www.travelnewsnamibia.com/news/book-review-conservation-pioneers-innamibia-by-peter-bridgeford/
MARYKA VAN NIEKERK
READER'S CORNER
BOOK REVIEW:
BY PETER BRIDGEFORD
25 years of hospitality in a 105 year old castle!
beautiful place
MIDGARD
FOODIES
TO CLEAR OUR HEAD
For the delicious meals served to guests at Midgard Country Estate, vegetables, herbs and spices have been grown there for years. Now these high-quality homegrown products are bottled and available for purchase to the general public. The products come in a box of four: Midgard Country Estate Herb Oil, Red Onion Marmalade, Curried Green Beans and Chilli Paste. Even better, a percentage of the earnings go to charity. Purchase a box for N$120 at O&L, 1st Floor, Kaiserkrone Centre, Post Street Mall, Werner List Street, or contact Patricia or Talitha on 061 431 800 or email patricia.pickering@ol.na or talitha.burmeister@ol.na to order.
≠KHOADI-//HÔAS CONSERVANCY
SOMETIMES WE JUST NEED SOME TIME IN A
WINS GLOBAL
SUSTAINABILITY AWARD In a global first for Namibia the ≠Khoadi-//Hôas Conservancy was recognised as one of the world’s Top 100 Sustainable Destinations at the fourth annual Sustainable Destinations Global Top 100 Awards at the end of 2018. The ≠Khoadi-//Hôas Conservancy was one of the first conservancies to be gazetted in Namibia in 1998 and continues to follow the principle that local people are the best custodians of indigenous natural resources and their sustainable management. ≠Khoadi-//Hôas operates the 100% community-owned Grootberg Lodge and Hoada Campsite in partnership with Journeys Namibia. The prestigious achievement was announced by Green Destinations, a destination certification body accredited by the global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).
NEW PANGOLIN RESEARCH PROJECT AIMS TO ESTABLISH BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF ELUSIVE SPECIES AfriCat recently launched the AfriCat Pangolin Project to address the lack of research on the species as well as to counter its continued poaching. The Okonjima Nature Reserve, where AfriCat is based, is home to a population of Temminck’s ground pangolin (Smutsia temminckii). As part of the research the pangolins are fitted with VHF transmitters that allow them to be tracked in order to collect spatial data as well as make behavioural observations. The research can furthermore be used to assess home range sizes, population density and ecology and to determine suitable habitats for release as well as establish conservation management methods. It is hoped that the project will also shed light on the vulnerable state of these harmless creatures. For more information on the project: africat.org/pangolin-research
BUSH TELEGRAPH
NAMIBIA COLLECTION
A group of hotel owners has launched the Namibia Collection on March 1st at the ITB, the world's largest travel trade fair in Berlin. The Namibia Collection is a Namibian-owned management and marketing company. At the helm of the company is CEO Graham Howard, who joined the group with a wealth of experience in Namibia’s tourism industry, most recently as former director of hospitality at the United Africa Hospitality Group. The compact team consists of local industry experts. The company aims to provide a central reservation service to the collection’s hotels, as well as training, operational management, and general management. The collection's current products include Epacha Game Lodge and Spa, Eagle Tented Lodge and Spa on the outskirts of Etosha National Park, Atlantic Villa Boutique Hotel, Swakopmund Plaza Hotel and Beach Hotel Swakopmund. www.namibia-collection.com
WINDHOEK LIGHT NAMIB QUEST What: 6-day mountain bike stage race When: 19 May 2019 Where: Starts in Windhoek and ends in Swakopmund Accept the challenge? www.windhoeklightevents.com
CAMPING JUST GOT EASIER! Now you can order your trip’s groceries online with Safari Food Solutions and pick up a pre-packed box full of your goodies plus relevant recipes! How easy is that? Make your order here: www.safarifoodsolutions.com
DOWN WITH INVASIVE CACTI! The battle against invasive cacti in Windhoek continues in the new year, now with the additional support of the Namibia Chamber of Environment (NCE) in the form of funding. There are twenty species of invasive cacti currently present in Namibia, all of them originally from Central America and a major threat to the Namibian ecosystem. These foreign plant species have the ability to take over large tracts of land and choke all other plant life. In Australia a species of cacti, currently also found in Namibia, destroyed about 23 million hectares of rangeland. The same fate can be avoided through the systematic removal of invasive cacti. Unfortunately, biocontrol can only be used for three of the twenty species, the rest need to be taken out by hand. If you would like to support the cactus removal effort financially, please make a donation to the following account: Cactus Clean-Up, Bank Windhoek, Kudu Branch 482172, Account 8005224758, and send an email with proof of donation to hille.schwarting@gmail.com
+264 061 209 0900 | info@amweinberghotel.africa | www.amweinberghotel.africa
Wilderness, Waterfalls and Wildlife
– AN UNFORGETABLE JOURNEY TO THE NORTHWEST Text Willie Olivier Photographs Willie Olivier & Elzanne Erasmus 14
WWW.TRAVELNEWSNAMIBIA.COM
Also referred to as the Last Wilderness, Kaokoland is largely accessible by fourwheel drive vehicle only. But improvements to the roads have made it a lot easier to explore some parts of this wilderness. TRAVEL NEWS NAMIBIA AUTUMN 2019
15
N
ot surprisingly the Epupa Falls are one of Kaokoland’s most popular attractions, and combining them with a visit to Etosha National Park is a great way to enjoy spectacular scenery and wildlife. Although the round-trip from Windhoek can be done in five days if you’re pressed for time, rather schedule eight days to make the most of your journey.
No matter how many times you have been to the Epupa Falls, the view that awaits you as you crest the final hill is simply stunning. Above the falls, the Kunene River meanders through several channels and around palm-clad islands before tumbling down a 457 metre-long rock shelf in myriads of cascades, chutes and small waterfalls that converge further downstream.
Getting to the Epupa Falls from Windhoek is like a walk in the park now, compared to just a little more than a decade ago when travellers had to run the gauntlet of the 260 km stretch of powdery white gravel road between Kamanjab and Opuwo. Nowadays only the last 179 km of the 911 km journey from Windhoek is gravel road. If you want to cover the entire distance to Epupa in one day, you have to leave Windhoek very early to arrive before dark. It is definitely more advisable to stay over along the way.
Epupa offers a choice of four accommodation establishments. My firm favourite is Epupa Falls Lodge and Campsite which is situated at the very edge of the falls under a swathe of makalani palms. The establishment dates back to 1991 when Koos Verwey, a man with a deep passion for Kaokoland and its people, began building the camp.
Opuwo, the administrative centre of the Kunene Region, has expanded considerably over the past two decades but has retained the atmosphere of a frontier town. It has become a bustling place with people constantly coming and going, and you are unlikely to escape Ovahimba women in traditional garb trying to sell handcrafted curios without taking ‘no thank you’ for an answer. Opuwo is the last opportunity to buy necessities and refuel before you reach Ruacana, 345 km away. This is also where you leave the tar road behind for the last 179 km of your journey to Epupa. Expect the road to be corrugated for much of the way unless it was recently graded.
Whether you simply want to relax or undertake some of the activities on offer, plan to spend at least two full days at Epupa. The lodges offer a variety of activities such as guided tours to Ovahimba villages, sundowner drives and guided hikes while the more adventurous can brave the rapids of the Kunene River. Rafting trips are conducted by Epupa Camp between May and November and although the rapids are usually not too wild it’s a most enjoyable experience. Epupa is one of the best places to see the Rufous-tailed Palm Thrush. The lower Kunene River is the southern-most limit of this bird’s distribution. Gone are the days when the 94 km track (D3700) between Epupa and Swartbooisdrift tested the skills of even the most experienced 4x4 drivers.
Epupa
SWARTBOOISDRIFT: Swartbooisdrif Ruacana
Kunene River Lodge Birding: spot the Cinderella Waxbill Dorslandtrekkers Memorial
RUACANA:
Ruacana Falls Stock up on fuel
Opuwo
EPUPA: Epupa Falls
Etosha National Park
Himba villages Rafting on the Kunene
Okaukuejo
Birding: spot the Rufous-tailed Palm Thrush
OPUWO:
Stock up on fuel and other essentials
Kamanjab Outjo Otjiwarongo Windhoek
The main fall at Epupa drops 36 m into a narrow gorge and carries an estimated one third of the Kunene River's water.
Depending on the condition of the road, the journey could take anything between eight and 12 hours in those days. Now it can easily be completed in less than four hours because the track was upgraded in late 2016. During high flood levels, however, it may be impossible to drive this route as low-lying areas may be submerged. As you continue further east the alternating vertical bands of scree and vegetation that characterise the slopes of the appropriately named Zebra Mountains dominate the scenery. These mountains are home to Namibia’s rarest bird species – the Angolan Cave Chat – and mark its southern limit of distribution. In Namibia this species was recorded for the first time only in May 2010. On reaching Swartbooisdrift, make the short detour to the Dorslandtrek memorial – a reminder of the unbearable hardship these headstrong trekkers endured. It commemorates the return of about 2,000 Dorslandtrekkers from southern Angola in 1928 and 1929 to what was then South West Africa. Just 4 km beyond the turnoff to the memorial you arrive at Kunene River Lodge – a lush haven of peace and tranquillity. The lodge offers a variety of activities including half-day white water rafting excursions which start at Ondoruso Gorge. Along this section of the river there are some exciting rapids that will get your adrenaline pumping. Kunene River Lodge is also a popular base for birders in search of elusive species such as the Angola Cave Chat, Grey Kestrel, Bare-cheeked Babbler, Cinderella Waxbill and the Rufous-tailed Palm Thrush. Birding walks and excursions to the Zebra Mountains, visits to local Ovahimba settlements, sunset cruises and birding river cruises in the morning are among the activities on offer. Again, you should plan to spend two full days to make the most of your stay. An early start is advisable if Okaukuejo, some 420 km away, is your next destination. If you’re heading for Olifantsrus campsite you won’t be so pushed for time. From the lodge the D3700 continues east along the Kunene River for about 48 km before you can breathe a sigh of relief when you hit tar again. A detour to Ruacana Falls is hardly worth it when the level of the river is low as the falls are usually dry. The falls are a spectacular sight, however, when the Kunene River is in full flood and the water thunders into a 120 metre-deep gorge over the entire width of the river.
Stock up on hand-crafted Himba jewellery at the market at Epupa Falls. Feeling adventurous? Spend an afternoon rafting on the Kunene River. Lions idylly watch an elephant pass in Etosha near Okondeka waterhole.
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WWW.TRAVELNEWSNAMIBIA.COM
Refuel in the town of Ruacana (the next filling station is at Okaukuejo – just over 400 km away) and head south on the C35 for 220 km to reach Galton Gate, named after 19th century British explorer Sir Francis Galton.
