Travel News Namibia Spring 2017

Namibia TRAVEL NEWS

WWW.TRAVELNEWSNAMIBIA.COM

UNEXPECTED JOURNEYS

AND EPIC ADVENTURES

N$40.00 incl. VAT R40.00 incl. VAT

VOLUME 25 No 4 | SPRING 2017

SUPER KING AIR 350 EXTENDED RANGE The Super King Air 350 offers twin engine safety, a luxury interior and unrivalled capability. Adding to its ability to landing on unimproved gravel runways, it offers a luxury VIP cabin with dual club seating for 8 passengers, fold-out tables and a refreshment centre. The King Air is the ideal aircraft for your next African flying safari, corporate excursion or mine visit. With its unparalleled range the Super King Air 350ER has the ability to fly-in between Windhoek in Namibia to the St Helena Island or to Nairobi in Kenya. With its more than 40 year-heritage, the rugged design of the aircraft, and its robust systems make the 350 one of the most dependable and predictable aircraft in operation today.

Contact Westair Aviation and find out how the Super King Air 350ER can add value to your next flying excursion. t +264 839378247 w westair.com.na e reservations@westair.com.na PO Box 407, Aviation Road, Eros Airport, Windhoek, Namibia

Namibia TRAVEL NEWS

is published by Venture Media in Windhoek, Namibia www.travelnewsnamibia.com

Classic, close-up capture of one of Namibia's treasures by TNN writer Elzanne Erasmus.

What is a trip to Etosha without a beautiful sighting of a herd of Burchell's zebra?

Tel: +264 61 420 500, 1 Mozart Street, Windhoek West PO Box 21593, Windhoek, Namibia MANAGING EDITOR Rièth van Schalkwyk PRODUCTION MANAGER Elzanne Erasmus elzanne@venture.com.na PUBLIC RELATIONS Janine van der Merwe janine@venture.com.na LAYOUT & DESIGN Liza de Klerk CUSTOMER SERVICE Bonn Nortjé bonn@venture.com.na ONLINE EDITOR Nina van Schalkwyk info@venture.com.na TEXT CONTRIBUTORS Annabelle Venter, Elzanne Erasmus, Pompie Burger, Nina van Schalkwyk, Rièth van Schalkwyk, Marita van Rooyen, Annelien Robberts, Oliver D. Halsey, Anja Denker

PHOTOGRAPHERS Elzanne Erasmus, Annabelle Venter, Annelien Robberts, Marita van Rooyen, Rièth van Schalkwyk, Oliver D. Halsey, Chris Botha, Emsie Verwey, Helga Burger, Johann Groenewald, Nina van Schalkwyk PRINTERS John Meinert Printing, Windhoek Travel News Namibia is published quarterly, distributed worldwide and produced solely on Apple Macintosh equipment. The editorial content of TNN is contributed by 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.

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH WHAT’S HAPPENING IN

NAMIBIA

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Not for Sale to Persons Under the Age of 18.

ABOUT VENTURE

VENTURE MEDIA Venture Media is the pioneer of Namibia tourism promotion. We are the leader in spreading the tourism word around the world. We distribute accurate, credible, up to date and regular tourism-related information on paper, in social media, on the World Wide Web, and on mobile apps. We have reached hundreds of thousands over more than two decades. Be part of our community and let’s do it together.

MAGAZINES BY VENTURE MEDIA 2015

and the Environment in Namibia

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.

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YEARS

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CONSERVATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN NAMIBIA, an annual special edition of Travel News Namibia, is published in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Tourism.

WWW. TRAVELNEWSNAMIBIA.COM TNN online is home to more than 20 years worth of content. We’ve been online since 1995, keeping readers across the world up-to-date with what’s happening in Namibia! Visit us today for the most amazing photos, enticing stories and comprehensive information on all things Namibia!

WE'RE A SOCIAL BUNCH

EDITOR’S LETTER

Travel Enjoy Respect The thorn trees are blossoming in Namibia. The light is soft, sky hazy, sunsets pink, no clouds, dusty winds and every second vehicle heading north or west boasts a roof rack or a rooftop tent. There is not a car left for rent and not a room available anywhere near Sossusvlei or Etosha. It is peak tourist season in Namibia.