He and fellow explorer Charles Andersson were the first Europeans to reach Etosha in May 1851. From Galton Gate it is 67 km through dolomite hills to Olifantsrus. The campsite, run by Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR), is an ideal base to explore western Etosha which was opened to self-drive tourists in early 2014. Olifantsrus has camping facilities only. Amenities include communal ablutions, a communal kitchen, a kiosk and a small but interesting information centre. The double-storey, split level hide at the waterhole offers close-up views of elephants, antelopes and zebras coming to quench their thirst and is undoubtedly the camp’s highlight. Originally named after the elephants that frequented the waterhole, the name Olifantsrus (“elephant resting place”) took on a more sinister meaning in the early 1980s. The hoists behind the reception office bear silent testimony to the culled elephants that were processed in the open-air abattoir in 1983, an operation necessitated by a severe drought. The carcasses of 525 elephant, 465 gemsbok and 622 springbok culled in western Etosha were processed at Olifantsrus. A short way behind Olifantsrus the road turns easterly to follow the 19de Breedtegraad road which runs just north of and parallel to the 19th Latitude. Several boreholes were drilled at 10 km intervals along this road in the second half of the 1950s to lure elephants deep into the park which were roaming farms adjoining Etosha. As you continue your journey to Okaukuejo there are several waterholes worth stopping at to see whether there is any activity. The drive is likely to take at least three hours – or more, depending on how busy the waterholes are and what you might see along the way. The Phantom Forest, or Sprokieswoud, is about 40 km west of Okaukuejo. It owes its name to the stunted and contorted stems and branches of the Moringa trees, caused by browsing elephant, giraffe and gemsbok. If you plan to take a detour to Okondeka, famous for its lion pride, you should allow for even more time. Okaukuejo’s floodlit waterhole is internationally renowned for its almost never-ending parade of animals. The resort, managed by NWR, offers a variety of accommodation options ranging from chalets and double rooms to campsites for those who prefer to sleep under the stars. It is also an ideal base from where you can explore the many nearby waterholes. If Okaukuejo is your final destination, it’s an easy 430 km drive back to Windhoek via Andersson Gate, named after aforementioned Swedish explorer Charles
Andersson who accompanied Francis Galton on a journey which took them to Etosha and beyond. Before leaving the park, make a quick detour to the Ombika waterhole which is often crowded with game animals waiting their turn to quench their thirst: plains zebra, kudu, blue wildebeest, black-faced impala and giraffe. TNN
CONNECT YOUR TRIP:
Looking to connect your Kunene trip with Etosha? Learn more on page 30.
Kunene River Lodge Feel the rush with white-water rafting. Visit the Himbas to experience their ancient culture. Spot the elusive Cinderella Waxbill and Grey Kestrel at a superb birding site. Kunene River Lodge is situated on the banks of the Kunene River, which forms the north-western border between Angola and Namibia. A lush canopy of indigenous trees provides shade for chalets and campsites, while the swimming pool has its spot on the sunny lawn. From the bar and restaurant, a deck extends over the river, making for a spectacular location to enjoy a drink or a delicious meal with game viewing opportunities to boot.
Can a HANDBAG change the world? Text and Photograph Annelien Robberts
On No.1 Groot Tiras Street a group of women (and two guys) work together to hand-craft stylish high-end leather bags. Conscientiously and lovingly binding together unique materials sourced locally and internationally, these dedicated artisans also bind together the Namibian community... The whole process from measuring, cutting, stitching and gluing to the sewing and final decorating takes place at Myeisha’s shop and workshop. It's hard to believe that most of the women employed here started with little to no experience at all. CEO Sandra Baumeister ensures that Myeisha's artisans are trained to become masters of the craft, but more importantly masters of themselves, all the while making an impact in their communities. Authentic, ambitious, confident, talented, magnetic, focused, relentless and full of grit. Sandra’s buzzing energy is tangible. “I do not have an off-switch,” she acknowledges – it is a weakness as well as a strength. Originally from Germany, she fell in love with the Namib Desert where the vast spaces and loud silence spoke to her soul. When she combined her business know-how and love for fashion with her determination to make a change, a project emerged… one that makes a fashion statement. Thus Myeisha was born, where high-end leather bags are exquisitely handmade by locals and exported globally. The word Myeisha derives from Swahili and is associated with love. It is also the middle name of one of Sandra’s daughters. All of the bags are named after her three daughters, and also after her business partner’s daughter. In the Arabic culture the name also means “woman” or “life”, which beautifully links with the passion to celebrate the life of women, to cherish and empower them. “We are all worthy of being valued and loved. Each of us strives for this, everyone in their own way. It is my dream that
especially the women who help to create these bags with such passion and dedication will feel this love.” Myeisha’s main branch, called Myeisha is Love, was created in 2015. It functions as the export branch, which generates funds for the local subsidiary iNAMi, as well as for a non-profit charity trust called Especially Namibian. The good news is that Myeisha’s profits stay in Namibia and are donated to local charity projects. As for the daughter company, iNAMi means love in one of the Namibian San languages. “This brand is a bit more African, and somewhat funkier”, Sandra explains. It’s especially designed for the Namibian market. The Especially Namibian Trust was founded by Sandra, Kym Kibble and Barbara Erdt with the aim to give the underprivileged a home, an education, nourishment and thereby hope to live a life of value. Myeisha and iNAMi were both established to support this dream. Some of their current projects include the Villa Colourful Kindergarten in Katutura, as well as financing a young lady’s training as a kindergarten teacher. Myeisha’s logo is a tree – a life-giving element. “We want to return something good to the community by providing help through self-help to make this world a little bit better for the women and children of Namibia.” Can one handbag change the world? Maybe not, but the woman who wears it can. Visit Myeisha’s flagship store at the Hilton Hotel in the city centre. TNN
ADVENTURE AWAITS
Windhoek Office: Tel: +264 61 249 268 Email: windhoek@scenic-air.com
www.scenic-air.com
Swakopmund Office: Tel: +264 64 403 575 Email: swakopmund@scenic-air.com
CHOBE WATER VILLAS:
ADVERTORIAL
What does Africa feel like? There’s an image of Africa that you carry with you in your head, or perhaps in your heart. An image that is connected to a sound, a smell, a feeling. What does Africa look like? A kaleidoscope of colour and texture. Unsurpassed views of dramatically diverse scenery. What does it sound like? The beat of a drum, the soft rumblings of a hippo, the call of the Fish Eagle. The roar of a lion in the distance, the trumpeting of a six ton mammal traversing the landscape. What does Africa smell like? The fresh crisp scent of early morning dew upon the grass. Petrichor – as summer showers hit dusty plains. It engulfs the soil, and the earth, and the fauna that it sustains. What does Africa feel like? Freedom. Wilderness. Home. Perhaps one of the most quintessential African experiences is perched on the bank of the Chobe River in the very heart of the famous Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area – the largest of its kind in the world. Across the river, Botswana plays host to Chobe National Park, home to tens of thousands of elephants and other wildlife. Along the leisurely meandering river you will find luxury villas suspended over the water’s edge. A 180-degree view of the mesmerising wetland sanctuary that comprises the Chobe River, Sedudu Island and Chobe National Park on the opposite riverbank. Elephants and buffalo graze on Sedudu’s floodplains, a cacophony produced by birdlife every which way you look from your private terrace. The same view from the main area’s infinity pool right on the water’s edge, even more spectacular… if that were even possible. The elegance of these grand open-plan suites not only mirrors the natural splendour of the region, but also offers unsurpassed luxury and relaxation. Two activities per day are included in your room rate. How about an exclusive full-day drive to Victoria Falls, including a tour of the falls, lunch at the Falls Restaurant and a visit to a local craft market? Sunset river cruises? Birding expeditions along the Chobe with a knowledgeable guide? A morning game drive through Chobe National Park viewing prides of lion, plains game, elephants, giraffe and much more? Talented, passionate chefs will delight your palate each evening. Dinners are five-course, plated and elegant candle-lit affairs. A high tea with a selection of teas, coffees, cakes, scones and more is served each afternoon. At night absorb the sights, sounds, smells and the feeling of Africa in its purest form while sitting around a crackling fire and revelling in the moon’s reflection in the calm waters of the Chobe. This is Africa at Chobe Water Villas.
Tel: +264 61 431 8000 Email: Chobe.Res@ol.na www.chobewatervillas.com
Bikes on a beach – AN ADVENTUROUS TRIP TO ICONIC SANDWICH HARBOUR Text and Photographs Elzanne Erasmus
I keep falling behind... To be honest, I don’t much like falling behind. There’s no fun in coming last. It’s not like I’m unfit or terrible at it. I completed the Desert Dash six days prior, for goodness sake! It’s just that I can’t seem to help myself from stopping to take pictures. Onehanded shots are fine if you can balance well enough to have your iPhone in your right hand and hold onto the handlebar with your left, but the bulky Nikon swinging around my neck is not as manageable. No, for a proper shutter-snap I need to pull on the breaks, dig my feet into the soft sand and lift the camera (both hands, that thing is heavy) to my right eye. Through the viewfinder I see a sea of sand on the left of the frame and the tumultuous rumble of Atlantic waves on the right. A long, pristine beach stretches ahead in the middle of the picture. Not very wide. When the tide starts to rise, as it soon will, not even a car would be able to pass on the narrow strip where dune meets ocean. Dotted further ahead of me on the beach are four small figures. My family on bicycles. They’re small because I’ve yet again fallen behind. I’ve fallen behind because this narrow strip of Namibia is too beautiful not to take photos of. Constantly. So here I am, all alone. Just my camera and me. And there, way ahead... are bikes on a beach.
M
ark De Wet set up shop in the sleepy town of Swakopmund in 2015. With four bicycles, all of them fitted with those iconic fat tyres, he and his wife and his sister started conducting tours into the dunes just south of Swakop. Four years later, with 40 more bikes, Swakopmund Fat Bike Tours now offers both dune and beach trips and historical tours through town for the more leisurely rider. The latest feather in their cap led us on an unexpected adventure one morning this past holiday season. Mark parked his 4x4 right at our doorstep, four bikes on the rooftop rack, one mounted to the back. After a quick stop to fuel up on treats at Slowtown Coffee Roasters’ new shop in Walvis Bay we set off south. The journey passes the iconic Walvis Bay salt works with the pink pans and even pinker flamingos. A drive along the beach, where fishermen stand on the shoreline eagerly waiting for a tug at the end of their line, leads to the northern-most coastal entrance to Namib-Naukluft National Park. Mark had already obtained our park entry permits for the day and explained the layout and history of the area on the way. The park is home to Namibia’s second UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site – the Namib Sand Sea – as well as distinctive landscapes and places of interest such as Sossusvlei, the Naukluft Mountains and the pristine beaches along the Atlantic shoreline where the Namib Desert and these cold waters meet. It is also home to Sandwich Harbour.
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We ventured over beaches and a few small dunes, but soon enough it was time to disembark from our engine-powered chariot in favour of a more raw, eco-friendly and pedalpowered form of transport. The bicycles were dismounted from their carriers and we eagerly jumped on to set off on a journey like no other. Over a dune (those fat tyres can climb these despite the soft sand) and down onto the beach that stretches from our impromptu parking bay to our exalting destination. Cormorants and other avian creatures flitter along. A young seal pup scurries back to the relative safety of the water as we disturb his sunbathing. And all around us
nothing but nature. After about an hour’s laid-back cycling we made our way around a bend and a spectacular sight came into view… An oasis nestled on the desert’s edge! What’s in a name? Its origins are quite obscure. Mark and I pondered the possible meanings behind the name Sandwich Harbour. Peculiar to be sure. Was it a popular lunch stop once? It’s not really a harbour either, more like a lagoon. Many theories flit about, including the notions that it was a) named after a British whaler called The Sandwich that visited in 1789; b) derived from the German word for a species
EVERYTHING IS BETTER SEEN FROM A BIKE!
To book your Sandwich Harbour Private Fat Bike Tour, to rent a bike for your Swakopmund visit or join one of Swakopmund Fat Bike Tours’ other expeditions, visit www.swakopfatbiketours.com.
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DID YOU KNOW? Sandwich Harbour is considered one of Southern Africa’s most important wetlands for both migratory and resident birds, with an estimated 50,000 birds present in summer and 20,000 in winter. In Namibia it is one of five Wetlands of International Importance, as described by the Ramsar Convention.
of shark, a Sandfisch, found in the area; or c) attributed to the ‘sandwiching’ of the freshwater found here between the Namib dunes and the Atlantic Ocean. Despite the murkiness of the name, the area was a hub of activity before it became a protected wetland reserve and part of Namibia’s largest conservation area. The Strandlopers, believed to be the earliest visitors to the area, left archaeological treasures behind. They are the ancestors of the Topnaar people who still live near and along the Kuiseb River a little further north. Whaling ships from North America and Europe used the ‘harbour’ as a freshwater supply point in the early 18th century and even started a lucrative trading business with the locals – cattle for beads. The area has also seen guano collection endeavours, shark-oil extraction, fishing and seal hunting activities. Quite the hub of industry! Today, however, only nature remains, with a few relics of old protruding from the sand here and there. Among the wreckage is the debris of 4x4 misadventures when ardent adventurers mistimed the tides. After exploring the lagoon and surrounds, we climb the adjacent dune for a better view from above. Awestruck by the beauty. Our explorations of the environment ultimately have to come to a close and we head back to the car. The moon rises early over the edge of the dunes and once again I snap away. It’s stunning here, no matter the time of day. This is a trip for those looking for something different. An off-the-beaten track experience. For those yearning to see and feel nature first-hand and up-close. A reasonable level of fitness and an adventurous heart are all you need to add this epic fat bike trip to Sandwich Harbour to your “I can’t believe I did that” list! TNN
READ SOME MORE
For further reading on Sandwich Harbour and Swakopmund Fat Bike Tours see our website at www.travelnewsnamibia.com. We also highly recommend you pick up a copy of Cattle for beads: the archaeology of historical contact and trade on the Namib coast by J. Kinahan.
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Paul van Schalkwyk
The birthplace of time ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK Text and Photographs Nina van Schalkwyk
Etosha must have been the birthplace of time. The salt pan stretches out – primally – like a womb and resting place. As with so much of Namibia it is unbelievable that life is possible, and even flourishes, in this harsh landscape. But then again, salt is the essence of life, isn’t it? Watching rain clouds gather and grow, anticipating the powerful strength of an oncoming storm. Sunsets which turn the sky into a spectrum of rainbow colours across the flat horizon. What Etosha may lack in exotic greenery or mass migrations, it makes up for with its abundance of wildlife and the relative ease of spotting it.
E
tosha has always been a part of my frame of reference. Of course it would be – it’s the king of our national parks. As with many fellow-Namibians, one of my earliest memories of the park is spending a holiday there with my family, wondering why the park was named after a cooking utensil. My family has a particularly close connection to Etosha. Back in the 90s my father, the late photographer and filmmaker Paul van Schalkwyk, spent two years following a group of male lions, filming them as they criss-crossed the park. I was seven years old and stayed with him at his camp, out in the wilderness, which was a fenced-off space with tents and a small roofed kitchencum-storeroom. One morning we found a python in the rafters of said kitchen. At night we heard the lions roar. Lions don’t usually stay in one place for long, and so my father usually camped near them, slept when they slept and moved when they did. The Official Filming sticker on his Land Rover gave him the freedom to enter areas restricted to tourists, and even to get out of his vehicle (gasp!). This unique experience was shared with us children, and even though these days I am forced to pitch a tent within the safety of the designated campsites like everyone else, Etosha still manages to enchant me every time I visit. Etosha Pan is the result of an ancient lake, creatively called Lake Etosha, which dried up eons ago due to climate change. This body of water was the size of Lake Victoria in east Africa. The formation of Etosha is the story of Africa. Of Gondwana, the supercontinent, and how it travelled upside down over the South Pole before coming to a halt over the equator. By this time the massive glaciers that had formed over what we call Namibia today, began to melt, then slip and slide, or rather, scrape, slowly across the surface. The glacial waters were channelled into inland lakes, like Lake Etosha. Later, when the water had disappeared, the flat landscape remained (the park’s highest and lowest points differ by a mere 13 metres). In relation to the age of the pan, the park is still a baby. Etosha National Park was proclaimed as an official game reserve in the beginning of the last century and encompassed the pan and its surrounding areas. Since then, however, its size has shrunk to a not-so-humble 22 270 km2.
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ACCOMMODATION IN ETOSHA 1. DRAMATIC DOLOMITE
Dolomite is the only accommodation with a view. That’s because it was constructed on the only mountainous spot in the entire park. The rooms look out onto the Dolomite waterhole, which can be the venue of much drama (during one of my trips Dolomite was the site where hundreds of vultures congregated around a zebra carcass). There are no camping facilities at Dolomite. Accommodation type: lodge.
2. THE MAGIC OF OLIFANTSRUS
The latest campsite in Etosha is Olifantsrus (Afrikaans for elephant’s rest), so named for a time in the eighties when many of the park’s elephants were culled in this area. The campsite has an information centre where the details of this history are explained, but luckily the park’s elephants have collectively moved on from that event and frequently come by the waterhole. Said waterhole is a firm favourite, as the double-story structure allows up close viewing of these massive beasts from the top, or through the glass windows encasing the ground floor pavilion. Photographers had their large lenses trained and ready along the windows on the upper floor when we were there, while the ground floor viewing area was mostly deserted. However, looking through the glass from the ground floor, one is much closer to the magnificent animals. Accommodation type: camping.
3. OKAUKUEJO: THE CAPITAL OF ETOSHA
Most visitors to Etosha stay at Okaukuejo Resort in the centre of the park. That’s because Okaukuejo has all you need. There is ample accommodation in the form of chalets and campsites. Plus not one swimming pool but two. Follow my lead and head for the kiosk at the pool for soft-serve ice-cream. The waterhole is the main attraction, and arguably the best in the park. But if elephant and rhino regulars don’t keep you on your toes, look out for the birds that also call it home. Verreaux’s Eagle Owls roost in the leadwood tree next to the waterhole, while nightjars flit through the spotlights at night, the Rufous-cheeked being the most common. Before you leave, remember to climb the steps to the top of the Okaukuejo watch tower. Accommodation type: premier waterhole chalets, family chalets, bush chalets, double rooms and camping.
4. THE STAGE IS SET AT HALALI
Set among stunning Moringa trees and ancient textured rock, the seating area at the Halali waterhole is set at a little distance and elevated, which gives visitors a good view of the stage set for a wilderness drama. The campsite is very shady with lots of trees
and the occasional honey badger visitor at night checking out the rubbish bins. Accommodation type: family chalets, two- and four-bed bush chalets, double units and camping.
5. HISTORIC NAMUTONI
Located on the eastern side of Etosha, Namutoni is centered around an old German fort and overlooks the King Nehale waterhole. Namutoni receives the highest rainfall of all the resorts in the park, with the result that its waterhole is a popular spot for waterbirds. Speaking of birds, the Two Palms waterhole nearby happens to be the breeding place for endangered Blue Cranes. Namutoni’s high rainfall means a rainshower is very likely, so pack a good leak-proof tent for your stay. Accommodation type: double rooms, bush chalets and campsite.
6. EXCLUSIVE ONKOSHI CAMP
Situated on the edge of a secluded peninsula, Onkoshi is NWR’s answer to the need for low-impact, environmentally friendly accommodation. Perched on the edge of the pan north of Namutoni, Onkoshi offers breath-taking views of the immense pan in the lap of luxury. Accommodation type: lodge.
OPTIONS OUTSIDE THE PARK
Other than Namibia Wildlife Resort’s accommodation options in the park itself, there are a number of lodges dotted along Etosha’s borders. We can recommend the following: Ongava Game Reserve: Ongava Lodge, Little Ongava, Ongava Tented Camp and Andersson’s at Ongava; Etosha Heights, Etosha Village, Hobatere Lodge, Mokuti Etosha Lodge, The Mushara Collection; Onguma Game Reserve: The Fort, Bush Camp, Tented Camp, Tree Top and Etosha Aoba Lodge.
ABLUTIONS AND PICNIC SPOTS OUTSIDE THE CAMPSITES
Visitors are not allowed to get out of their vehicle anywhere outside the resorts, except at the designated picnic spots or ablutions. After watching a male lion casually strut over the soft-green plain and lying down to rest under a bridge, I drove on a few kilometres to a rest-stop, where two tourists were getting out of their cars to make use of the facilities. They hoped the lion knew he was not allowed inside the enclosure.
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Duineveld
Jakkalswater
Olifantsrus
Olifantsrus Okawao
Duikerdrink
Nomab Duiwelsvuur
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ENTRANCE FEE: (As per Etosha website)
Homob Ondogab Kapupuhedi
Gonob
NAD 80.00 per day for foreign adults NAD 60.00 per day for SADC adults NAD 30.00 per day for Namibian adults No charge for children under 16 NAD 10.00 per day for vehicles with 10 seats or less NAD 40.00 per day for vehicles with 11-25 seats NAD 300.00 per day for vehicles with 26-50 seats
NUMBER OF WATERHOLES:
Panpoint
Wolfsnes
Okondeka
Leeubron
at sunrise and close at sunset
Noniams
Tsumcor
Mushara
Andoni
Stinkwater
Onkoshi Resort
Kameeldoring
Aroe
Von
Onguma Lodge
species of international concern: Blue Crane, Lesser Flamingo density of Etosha Kori Bustard population is the highest recorded anywhere in the world.