Since it is the year of sustainable tourism for development, we make sure that everything we write underpins this aspiration set by the World Tourism Organisation. In Namibia that is not difficult because when tourism became a growing sector in our young democracy we could learn from the mistakes made by other countries and we were able to side-step the big pitfalls. One challenge we continue to struggle with is the seasonality, mainly because our biggest source market is Europe, and the holiday season there is when it is – during the summer holiday months in the northern hemishere.

It is understandable that operators in source markets demand more beds at a time which is easiest for them to sell those beds. And it is equally reasonable that they would like their clients to visit the Top 10 Namibia destinations of every list ever published. That is human nature. Now we have filled up the peak season months and everybody cries for more beds.

Or have we filled up the peak season?

Namibians in the tourism sector can collectively promote our tourism product in such a way that it is enticing to visit Namibia in any season, because it truly is an all-year-round destination. In fact, if you ask locals when the worst season to travel is, they would say August.

One thing we must all make peace with, is that one cannot force tourists to take decisions about where and on what they spend their money. If they want to see Sossusvlei they will demand that to be included in their itinerary.

If we continue to build lodges in the area, to allow hundreds of thousands of visitors to be able to visit Deadvlei in the three winter months every year, the very reason for the experience would be destroyed. We must simply increase our collective efforts to promote the rest of the year and make sure that there is an incentive for our partners in source markets to sell Namibia outside the easy-selling peak season.

How can all of us start to change perceptions, though? With words.

At Venture we do so by writing stories about places and people and on topics that are off the beaten track. Literally. We challenge ourselves, our readers and our partners in the sector to be daring and explore on roads less travelled.

The younger generation of travellers are the ones who want experiences and be daring and do things in different ways. We should be clever enough to offer that on the right platforms to reach them and in a way that resonates with them.

Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organisation, stated in a recent article on sustainable tourism that tourism growth was not the enemy, but what counts is how we manage. In Namibia we need proper management, such as a master plan for tourism development, to lead the way in creative planning and development that will not destroy the very essence of what gives us a competitive advantage.

Be careful on our roads, enjoy the spring blossoms and the pink sunsets and the carefully selected words in this magazine full of inspiration.

Rièth van Schalkwyk

TRAVEL NEWS NAMIBIA SPRING 2017

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CONTENTS 28

SPRING 2017

10 BUSH TELEGRAPH New happenings in Namibia 14 THE BUSANGA PLAINS Connect your trip with Zambia 20 TRACKING TRACKS through Africa 26 BIG CATS AND BIG SMILES Educational trip to Africat 28 UNEXPECTED INHABITANTS of the Namib Desert 36 RUNNING WILD on the Skeleton Coast 44 THE GREAT DEBATE Ride for Rhinos

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52 FROM ROCKY TO RUGGED The Riemvasmakers 58 BEAUTY AND THE BEASTS Hyena Project 62 BUILT OF MOON, MIST AND RAIN Namibia's Mushrooms

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CONTENTS

44

62 68 GENERATION WANDERLUST goes to Waterberg 74 CAMPER EXPERIENCE Luxury on the Open Road 80 THIS IS MY NAMIBIA

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Why pay extra for foreign exchange?

Check-in at your nearest FNB Branch, or the new FNB Foreign Exchange Centre @Parkside, 130 Independence Ave., and pay 0% commission on all Foreign Currency bought by FNB. Add to that expert advice plus fast, efficient service countrywide, and your travels are off to a great start.

For more information, visit www.fnbnamibia.com.na or call your Personal Foreign Exchange Dealer on (061) 299 2340.

Terms and conditions apply. www.fnbnamibia.com.na

This is a collective of Namibia’s most characterfilled independent experiences.

This is a celebration of African individuality.

This is... www.naturallynamibia.com

BUSH TELEGRAPH HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

STRAND HOTEL SWAKOPMUND O&L Leisure's Strand Hotel Swakopmund is celebrating its second year this September. When the iconic Mole landmark reopened its doors in 2015, Namibians and visitors alike were delighted by this spectacular new establishment near the coastal town's heart. With above standard, enabled luxury rooms and suites to choose from, four different eateries and a spa, the Strand has well and truly exceeded all expectations. Don't miss out on the amazing specials that will be on offer during the birthday month. There really is something for everyone heading to the coast this spring! www.swakopmundstrandhotel.com

MILLION BUCKS GO GREEN

ORANJEMUND SAYS 'HELLO AND WELCOME' TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD!

Oranjemund, once the only privately owned town in Namibia, is now open to the public.