412 species of Namibia's total species 64% found in the park
SPECIES OF BIRDS FOUND IN THE PARK:
Dungariespomp
Groot Okevi Klein Okevi Namutoni Lindquist King Nehale Gate Koinachas Mushara Okerfontein Klein Mokuti Lodge Namutoni Lodge Chudop 177 km to Kalkheuwel Ngobib Ondangwa Springbokfontein Batia
48 km to the main road
Goas
• •
King Nehale lya Mpingana Gate
to Ondangwa
GATES OPEN:
Nuamses
Gobaub
Salvadora Rietfontein Sueda Helio Charitsaub Halali Moringa
Aus Olifantsbad
Nebrowni Gemsbokvlakte Gaseb
Andersson s Gate
TERRESTRIAL VERTEBRATES (amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals):
22 270 species species of Namibian reptiles occur in Etosha
REPTILES
112 256
88 km to Outjo
Taleni Village
Ombika
Okaukuejo
Okaukuejo
Sprokieswoud
Natco
Adamax
waterpoints 70 and waterholes
Narawandu
Ozonjuitji mʼBari
Grunewald
Ongava Lodge
Kaokoveld Dassie only occurs within Etosha
4 species of insectivores 20 species of bats 32 species of rodents
species (53% of the Namibian non-marine mammal fauna of 200 species)
MAMMALS:
Sonderkop
ACCOMMODATION INSIDE THE PARK:
Tobieroen Te
5 lodges 4 campsites
“In a far-sighted move, Dr Friedrich von Lindequist, Governor of the German Territory, proclaimed the region south, west and northwest of the pan a game reserve on 22 March 1907. Somewhat unimaginatively he named the area Game Reseve No 2." - Hu Berry, Etosha 100: Celebrating a hundred years of conservation. The first formally appointed, full-time Chief Game Warden of Etosha was Bernabé de la Bat in the 1950’s. In 1907 the park was about 90 000km2
AGE OF THE PARK: •
• •
to Ruacana
Dolomite Resort Dolomietpunt
Renostervlei
Rateldraf
Klippan Okondethe
Miernes
Luiperdskop Aasvo lbad
Karoshoek Karospomp
Otjovasandufontein
Galton Gate Karosfontein
to Kamajab
AMPHIBIANS Marbled Rubber Frog Damara Dwarf Toad
2 endemic amphibians: • •
We won't blame you if you tear this page out
WWW.TRAVELNEWSNAMIBIA.COM
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As one travels from the western side of the park to its opposite end, the colour of the soil changes from shades of warm ochre to stark white halfway along the route, and to greyish-red further east. Under a cesious sky lies an expanse of powder white sands that have remained from the ancient lake. All along the meandering roads and at the waterholes there is the opportunity to see the fauna the park is famous for. The sparse vegetation makes it easy to spot animals, so you’re never at a loss for something to see – which is perhaps why they call Etosha the safari for beginners. And yet, even with very few spaces to hide, a pride of lions can be so perfectly camouflaged in the shade that only the most eagle-eyed visitors will spot them. Is it a branch? Is it an anthill? No, that’s a male lion taking a catnap. Certain kinds of travellers find joy in being able to tick off their sightings from a list. Perhaps that is why the Big Five will always be popular. The four most majestic (in my mind) of the Big Five are abundant in Etosha – lion, leopard, rhino and elephant (we’ll leave the African buffalo for other parks). Substitute the buffalo with the giraffe and we have a deal. Etosha has the Big Four in spades. During my most recent visit we saw one or more lions almost every day. On our way
Etosha Pan is the result of a sediment-filled, ancient lakebed whose modern features are formed by the scouring action of wind erosion - Hu Berry
out of the park we had the unbelievable good luck to drive slowly alongside a stunning leopard as it sauntered next to the road. But it wasn’t the only memorable moment. Watching a lone elephant bull up close satiating its thirst at the Olifantsrus waterhole, catching every detail on its aged face, the short, thick hair that covers its trunk; those long, dark lashes; the adept way he slurps litres of water up his trunk and deftly, almost daintily, pours it into his mouth, while next to him a White Heron, tiny by comparison, nervously tip-toes out of the way. Yes, we will leave the African buffalo for other parks.
BEST TIME TO VISIT
Etosha is a great all-year destination. Namibia’s low rainfall means that sunny days are the rule. However, for the best game-spotting, plan your visit for the winter months, when water is scarce and most of the animals congregate around the waterholes. Alternatively, the summer months are a foray into the “Etosha nursery” with game giving birth to their newest herd members, younglings everywhere.
POMPIE’S LIST FOR BIRDING IN ETOSHA: OKAUKUEJO:
Rock Martin, Pearl-spotted Owlet, Fork-tailed Drongo, Crimson-breasted Shrike, Acacia Pied Barbet, Purple Roller, African Hoopoe, Common Scimitarbill, White-bellied Sunbird, Groundscraper Thrush.
HALALI:
White-crested Helmet-Shrike, African ScopsOwl, Southern White-faced Scops-Owl, Southern White-crowned Shrike, Violet Wood-Hoopoe, Carp’s Tit, Damara Hornbill, Rüppell’s Parrot, Burchell’s Starling.
FISCHER’S PAN:
Greater Flamingo, Lesser Flamingo, Marabou Stork, Abdim’s Stork, Greater Painted-snipe, Blacksmith Lapwing, Black-headed Heron, Blackwinged Stilt, Blue Crane, Little Grebe.
THE PLAINS:
Kori Bustard, Northern Black Korhaan, Redcrested Korhaan, Ludwig’s Bustard, Spotted Thick-knee, Double-banded Courser, Crested Francolin, Swainson’s Spurfowl, Common Ostrich, Crested Guineafowl, Lilac-breasted Roller, Capped Wheatear, Marico Flycatcher, Dusky Lark, Spike-heeled Lark, Lesser Grey Shrike, Scaly-feathered Finch, Kalahari ScrubRobin, Chestnut-backed Sparrowlark.
RAPTORS:
Martial Eagle, Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk, Gabar Goshawk, Red-necked Falcon, Greater Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, African HawkEagle, Lanner Falcon, Lappet-faced Vulture, Secretarybird.
MIGRANTS:
European Bee-eater, Yellow-billed Kite, European Roller, Black Cuckoo, Jacobin Cuckoo, African Cuckoo, Black Kite, Lesser Kestrel, Red-footed Falcon, Abdim’s Stork.
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Other than the Big Four, Etosha is home to 642 species of terrestrial vertebrates. Lions may think they are the top, err, cat, but the combined mass of Etosha leguaans exceeds that of any other predator species in the park. Sixteen amphibian species are found in Etosha, or rather under the park, as they live underground for most of the year. Etosha even has its own endemic lizard, the Etosha agama (Agama etoschae). There is also the giant tree skink, which can reach over 200 mm in length. You can find these critters in the branches of the mopane trees at Halali Resort. Among the mammals are two subspecies of zebra. Hartmann’s mountain zebra, mostly found in the west around the rocky outcrops, and Burchell’s plains zebra that flourish on the, you guessed it, plains. Etosha offers even better opportunities for twitchers to tick off lists. 61% of Namibia’s 644 bird species have been recorded in the park. The Kori Bustard population is the highest recorded anywhere in the world. Species of international concern, like the Blue Crane, hang around the Andoni waterhole on the plain in the east. During the rainy season, when the pan is filled with water, a cacophony of birdlife descends upon it, including over one million flamingos that have made the trek from Walvis Bay on Namibia’s coast to breed in Etosha. And while most visitors come to Etosha hoping for sightings of its massive mammals, 75% of the park’s mammals are made up of smaller, seldom seen species, such as the African wild cat. Of all the times I visited the park, I only saw the aforementioned cat once – and that only due to the keen observation skills of my companion who managed to spot the creature’s ears through the underbrush. It looked like a housecat that had been dropped into the middle of the wilderness. Another of the lesser seen animals is the social banded mongoose. However, I can testify to their overabundance at Namutoni Resort, where they relaxed on the cool green lawn underneath the communal taps, obviously enjoying some left-over moisture. On our first afternoon at Namutoni we witnessed what must have been a mongoose “turf war”, where a mob of mongoose rushed over the lawn in a wave to chase off a rival group. With the variety of fauna to experience, the only tip I can give you is to take it slow and keep your eyes wide open. While I have never been on an official night drive in Etosha, during one trip we suffered a punctured (exploded seems a better description) tyre and had to stop next to the road. The sun was already at a low angle over the veld. By the time we set off again, this time accompanied by the Namibia Wildlife Resorts vehicle who found us stranded there, dusk had fallen and night was setting in fast. Then, rounding a bend, we hit the brakes just in time to avoid a collision with a young lion ambling across the road in the glow of our headlights.
Before we reached Olifantsrus we spotted owls, antelope and hares. It was a completely different game drive than usual, even though it was the result of a mishap. That same trip put an end to a two-week no-alcohol challenge, but how can one be surprised? Not when the game viewing was so successful and exciting, or when a cold beer at the end of a hot day was so tempting. In the name of idealism we hadn’t brought any with us, but NWR did not disappoint and every resort kiosk from Olifantsrus to Namutoni was well stocked. The heat of October seemed to seep into our bones, so we found ourselves next to and inside the icecold swimming pools at Okaukuejo, Namutoni and Halali. Lounging in the shade of the trees near the pool at Namutoni we watched a pair of hawks calling from their nest in the palm tree overlooking the clear blue water, backlit by a sunset that reflected off the walls of the fort. How long is long enough to see every corner of a park so large that it takes up more space than some countries? (Here’s looking at you, Israel.) That’s a trick question because no
amount of time can ever be enough to enjoy the vast scope of Etosha National Park. Even discounting the parts closed off to visitors, even by only following the marked roads and visiting the designated waterholes, you would have to be on a serious mission to experience it all. And that mission should of course include trips to experience the park at different seasons, too. But it is all very much worth it. Put Etosha at the top of your bucket-list and trust me, you won’t be disappointed. TNN
WHAT TO PACK
Dark pants, short or long. Light, airy shirts, especially linen keeps cool, with a button-up shirt to fend off the sunburn. Since you will be in your car doing sightseeing, flip-flops are fine during the day. Evenings can get quite cool, so long-sleeved shirts and jackets are a must. Remember to pack your swimming costume to enjoy the pools. And the most important tools in your arsenal: binoculars and a camera!
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Namibia Wildlife Resorts
Still conserving Namibia’s natural heritage!
Namibia Wildlife Resorts has become part and parcel of the Namibian experience, even for those as far afield as America or China. As a state-owned enterprise, we manage resorts and camps in Namibia’s vast and diverse protected areas – the only hospitality provider that can do so. This provides you with a chance to explore and relax at your own pace. With more than 20 different destinations across Namibia, we have a smorgasbord of experiences for you, so whether you are a traveller that demands luxury at your fingertips or you are looking for an adventure, we have a spot where you can get your groove back. From the world-renowned Etosha National Park where, by the way, you can enjoy camping to five-star luxury, all the way through to the magnificent horizons of the south, the humid forest-lined banks of the Okavango, or even a
BOOK ONLINE OR CONTACT US! +264 61 285 7200 reservations@nwr.com.na www.nwr.com.na
castle… we show you Namibia as she is. Beautiful, natural, harsh, and unspoiled. Your holiday, breakaway or business trip will also contribute to community development and the sustainable use of Namibia’s natural resources. With your exclusive NamLeisure card, you are not only assured of great discounts for your Namibian adventure, but you also know that you are contributing to the Enviro-Kidz programme. Whether you need a weekend or month away, or your team needs building, or, you have something to celebrate, Namibia Wildlife Resorts is your partner to discover Namibia and make memories to last a lifetime! Log on to nwr.com.na and unlock your Namibian adventure… you have no idea what’s waiting for you
Corridors of the
future Text Ginger Mauney Photographs NACSO / WWF in Namibia
“How many people have had a dangerous encounter with an elephant?” I asked. Of the fourteen Sobbe Conservancy members in the room, six people raised their hands. “How many of you know someone who has been killed by an elephant?” All 14 people raised their hands. Turns out, they all knew the same person, a Sobbe Conservancy member, who had met some friends at a local village. After sunset, on his way home, he ran into a herd of elephants. He shouted at them but he was alone, and in the darkness he was trampled to death. There must have been several frightened creatures in the bush that night. Elephant and human, but the one that weighs two thousand kilograms more will always win. This is a terrifying fact of life for rural Namibians. But when I asked if they are committed to living with elephants, every hand went up. This is why there is a future for wildlife in Namibia.
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A Members of the Sobbe Conservancy meet to discuss the protection of a vital elephant corridor that cuts through their conservancy.
s you drive down the main artery that loops through the Zambezi Region you cross the Sobbe Conservancy. It is beautiful land, but unremarkable. In an area known for flowing rivers and lush vegetation, the Sobbe Conservancy is land-locked. Yet, despite this, it is part of a critically important wildlife corridor that allows elephants and other species to move freely across their traditional range in southern Africa. Before and since the Sobbe Conservancy was established in 2006, the 1 027 people living there have protected this corridor for wildlife. They have not planted fields or erected kraals or built homes that would block the path. The corridor has been respected and protected as a place of unlimited access for wildlife, even when using it brings them into close proximity with humans. Now the Sobbe Conservancy’s selfless protection of this critical wildlife corridor is being rewarded. Amarula, the liquor that is synonymous with the African elephant, has joined forces with Wildlife Credits, an innovative conservation initiative, to pay the Sobbe Conservancy for its proactive protection of this wildlife corridor. This is cutting edge conservation where funding, channelled through Wildlife Credits, is paid directly to communities for measurable conservation results. Using camera traps and GPS tracking devices, the conservancy game guards are
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revealing the true worth of this corridor, not only to elephant, but also to roan and sable antelope, lions, leopards, sidestriped jackals and more than two dozen other species. This is the first partnership of its kind in Namibia to engage with a local corporate entity, Distell Namibia, and an example of payment for ecosystem services. The concept’s premise is that as ecosystems come under increasing pressure from industry and development, there is real, global value in conserving their integrity by maintaining healthy land, water bodies and wildlife populations, and this value should be transferred to the people who are at the frontline of protecting ecosystems, such as the Sobbe Conservancy. Namibia is one of the few countries in the world where wildlife is increasing in range and numbers, including a growing population of elephant. Conservancies, such as Sobbe, are playing a critical role in providing space for elephants and other wildlife to roam free.
If you live with elephants it is hard because they destroy our crops, but it is good that the next generation will know elephants. - Lydiah Muyambango, Sobbe Conservancy Chairperson
Lydiah Muyambango, the Sobbe Conservancy’s Chairperson, said, “If you live with elephants it is hard because they destroy our crops, but it is good that the next generation will know elephants.” Creative conservation, smart partnerships and dedicated individuals – this is the future for wildlife, and Namibia is leading the way. TNN To learn more about Wildlife Credits, please visit www.wildlifecredits.com and/or follow them on Facebook: www.facebook.com/amarulanamibia
MELE FARMSTALL Text and Photographs Nina van Schalkwyk
To the south of Windhoek, as the central plateau falls away in warm reds and cool purples to the flat desert landscape that stretches out in front of it all the way to the sand dunes of Sossusvlei, the road becomes lonely. Settlements are scattered infrequently along the way. Most inhabitants of this inhospitable land remain close to the farmsteads hidden far off the roads, lending an air of desolation and extraterrestrial quality. You might not encounter a living soul for many kilometres. If you do, it’s likely to be a herd of cattle, or goats, and a herdsman or shepherd boy nearby. It could start to get to you, this lack of human contact.
A
nd then you notice them. The little red flags.
Placed at regular intervals along the side of the gravel road, flapping in the wind as you drive past, the scarlet triangles herald something to come in the distance. You wonder who in their right mind had planted them in the hard ground. Your attention is stimulated. You look around. And sure enough, there it is. A little building next to the road ahead. A sign outside that reads Mele, a roadside stall, or padstalletjie. Mele is an acronym for Make Eat Love Enjoy, the made-with-love product of Sonia Rabie’s creative passion. Sonia mans the shop on the day we stop there, and happily shows us around her little establishment. There’s much to see.
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With her kids out of school, there was no room for Empty Nest Syndrome. Sonia immediately decided to do something she always wanted to do, which was to set up her own roadside stall. She had the products to fill its shelves and that, after all, is the hardest part. Good farmers have produce, whether it’s the jars of jams from the previous season’s fruit, freshly-baked bread, homemade pickled vegetables and preserves, cured meats or more, and a walk around Mele is a showcase of a farmer’s handiwork. Every aspect of a Namibian farming life has been turned into a product for sale to visitors. There is the delicious frozen meat of lamb (free-range and organic, too, I might add) in the gas freezer. Kaaswors, sossatiewors, boerewors. The bobotie that
only needs to be heated up. The just-add-water beer bread (goodness knows how that magic works!). The make-it-yourself venison pie, a Namibian classic. Rusks of every flavour, cookies, sweets, coffee and tea. All of it mostly out of Sonia’s kitchen at the farmhouse. Sonia breeds Kaapse spikkelbokke, a type of goat that hails from the Western Cape in South Africa. Spikkelbokke were the original boerbok until they lost their popularity to their not-so-speckled counterparts. But Sonia liked these Cape bokke more, brought them to Namibia and started breeding. Their stunning pelts look almost exotic. She has a range of leather products for sale, the soft hides exquisitely hand-crafted by Zelma Kaurianga, a Herero woman in Windhoek, into tiny baby veldskoene, handbags, slippers. The soft skin seductive to the touch. The little kitchen at the back of the stall is too small for the heavy-duty stuff. Without electricity Sonia has to improvise. For example, no fancy coffee machine for her guests. Instead, she found an ingenious way of making coffee. As we sit down outside in the cool shade of the building, she whips out what looks like tiny coffee filters attached to two small paper arms. All you do is pour hot water over the sachets and there you are: coffee prepped per cup. You'd think it would get quite lonely out here, on the edge of the desert, next to a gravel road with few vehicles passing by. But when a cloud of dust announces the arrival of visitors to
the farmstall, Sonia is happy to show them around. Back in the kitchen, the dishes are preliminarily set out in neat rows to accommodate large groups or a sudden influx of visitors. But when the road is empty she doesn't mind the silence. There's always something to do. A good book, a painting to complete, revelling in solitude and silence. I look around and realise that I wouldn't mind this life at all. Just imagine. Meeting new people, hearing their interesting stories, basking in the stunning landscape that is the Namib-Naukluft, reading for hours on end without interruption, no cellphone reception, no electricity and the simple life to inspire creative projects. How great is that? Don't tell me you're not jealous. One day a traveller from Hawaii asked what Mele meant. After Sonia explained what the name stands for, the woman told her that mele is a Hawaiian term for music or chanting. Sometime later, she wasn’t surprised when a group of Italian tourists said that mele means apples in Italian. All these meanings, she says, inevitably suit the purpose and the place. Laughter, food, music, happiness. On the edge of the desert and the edge of the world. TNN
FIND IT:
12.7 km from the Spreetshoogte lookout point towards Rehoboth, on your left, on the D1275 Facebook: Mele-PadstalFarmstall
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A Champion of Communal Conservancies
I
Maxi Louis
n an era when there were few opportunities for black women, and even fewer for a career based on one’s passion, Maxi Louis managed to follow her heart into tourism. Today, Maxi is a multi-award winning conservationist and one of the pioneers in setting up Namibia’s internationally acclaimed Communal Conservancy Programme. As the director of NACSO, the Namibian Association for Communal Conservancy Support Organisations, she works with the private sector, government, communities and decision-makers to find common ground and implement communal conservancy policies that encourage sustainable utilisation development and the conservation of Namibia’s natural resources. Maxi grew up in Katutura prior to Namibia’s independence. As she says, during those days schools offered the opportunity to become a teacher or a nurse, or to go into agriculture. With no interest in either nursing or teaching, she opted for the latter and was granted a bursary to study agriculture first at the Academy, now NUST (Namibia University of Science and Technology), and then in Australia. It was during her time in Australia that she rediscovered her true passion: tourism, and more specifically communitybased tourism. What made her want to give back to her fellow human beings was the inherent belief in humanity, something she says she learnt from her mother: “My mother was a great inspiration in my life.” Maxi wanted to find a way to use her education to help people like herself, young women her age as well as older people who thought they had nothing left in life. Her take on education is clear: “You must make sure that you educate yourself, to make a difference in somebody’s life.” Maxi’s mother was a domestic worker at a bed and breakfast. During school holidays Maxi would help her
and thus came into contact with tourists who opened her mind to what Namibia had to offer to outsiders, who were coming from all over the world to experience the nature and wildlife that she herself had not yet had the chance to see. During her stay in Australia the development of community-based tourism projects caught her attention, and she was inspired to take back home what she was learning about how rural communities could get involved in tourism and benefit from it. Ahead of her time, Maxi consequently became a founding member of an organisation called the Community Based Tourism Association. And even though it felt as if development was edging forward very slowly, she concedes that looking back she can see the impact of her work. She has since been honoured for her work with numerous accolades and awards, but above all she is proud that she has been able to make a difference for communities, for people who believed there was no future for them. For her the “biggest highlight is seeing that we have so much land under conservation in this country. We fought to get the land protected, to make sure that our kids can see wildlife, can see their environment in a different way – that is the biggest achievement in my life.” “Namibia is beautiful, it’s something that I think nobody can take away from us, but we need to work hard to protect it.” TNN
Maxi’s story is part of a new series celebrating Namibians in tourism and conservation in partnership with Master Your Destiny. Read more in the MYD Journal at: www.issuu.com/99fm/docs/99fm_myd_book_2018
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EXPLORING THE
Circle around southern Namibia from Windhoek to the Kalahari, the canyon, Sossusvlei and Swakopmund for some of the finest scenery on the planet... 48
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Our journey begins in a Gondwana Duster, the slinkiest car-hire vehicle I’ve yet been in, a mix of modern convenience and robust 4x4 toughness in just the right quantities, perfect for a cross-country adventure. Gliding out of Windhoek on the tar, music playing, Namibia’s blue dome of sky up above, it’s difficult not to feel like the luckiest people alive. The reservations have all been made, we have a folder with our itinerary next to us, a programmed GPS – and a map because the old-fashioned part of me prefers to see the layout of the land in its entirety. It’s an easy route winding through the Windhoek hills to Rehoboth, past the kaross sellers at Duineveld, their display of springbok hides flapping in the breeze. A donkey cart careens past heading in the opposite direction on the sandy road parallel to the B1 and we wave to the passengers, sharing the universal currency of travel – a smile.
Hello Kalahari Desert!
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Veering eastwards before Mariental, we cruise into Kalahari Anib Lodge. This stylish lodge has captured the essence of the desert with a relaxed modesty, a dash of love and a good bit of soul, a hearty combination that is repeated in the Gondwana lodges countrywide. Lunch outdoors in the nearby Kalahari Farmhouse with its secret garden atmosphere, a walk through the SelfSufficiency Centre, which supplies fresh produce to Gondwana’s twenty lodges, and an afternoon nature drive complete the day. Toasting life from a dune with the sinking sun setting everything aflame, we partake in the great southern African tradition of celebrating this time of day with a sundowner - and feel a pervasive sense of contentment.