From October, 14th visitors can enter the town without an entry permit for the first time in more than 80 years. Until recently Oranjemund was owned by Namdeb Diamond Corporation, which took over from Consolidated Diamond Mines (CDM) after Namibia's independence.

The town was founded in 1936 to house CDM's employees. In 2012 a local authority was established, which is in the process of taking over from the mining company.

On Earth Overshoot Day on August 2nd, Nedbank Namibia gave one million Namibia dollars through its Go Green Fund to the Namibia Nature Foundation through its Go Green Fund.

On the same day, the Go Green Fund’s Jacky Tjivikua announced that GGF will plant 58 trees across Namibia as a gesture to show Nedbank’s commitment to environmentally sustainable development in Namibia. Check out the full story on www.travelnewsnamibia.com

WE PayToday, Namibia's hottest new payment app! @paytoday OR www.paytoday.com.na

ALWAYS

TAKE THE

Scenic

ROUTE

THE GIANT MARBLE RHINO

AND THE FRENCH GUY On Monday, July 24th at the Franco Namibian Cultural Centre (FNCC), the Hunters Against Poaching Trust (HUAP) kicked off their latest project for the conservation of Namibia’s wildlife. The project involves the sculpture of a life-size rhino by French sculptor Gé Pellini, which will be auctioned off to obtain funds for the trust. Known for his simple yet elegant style, Pellini has a penchant for the horned animal. A miniature bronze rhino sculpture by the artist will serve as the model for this massive marble work. The miniature carving has an elongated horn, with a rough texture that echoes the rhino’s wild nature, and so will the final sculpture. Under Pellini’s hands the 9 tons of white Karibib marble will be transformed into a piece of art. The public can view the process of Pellini's sculpting on the terrace at the Franco Namibian Cultural Centre (FNCC) until August, 2nd. Check out the video of Pellini's sculpting process on our Facebook page.

THE PRESIDENT'S APPLAUSE The Namibia Tourism Board officially inaugurated its new office building in Windhoek in July. President Hage Geingob attended the soirée. The NTB's new HQ was designed to reduce energy consumption by 400%. In his official statement the president remarked that he was delighted to be able to inaugurate this functional and eco-friendly new building, saying that now that the NTB is well-housed he will expect great things from them. He referred to the tourism industry as a driver of economic growth and a crucial source of employment, praising tourism as the only sector which experienced growth in the last financial year.

Welcome to your new home NTB!

GIRAFFE'S TALL TALES

BOOK PUBLISHED

NAMIBRAND

A new book, A Guidebook to the NamibRand Nature Reserve, published by Venture Media, is the perfect companion for travellers to the breathtaking NamibRand Reserve in Namibia’s south. The guide is meant to “enhance the visitor’s experience and enjoyment in exploring this desert area and its unique features”.

There’s more to giraffes than you might think. That is why, in the next few issues of TNN, we are sharing fun facts about this enigmatic animal that is increasingly under threat.

There’s no doubt about the fact that the giraffe is the tallest land mammal on earth. For the giraffe’s blood to travel up and down its body it needs an extremely high blood pressure – 280/180mm Hg to be precise, which is double that of humans.

Giraffe hearts beat twice as fast as a human heart and are robust enough to withstand the high pressure.

This animal’s tongue is about 50 cm long, and the upper lips are extremely flexible. Plus, it does not have any front teeth in its upper jaw. That adaptation makes it easier for giraffe to nibble leaves from spiky thorn trees.

Keep an eye out for more giraffe fun facts in the next issue. giraffeconservation.org

We pride ourselves on being the only group with lodges uniquely situated within Bwabwata National Park, in the heart of KAZA. The splendour of our northeastern establishments, and the iconic environment they are situated in, stimulate the senses and offer a true wilderness experience. Not to be forgotten are our Village Courtyard Suites at Windhoek’s business and financial heart. A soothing, modern and welcoming environment invites you to relax from the moment you arrive. Indulge in Namibia with African Monarch Lodges.

NAMBWA TENTED LODGE

KAZILE ISLAND LODGE

NAMBWA LAGOON CAMP

THE VILLAGE COURTYARD SUITES

reservations@africanmonarchlodges.com

|

+264 81 125 2122/+264 61 400 510

|

www.africanmonarchlodges.com

The

Busanga

Plains

PARADISE FOUND IN ZAMBIA’S KAFUE NATIONAL PARK Text and photographs Annabelle Venter

The Busanga Plains in western Zambia have been on our wish list for some time now.