Destination canyon It’s destination canyon today and I can feel the excitement build as we travel southwards and turn onto the gravel to Naute Dam and its oasis of palm trees and vineyards. The gravel calls for a slower pace and it doesn’t take long before I’m in gravel rhythm. Canyon Roadhouse is our lunch stop for Roadhouse burgers, state-of-theart coffee and slices of Amarula cheesecake. The Roadhouse, a light-hearted and colourful tribute to the grand old days of the automobile, reminds me how beneficial it is in life to nurture a sense of humour. The large-roofed lodge with its fun-filled interior of classic old-timers, transport paraphernalia and the rusting Fords and Chevys creatively placed outdoors has become a landmark in the canyon area, not to be missed. With full bellies and wide grins we make our way to our home for the next few days, Canyon Lodge. With its reception area housed in the quaint century-old farmhouse and the cosy stone bungalows tucked into the granite hills, it’s a place that immediately warms the cockles of my heart.
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There are several great Earth masterpieces of which the Fish River Canyon is one. Gazing out at the depths, sculpted by the journey of the meandering Fish River and time, is a humbling experience. We spend hours exploring the various viewpoints, awed by this vast place of life at large. Needless to say, when I leave the canyon, saying my farewells to the friendly staff, I feel a quiet tug in my heart. But, travelling towards the Orange River, the large perennial river that forms the border between South Africa and Namibia, I’m soon happy to be on the road again, riding the rollercoaster of travel emotions.
Following the smile of the Orange Our route leads along the gravel arteries through the desert landscape until the Orange and then we follow its smile around to Rosh Pinah, curving northwards to Aus. Klein Aus Vista, the warm family-owned and -run lodge resonates with the spirit of the Namib wild horses. Favourite things to do here are to walk in the rocky hills, visit the horses at the Garub hide and take a day trip to explore Lüderitz and the abandoned diamond town of Kolmanskop. Sunrise finds us watching the horses galloping to the waterhole before we head to Kolmanskop for their guided tour. I try to imagine opulence in the desolate surrounds when people flocked to the desert after the first diamond was discovered in 1908. The highlight of the visit, besides stretching the imagination, are the colours and textures
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of the sand that fills the corners of some of the houses that have been allowed to be recaptured by their host, the ancient Namib Desert. The town of Lüderitz still rings of diamond days when champagne is said to have been cheaper than water, which was shipped from the Cape Colony, and where diamonds sparkled in the sand by the light of the moon.
Extraordinarily otherworldly Although it’s tempting to linger longer at Klein Aus Vista, the renowned Sossusvlei dunes are flashing on my mind’s dashboard. It’s slow going along the sandy D707 scenic route bordering the Namib Naukluft Park, where I feel as if I am entering another world. And it’s reinforced at Namib Desert Lodge where we have reserved a night at their satellite camp, Dune Star, on the crest of the fossilised dunes. The view is mesmerising, as is the starry night when we roll our bed (especially designed with wheels) onto the balcony of our room to sleep under the stars. When we drive to the famed Sossusvlei the next day, the scenery vies for beauty. The 60km drive from Sesriem is like entering a sci-fi scene, where everything you are familiar with vanishes. A line of gigantic sentry dunes ushers us into a kingdom of red sand. We hop aboard the shuttle to Deadvlei and trudge through the thick sand to the dancing old camelthorns studded in the cracked white pan, and then to Sossusvlei. The vlei - or seasonal pan - marks the spot where the Tsauchab River sinks into the sand at the end of its journey, thwarted by the massive dunes. Only rarely filling with water after good summer rains when the Tsauchab hurtles through the Sesriem canyon and the desert, it is now bone dry. Best seen from above, we climb a short stretch up the adjacent Big Mama dune and then sit, taking in the regal scenery around us, listening to the pulse of the Earth.
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A touch of grace in the desert
Delight-full!
As a treat, the night is spent at The Desert Grace. Gondwana’s newest lodge is a luxuriously lovely lodge that balances the harshness of the desert with soft pink and opulent touches. Here, ostrich feather lampshades, clumps of rose quartz and zebra skin mats set the innovative style, expressing the gentle and delicate desert beauty.
Back on the tar, we drive the last stretch between sand dunes and the crashing Atlantic Ocean to the unusual coastal town of Swakopmund with its old German architecture. Opposites merge in this place where new and old, African and European shake hands.
The trip is not yet done, by no means. Neither is the adventure. After a stop to fill the tank and for apple pie and charm at Solitaire, it’s a day of driving northwards to Swakopmund. The road snakes past robust mountains, over the Tropic of Capricorn, across desert plains and down into small canyons before we reach the swaying palms of Walvis Bay and the sea.
KALAHARI ANIB LODGE
Saccessible, stylish lodge. 30 rooms
avour the Kalahari Desert at this
flank a shady courtyard, with another 22 overlooking Kalahari savannah. Stretch legs on the walks and join the afternoon drive to experience the red Kalahari sand aglow with an inner fire.
S 24˚ 25.811 E 018˚ 06.041 30 km northeast of Mariental on the C 20
Our aim is to continue to be absolutely delighted, and our Swakop accommodation ‘The Delight’ complies. At the refreshingly different lodge, our base for the next few days, we throw off our shoes, wash off the dust of the road and appreciate how good it is to be alive and well, and travelling in Namibia.
CANYON LODGE
THE DESERT GRACE
AWalkways lead to 25 natural sto- Glity imbue this modern lodge with its gem in the rugged environment,
raceful spaces and gracious hospita-
ne chalets nestled in the granite boulders. Celebrate dawn among the quiver trees and the awe-inspiring adventure of life from the rim of the Fish River Canyon.
elegance of yesteryear, spirited character and refreshingly stylish interior. Sip on a pink gin while appreciating the expansive desert scenery from one of the 24 bungalows, each with its own plunge pool.
S 27˚ 39.794 E 17˚ 46.841 20 km east of the Fish River Canyon on C37
S 24˚ 06.993 E 15˚ 54.312 60 km north of Sesriem on the C 19
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First glimpse of Tsodilo hills at sunrise.
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TheofLouvre the Desert
The faraway hills of Ngamiland Text and Photographs Annabelle Venter
We wake early and it’s still dark on the banks of the Okavango River. The young Pel’s Fishing Owl is calling mournfully to its mum somewhere out there in the forest as we sip our first coffee for the day. Donning hiking boots, sunhats and packing lots of water (plus a few beers for rewards later on), we’re off to Tsodilo before the sun rises. It’s only about 50 km from where we are staying but it’s just past Christmas and the rains haven’t arrived yet this year. Oppressive cloud build-up can make the Botswana riverfront feel like a sauna!
W
e catch our first glimpse of Tsodilo Hills just as the sun rises and we’re not a moment too soon, arriving as the gate opens and the first guide strolls in. You could walk these routes on your own but you’ll miss a lot of the information and interpretation. Our host, Lloyd Wilmot, has climbed Tsodilo many times in the past, often landing his plane with guests on the nearby airstrip. Today he’s feeling the heat and opts to read a new book in the shade of the parking area while we sweat off a few kilos! We’re doing the Rhino Trail today and set off with our guide Thebe, tackling the steepest part head on. Straight up we go, boulder hopping and climbing past beautiful trees, lichens and serenading birds. There is a short section of ladder and boardwalk to increase accessibility to the steepest and wettest areas. We gratefully pause in a shaded gulley near the top of the ‘female’ hill to appreciate the ancient rock art, so exquisitely positioned with breath-taking views over the surrounding plains. The Tsodilo Hills are situated in the north-western corner of Botswana, quite close to Namibia’s Muhembo border post. There are four main hills in order of size: male, female, child – and first wife a little further away!
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TOP
Van der Post or Eland Panel
LEFT
Lichens cover the rocks everywhere
RIGHT
Grooves from San stone grinding work These four hills rise majestically above an otherwise flat Kalahari and roughly cover an area of about 10 km2. The hills hold such significant historical, archaeological and cultural importance, recording life here for the last 100 000 years, that they were declared a National Monument in 1927 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002. Over 4500 San paintings dot the hills in caves, on open rock faces, in crevices and simply around the base, making this an easily accessible art gallery to visit. Two of the most famous pieces seem to be the Rhino Panel, after which the walk around the female hill is known, and the Eland Panel, locally signposted as the ‘Van der Post’ Panel. Explorer Laurens van der Post left an apologetic note in a bottle at the foot of the Eland Panel in 1954, after supposedly offending the resident ancestral spirits on a filming trip. The paintings are particularly interesting in that they are isolated from other rock art, the nearest being 250 km away, and depict many domestic animals as well as wildlife, humans and even whales and penguins! Large wildlife is relatively limited here except for the antelope which manage to survive in the dry environment; signs of leopards are seen but seldom the animals themselves.
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Rock paintings at Tsodilo hills
HOW TO GET THERE
From Namibia you can access this area through two border posts. • The easiest and probably the best route is through the north-eastern corner of the Kavango Region, south of the Mahango Game Reserve. Muhembo border post is open daily from 06h00-18h00 and driving a further 16 km south brings you to Shakawe. From there it is a short trip to any of the lodges on the river nearby, e.g. Drotsky’s Cabins, Shakawe River Lodge or Nxamaseri Lodge. • The longer route is along a gravel road through Tsumkwe to the lesser-known Dobe border post, which is open daily from 07h30-16h30. From Dobe it’s a further 172 km on gravel to Grumare before you turn north to Seronga, then Shakawe. • Where to stay: In Botswana your choice is between Drotsky’s Cabins (camping and lodging), Shakawe River Lodge and Nxamaseri Lodge. In Namibia you can find accommodation just outside of Mahango Game Reserve in a variety of accommodations along the Okavango River; or at Tsumkwe, 54 km from the Dobe border post. • Camping is also available at Tsodilo Camp, next to the hills.
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One feels a special kind of peace while following the path from one painting to the next. It’s as if the ancient people were keeping you company on this little journey and trying to share their experiences from all those years ago. On the summit of the female hill we’re surprised to find a few majestic baobabs and rocky outcrops with worn stone grooves made by San people in times past. Bright yellow lichens adorn the rocks along the trail and beautiful birdsong provides the sound track. Something that will always remind me of these hills is the incredible Mexican wave of cicada. While standing at the summit admiring the sweeping vistas we hear cicada beetles calling on the opposite hill. We have these at home but something is different here – the sound is approaching us and quickly covers the gap between the hills. This distinctive sound of summer swells up to greet us, over and down the valley, silence descending on the direction it came from. Growing up in the Cape we used to call these cicadas ‘Christmas beetles’, and now I can’t help re-naming them Mexican Christmas beetles. On reaching the level ground again, Thebe leads us around the edge of the female hill and into some cool caves where we have a moment’s respite from the now relentless heat. Some of the paintings are really high and it is difficult to see how the San people reached these rocks but Thebe explains that ground has since washed away putting them out of reach now. Emerging from the caves we round a corner to find a natural passage through the rock and stop dead in our tracks in wonder. There, on the sandy floor under the overhang, lies the silent evidence that a leopard passed this way last night! The fresh spoor leads us through the tunnel and out into the harsh sunlight once again. I’m a sucker for leopards and
lagging behind I turn to look at the exit of the tunnel. Being quite still for a moment I imagine my favourite feline pausing at the opening in the moonlight last night, checking for any movement that might indicate enemy or food. Eventually I must wrench myself from my reverie to catch up with the others. We journey on through beautiful tall sparse forests, pausing to admire and discuss various panels of rock art. Near the end of our walk we stop below a broken board that points heavenwards to the Van der Post Panel and we have to crane necks and shield eyes from the sun to see the most ‘famous’ of all the art here. I can’t help wishing that I can return one day soon, if only to climb to this exquisite group of eland paintings. This is an empty corner of Botswana and we walk in silence for the rest of the way feeling happily alone. A noise in the trees overhead brings the walk to a halt – an African Barred Owlet is hunting moths in the canopy.
ABOVE
African Barred Owlet
TOP RIGHT
Exit to the 'leopard tunnel'
Eventually we emerge from the trees and our walk ends near the information centre, where we crack open that ice cold Windhoek draught beer. Heading back to the Shakawe-Maun main road we meet up with the rest of our party. After a picnic lunch under cool giant trees in the nearby Nxamaseri valley we return to the river and a spot of Pel’s Fishing Owl photography before dark. A perfect end to a perfect day. TNN
People come to experience Tsodilo for different reasons. Some want to find a tangible thread to their ancestors. Some simply admire the ancient rock art and try to imagine the place in times past. Some come because it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and others to enjoy the walk, nature and remoteness, and the only hills in an otherwise flat country. Lloyd Wilmot, our host for the past few days, first visited this place in 1963 as a boy with his school friends who lived in Shakawe. He returned in 1972 with a group of anthropologists from South Africa who had asked him to arrange a trip to visit the Xanikwe, or River San, living on Xdangwa island, south of Xigera in the Okavango Delta. The headman of the Xanikwe, Kekanamang, explained that the River San originally came from the Tsodilo hills, and accepted an invitation to accompany the party to the hills. Kekanamang was disappointed to find that he and the people living at Tsodilo at the time had only a few words in common. But Lloyd was not about to give up after the long journey and led the party to the nearby Nxamaseri area which he knew was still inhabited by a small community of Xanikwe San. To their delight Kekanamang found a common language with the locals and in the course of the conversation the Nxamaseri group listed the same ancestors that Kekanamang had described before he left home. In 1972 there was no way they could have communicated prior to the visit and the joy experienced when the relatives re-united was the culmination of a historical adventure and a history lesson for them all. Later, Lloyd made expeditions to the hills by plane and on the road. On one such occasion in early 1976 he travelled with his heavily pregnant wife and a friend in an old Land Rover. On seeing a storm approaching the hills, they were in a rush to arrive and find shelter. But his wife was finding the bumpy sand track rather punishing in her pregnant state, so they made regular stops of 15 minutes to allow her niggling contractions to subside before proceeding. They arrived just in time before the clouds burst, taking shelter in a large cave on the eastern side of the female hill while the storm crashed outside all around them. Lloyd recalls holding the kettle under the rock overhang, catching the rain runoff to provide a comforting cup of tea for them all.
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frican Monarch Lodges, home to Nambwa Tented Lodge and Kazile Island Lodge inside Bwabwata National Park, is the cumulative product of the passion and dedication that its founders, Dusty and Tinolla, have put into its formation. The lodges are part and parcel of their environment – the most crucial element of their success. “As lodge owners we are custodians of the wild. We take this seriously. So when we build, we ensure that the natural environment is our number one priority.” And so a new effort was born of this need to conserve, protect and give back. The Sijwa Project. What is the Sijwa Project? It’s the repurposing and reinventing of all recyclable waste from the African Monarch Lodges – Nambwa Tented Lodge and Kazile Island Lodge on the Kwando River in the Zambezi Region of Namibia – and from the local community into exquisite sellable arts and crafts. Another part is an organic permaculture nursery to supply food for local people and lodge guests (reducing the air and road mileage that lodge food usually travels). The sandy soil is nourished
with composted food-waste and superstrength worm juice, given another boost by the occasional dollop of elephant dung. Sijwa is also about a cultural village, an artisanal skills training centre, a beehive project, a free-range egg producing scheme and a junior ranger training venue. Plus, it’s an indigenous tree nursery for visitors to buy and plant a tree to offset their carbon footprint. The tree is looked after by a local ‘tree guardian’ to ensure a better chance to survive nibbling goats.
Dusty apply a ‘go big or go home’ kind of attitude and the Sijwa Project is no exception. They’ve just broken ground (literally and metaphorically) at Sijwa to upgrade some of the derelict buildings into workshops.
Recycling plastic is a passion of Chief Mayuni of the local Mafwe tribe. It was kindled by a conversation he had with a tourist who remarked that “plastic is like a flower in Namibia, it is everywhere.” When Chief Mayuni learnt of Tinolla and Dusty’s plans he allocated Sijwa – a traditional meeting place in his area in the Mayuni Conservancy of Bwabwata National Park – to this joint venture with the community. After listening carefully to all the presentations, he gave his personal blessing at a large gathering of dignitaries, international media and conservation role players on 17 November 2018.
Lodge guests will be offered a visit to the Sijwa Project to experience local culture, interact with community members as they go about creating beautiful recycled objects, buy gifts, plant a tree and show support for this communitydriven initiative. Sponsorships are sought from corporates, tour operators and individuals to help nurture the project into a shining example of Best Practice for sustainability in a wildlife area. This fits in perfectly with the KAZA objectives of sustainable eco-tourism and communities living in harmony with wildlife.
With boundless passion for everything they put their minds to, Tinolla and
“This vision is bigger than us – we occupy a tiny space on this planet – but we know the Sijwa Project will make a real difference and demonstrate how people and wildlife can live together sustainably.”
Visit www.africanmonarchlodges.com for updates and more information on the project.
Tel: +264 81 125 2122 Email: reservations@africanmonarchlodges.com Web: www.africanmonarchlodges.com
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Water chickens
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Balanced
BIRDERS
The 7 "unofficial" categories of birders. Text and Photographs Pompie Burger
Bird-watchers are tense, competitive, selfish, shifty, dishonest, distrusting, boorish, pedantic, unsentimental, arrogant and – above all – envious. – Bill Oddie
To become part of this very exclusive, highly rated, wild and wonderful group of people was an eyeopener for me. I believe even the birds were amazed. Incidentally I am unfamiliar with quite a few of the above-mentioned characteristics, but they sound pretty bad. When I was introduced to birding in the early eighties by a very good friend, I never thought I would end up where I am today. To be quite honest, I never was a proper birder and still will not classify myself as being a good one. My knowledge is way behind that of the average birder, and when I compare notes with my own classification and maybe understand what it means, I will hopefully get a group just for myself.
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The best-known bird in Namibia
L
et's get to the real people of the avian community. Maybe one must start at the beginning and say that birding is a sport/activity which anyone in the world can do. If you ask the average person (always wondered what an average person is, sounds pretty derogative), how many birds he can identify, he will most likely say none. When you start asking him if he knows what a dove, swallow, mossie, crow, owl, Guineafowl, weaver, Ostrich, Dust chicken (see Karlien) is, you can get to 10 very quickly and suddenly he can call himself a birder. Even more interesting, when you ask people if they can identify a bird call, you will be surprised that their score will be even higher. Imagine knowing the call of a Fish Eagle, dove, Guineafowl, Go-Away-Bird, Spotted Eagle Owl, Diederik Cuckoo, lapwing and many more, you can almost call yourself an expert. I must confess my knowledge of the different bird calls leaves much to be desired. The above-mentioned are about the full range of calls I can identify. If you can master the art of bird-call identification, you are again almost a professional birder. According to an article I recently read in Africa - Birds & Birding they classify birders in five categories. World Listers, Budget Birders, Balanced Birders, Leisure Birders and Explorer Birders. I found my own classification much more applicable, easier to use and much more impressive: 1. At the bottom of the ticking list are the plebeians, in rugby terms, the wynspan. They still make some basic mistakes like calling a Helmeted Guineafowl a Dust Chicken, a Pygmy Goose a Water Chicken, an Egyptian
Dust Chicken
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BIRDING WITH POMPIE
Tawny-flanked Prinia exclusively for the Ultimate Professionals
Vulture a Meat-eating Chicken, a Malachite Kingfisher a Small Fish Chicken, a Darter an Underwater Chicken, a raptor a Danger Chicken, a Pell’s Fishing Owl a Night Water Chicken; shore birds are Beach Chickens, penguins are Funny Chickens etc. My daughter Karlien is the current president of this society. 2. Once you have passed grade zero you advance to the group who have bought their first bird book, and obviously you must be on a higher level now. You know quite a lot of birds and even start arguing with co-birders about the identity of a call or sighting. Soon you will buy your first pair of binoculars and, as you can imagine, you are in a very dangerous group. Pretty much like Group 1, but without realising you are making a fool of
yourself. Nevertheless the aspiration is there to bring out the best in your future career. 3. Having passed your previous category you become an expert of sorts. Now you have more than one bird book, but as yet only one pair of binoculars, maybe a bit bigger than the first one. At this stage you are still relatively relaxed but there are traces of seriousness creeping into your attitude. When on holiday you do birdwatching (only) and start to become a bit condescending towards non-birders. Your Roberts is still very much part of your paraphernalia, maybe with a special little sakkie for the book to fit in and your name embroidered on it.
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Even I can ID this by its looks and call.
BIRDING WITH POMPIE 4. Once you have passed this level you are entering the group where you have a ticking list. This puts you in a much higher echelon and now you can start looking down on a lot of your co-birders. This is the stage where you can start comparing lists with other birders. A very important personality disorder that these birders have is that, when on a birding trip, they will get very irritable once they have seen a new bird and have ticked it off on their list but cannot move on to the next tickable bird. This means no enjoyment, no other interest, no cigarette break or chatting about last weekend’s rugby games (no, they do not watch/talk rugby anymore). Most of these birders will leave their Roberts at the camp/lodge (they still check it sneakily at night to see if they identified all their calls correctly). 5. The next group of birders know all the birds and bird calls by heart, but maybe they still lack a bit of confidence. They are on the way to ticking off the 500 birds on their list. They do not belong to a bird club anymore, except if they can be the chairman. Luckily the numerical order of Roberts, where each bird has a number, is not in use any longer. These birders used to know those numbers by heart and when seeing a bird they would call out the bird’s number instead of the bird’s name. Holidays are planned around birding and not drinking or driving. 6. Now you are nearing the peak. You hate people who know the birds better than you do. When telling them about a wonderful sighting, they will tell you about twenty previous sightings, often in their own backyard. They will also look very unimpressed if you have not seen an Angolan Chat. If you happen to be on a game/bird drive and you spot a Pell's Fishing Owl they will look the other way (having seen many of them before), looking for a Greater Swamp Warbler instead. They give talks at bird clubs, and sidestep people who don’t do birding, preferring other top birders’ company. They know birds by their scientific names. 7. Finally you reach the top and are the ultimate pro. These are the guys with thick glasses, spotter scope, multipurpose jacket and a birding cap. Perhaps it is more important in this group what they do not have. They do not have a sense of humour, they do not have a Roberts Field Guide anymore (maybe they will have one of the books they wrote themselves), no voice-recorder/CD player/tablet (they can whistle, mumble, scream or shout the specific bird’s call). If you feel safe in this group please be patient with the rest of us. As for myself, I do fit in all these categories, as well as none of them, unfortunately with only the bad habits of each group. So, if you want to meet a bad birder, just call me, I can teach you everything you need to know about bad habits. And most importantly, I know the pretty ones (birds) and all the Ultimate Professional birders to help me ID the difficult ones. Happy birding!! TNN
ABOVE Ugly Chicken If you know the reason why this is a Cape Vulture you are in group 3
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TREAD LIGHTLY ON THIS LAND
The magic of an
outpost
Text Rièth van Schalkwyk Photographs Venture Media Team
How does one describe a landscape and the emotions it evokes in such a way that when someone, who has never been there, can share the magic?
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rying my best, the most descriptive words I come up with sound jaded with over-use in our era of abundant travel writings. Awe-inspiring used to be the right word. But now it does not qualify to describe the emotion of that specific morning. Nor does the photograph of the very moment just before the sun rose through feathery rain clouds turning the landscape pink, then gold. We sat on the red desert sand at daybreak. Nobody uttered a word. Did not look at one another. Just stared at the horizon in silence. Holding on to the moment – hoping to remember it forever. It was in celebration of Venture Publication’s 25 years that we returned to Namib Rand. After a quarter century I am the only original Venture girl left on the team and I have been to the late Albie Brückner’s dream come true countless times. Even before the opening of Dune Camp, the first of the Wolwedans Collection, the same year Venture Publications was founded. The majority of the Venture team were toddlers when we launched Travel News Namibia in 1994. On that first visit I fell in love instantly and permanently. Every mood, every season, tempestuous or soothing, freezing or blazingly hot, covered in red sand, golden grass or apple-green new growth, black thundering autumn clouds, subtle hazy August hues, crisp blue winter skies. But mostly the silence and the total natural balance, everywhere you look. The lines, the colours, the tones, the
rocks, the mountains, the trees, the shades of sand and shadows. The light. Land no human has touched. Except for the meandering track in the sand, leading deeper into the beautiful landscape, closer to the purple mountains, to the view that stretches as far as the eye can see. Namibia is suffering years of country-wide drought and in the southwest of the country where we visited Boulders Camp, the newest of the four lodges on the 230 thousand hectare Namib Rand Nature Reserve, there is little grass but tons of red sand. Thirty years ago this was farmland where sheep farmers tried to survive such dry cycles. There is little evidence of those days, since all the fences have been removed and there are no dams or windmills. Except one, en route to the lodge from the entrance, reminding me of the fact that there must have been desperate farmers here many decades ago, looking at the gathering clouds, hoping that would bring the rain. Did the farmer find joy in a dramatic daybreak as we did? Did he allow himself the pleasure of watching a sunset from a rock with a 360-degree view? Albie’s dream was visionary. The pristine beauty of this ancient land cannot withstand the pressure of human interference. We have to tread lightly.
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Boulders Camp, nestled against ancient rocks - a delicate, but elegant footprint on the southern edge of the 230 thousand hectare NamibRand Nature Reserve.
LEFT: A close-up of the Fairy Circle Land Art Project.
BELOW: Burchell's plain zebra move in, out and around the reserve depending on where there is sufficient grazing.
RIGHT: Jacqueline in a private plunge pool, just big enough to cool down but not waste a drop of precious water.
BELOW LEFT: Housekeeper Sakkie, trainee Lukas, waitress Fransina, host Andrew and chef Robert
Albie’s son Stephan, MD of the Wolwedans Collection in the NamibRand Reserve, continues his father’s legacy. Through careful tourism development Wolwedans makes it possible to share the desert and protect it at the same time. When Wolwedans applied to the NamibRand Board for a concession to build a fourth facility in the southern part of the reserve, he spent weekend after weekend scouting the area on foot, because no driving off the tracks is ever allowed. It had to be the perfect spot. Hidden, not to spoil the view from a game viewer and out of sight until you literally come around the corner. What was supposed to be a fly camp for adventurous Dune Lodge guests who wanted to sleep in the middle of nowhere for one night, became the most exclusive and remote of the four camps. Every pole, every plank, every pipe, every drum was dumped in one place and carried with human effort to where it was manually planted. “We did not leave a single track except for the path leading there and the car park where everything was off-loaded”, says Stephan. There is no evidence of the understructure of sewerage and water pipes. No disturbance of soil or rock or plants during the construction of the sturdy custom-made tents that can withstand the wind and the harsh weather. When he designed the tent structures for the main communal area with lounge, kitchen and dining room, he realised that it would have the same environmental footprint if the decks were bigger, 16 instead of 8 poles, planted for a larger bedroom and a separate bathroom tent, salas for kids or just lounging, and a private plunge pool.
“I always feel happy at Boulders. It’s like an outpost where it seems as if no-one and nothing can reach you. My dream is that there will come a time when visitors would stay at NamibRand for six days to experience everything”, Stephan says. Boulders can host 12 guests. To limit the disruption caused by people arriving and departing with too many vehicles and guides, the minimum stay is three nights and guests arrive on the same day and depart together. Our team experienced all the treats and surprises at Boulders in the middle of the hot midsummer. Sunrise walks to the Hard Rock Café, cycling with fat bikes across open plains. Rising early to be at the perfect spot at sunrise and again arriving at the perfect location for dinner under the stars or the full moon. It will be a shame to spoil it for future visitors if I describe it all, but suffice to say that after all these years I was surprised. How dramatic settings are used as a backdrop for every special experience. We were touched by the kind and considerate way in which the hosts are in tune with the mood of their guests. The obvious pleasure when the surprise works its magic. TNN CONTACT WOLWEDANS:
Tel: + 264 61 230 616 Email: reservations@wolwedans.com www.wolwedans.com
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SWA SAFARIS
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Travel Notes from a Vagabond 76
By
lie Wil
ier
Oliv
WWW.TRAVELNEWSNAMIBIA.COM
Willie Olivier is a veteran journalist and travel writer. He has been compiling guides and travel directories for visitors to Namibia since before independence. In this new series for Travel News Namibia, Willie compiles notes, thoughts and takeaways from his travels. Interesting facts, little-known happenings and anecdotes of the adventures of this vagabond.
BLACK-FACED IMPALA
On the journey from Opuwo to Epupa Falls the road crosses the Omuhonga River. In September 1969 this spot served as the base camp for capturing the first group of black-faced impala for translocation to Etosha National Park. Game capture techniques were very rudimentary in those early days: before nets were used the animals were dazzled with spotlights at night and caught by hand. Two other capture operations were subsequently conducted at Enyandi and along the Kunene River. The black-faced impala, characterised by its distinctive facial blaze, is a common species in Etosha. But the story
NKASA RUPARA – AN EVER-CHANGING ECOSYSTEM During years of high floods in the Kwando River up to 80% of Nkasa Rupara National Park is inundated and the wetlands are transformed into a microcosm of the Okavango Delta. The rhythm of the wetlands is primarily dictated by the flow in the KwandoLinyanti-Chobe system, and wet cycles are inevitably followed by dry cycles. Complex tectonic, climatic and hydrological events have shaped and reshaped the wetlands over countless aeons. No two seasons are the same. Blockages caused by sedimentation, dense reed beds or floating vegetation divert water into channels that have been waterless for decades, while channels that flowed only recently dry up unexpectedly. Hippos also play a part in the constantly changing waterways by keeping channels open, while a termite mound built in a channel during a dry cycle can force the water to find another course.
SWARTBOOISDRIFT Originally known as Otjimuhaka in Otjiherero, this shallow ford was named after Petrus Swartbooi, a Nama Chief who died there from wounds sustained in a crocodile attack. This was where the Dorslandtrekkers crossed into Angola in the early 1880s. A police post was established at Swartbooisdrift in 1925, but it was closed 14 years later after a Constable van Eck died of malaria. When some 350 Dorslandtrek families returned from Angola in 1928/9, they crossed into what was then South West Africa at Swartbooisdrift.
of its capture, relocation and release has largely been forgotten and would most probably have been lost for future generations, had it not been for Peter Bridgeford’s recently published book Conservation pioneers in Namibia and stories by game rangers. This monumental work is a compilation of 110 first-hand accounts of former conservation officials, long-forgotten articles in newsletters and reports by 55 authors.
RUSPLAAS Sometimes it’s easy to get to the destinations on your list, but one place that eluded me for a full 27 years is Rusplaas. Finally, late last year, I decided to take a detour to this almost forgotten piece of history of the Dorslandtrekkers’ journey to southern Angola. It was declared a national monument way back in 1951. But it is not signposted and had it not been for the perseverance and enthusiasm of my travel companions and Tracks4Africa, I might have given up. The track alternated between powdery dust and pieces of bone-jarring calcrete rock. Directions provided by the locals sent us in various ways, but eventually we got to the rather dilapidated ruins of a two-roomed cottage built by a Dorslandtrekker in about 1878. After leaving Etosha, the Dorslandtrekkers continued to Kaokoland in smaller groups and on arrival at the artesian springs at Otjitunda split into four groups. One group of about 300 people remained in the vicinity of the springs and named their temporary abode Rusplaas, which means resting farm. Two groups settled at springs in the surrounding area, while the fourth group continued to Kaoko Otavi. After obtaining permission from the Portuguese authorities, the trekkers set off to their new home, Humpata, in southern Angola in October 1880. Although the site was less than impressive, it certainly reminded me of the incredible hardships and unbearable suffering the Dorslandtrekkers endured. And one more piece of their journey through Namibia fell into place.
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Once upon a time…
THERE WAS A HIPPO IN
KHAUDUM Text Willie Olivier
A
hippopotamus in Khaudum? “No way. It’s impossible!” I replied when the bar tender at the TUCSIN Tsumkwe Lodge, where I dropped in to slake my thirst in late November last year, told me this seemingly tall tale. “Where in Khaudum?” I asked. “Tsoanafontein”, he replied, “I was there three days ago. Here’s the proof.” When he showed me the photo on his mobile phone there was no doubt in my mind that it was indeed a hippopotamus. But it still seemed completely impossible. A hippopotamus in Khaudum? Eager to find out more about this most unlikely inhabitant, I headed to the Nyae Nyae Conservancy office to get more information. There I learnt that 11 hippos had crossed into the conservancy from Botswana in 2016 when floodwaters from our eastern neighbour spilled into the area. At Nyae
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Nyae the hippos made themselves comfortable in the inundated pans, but eventually drifted back into Botswana when the pans began drying up. One of the hippos, however, decided to make Nyae Nyae his new home and moved from pan to pan as the water receded. On the last leg of his journey the hippo probably walked more than 60 km before settling down in the waterhole of Tsoanafontein in the southwestern corner of the park. He had to share the waterhole with elephants and other game – living the life of a loner and an outcast, because he probably was a lone bull. Unforeseen mechanical problems put paid to my visit to Khaudum and when I got back to Windhoek I immediately set about planning a trip back to the park as soon as possible. But in early December I learnt that the lone hippo
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was no more. Its demise was caused by elephants that had destroyed the solar installation at the waterhole. With no water to protect him from the blazing sun and little shade nearby where he could take shelter during the heat of the day it was just a matter of days before he succumbed. The story of the wandering hippo of Nyae Nyae somehow reminded me of one of South Africa’s most famous animals. The incredible story of Huberta the Hippo began in November 1928 when she left the St Lucia Estuary in KwaZulu-Natal. She covered a distance of over 1600 km during the next three years as she wandered down the east coast of South Africa until she was shot by farmers in East London in April 1931. A fanciful and endearing thought that hippos may roam where few hippos have ever gone before… TNN
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Journey with us to Serra Cafema, and contribute to an authentic partnership with the ancient Himba community.
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Photo: Alexander Heinrichs
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