Not least because they are one of those remote areas that host low-density tourism, in a world where many ‘remote’ places are becoming overrun by indiscriminate tourism. Due to Busanga’s remoteness, inaccessibility and few accommodation options, it’s likely to remain that way for the foreseeable future.

Rosy-throated Long-claw

WILDERNESS SAFARI’S ROLE IN KAFUE NATIONAL PARK Wilderness Safaris chooses locations that are remote, offering the wilderness experience, but also places where their presence can make a difference. The Busanga Plains are just such a place and although WS does not profit from their lodges there, their focus is to provide important practical assistance with anti-poaching operations and maintain a presence there when the camps close for the rainy season. The focus is on low-density luxury camps in order to retain the remote feel of the area.

Red Lechwe jumping the channel

A

two-hour flight from Windhoek to the northeast brings us to Lusaka’s quiet and rather quaint Kenneth Kaunda International Airport. Customs controls are stress-free and friendly and soon we are off to Lusaka for the night.

Flying out to Kafue National Park the following day, we marvel at vast stretches of water as we head northwest over the Lochinvar and Blue Lagoon national parks. Far below sparsely inhabited islands are surrounded by water and submerged roads are just visible. Half an hour later and any signs of human habitation fade away below us. The Lufupa River comes into view and after a total flight duration of 70 minutes we land at Shumba airstrip between beautiful trees. It is late afternoon and tour guide Aaron comes to greet us. After 20 minutes on the road and a sighting of oribi antelope we cannot drive further. In early June the plains are still flooded in parts. We pull on Wellies, load our minimal luggage into waiting mokoros and with a gentle swoosh we are off. It’s hard to imagine that everything transported to the camp goes this same route by mokoro from April to July!

There is no sound other than the rhythmical soft splash of the poles propelling us forwards. Malachite Kingfishers dart

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between the grasses and the sun begins to slide towards the horizon. By the time the mokoro docks on a sandbank 45 minutes later I’m nearly asleep! It has been a long day.

After another 20-minute drive, as a full orange moon detaches itself from the horizon, we finally arrive at Wilderness Safaris' Shumba Camp, home for the next five days.

We are warmly welcomed by General Manager Ondyne Dobeyn and her team, and we introduce ourselves around the fireside before a delicious dinner is served. As we drift off to sleep, a lone puku antelope whistles in the mist outside. Mist is something we are looking forward to as it makes for unique photography on these plains.

The next few days unfold at a gentle pace, spent on the river and on game drives, getting acquainted with the unique birdlife in these parts. Our first ‘lifer’ is the Rosy-throated Long-claw, which we are thrilled to see quite often, although they blend in so well with the yellow grass.

Next up in the lifers list is a small flock of Grey-crowned Cranes or Mahems, their Afrikaans name which exactly describes their eerie calls. Saddle-billed Storks as well as Wattled Cranes are

CONNECT YOUR TRIP found round almost every corner and we watch these birds catching barbels in a backwater. Huge flocks of Whistling Ducks with youngsters, and Open-billed Storks, take to the air as our boat approaches.

Pratincoles line the banks and we discover that this is where African Skimmers spend the winter months, when not nesting in Namibia!

When on our first boat trip our guide Newton Mulenga shouts ‘they’re crossing, they’re crossing’ we have no idea what he is talking about.

But we quickly learn that we should be on the look-out for the leaping red lechwe antelope that race to jump over the channel as we approach. This becomes a popular photographic pastime for us, trying to catch ‘the shot’! Another is trying to photograph the shy Halfcollared Kingfishers as they dart ahead of the boat. Dodging hippos is a necessary task, but somehow they don’t seem to be as aggressive here as we have experienced them elsewhere. Newton reads them very well, but as I look back they are chasing us in the water! Small groups of buffalo graze on the floodplains, accompanied by egrets and Yellowbilled Oxpeckers. Wherever we look there is activity and there are herds of puku and red lechwe antelope.

Busanga is famous for its leaping lions – channel jumpers of note. Even in the dry season there are water channels to be traversed, but now it’s still too wet and we watch a lioness attempting to hunt red lechwe before becoming bogged down in the marsh. She has a very small cub to feed as well as two teenage hangers-on from one of the other females, who is rearing her new litter nearer to the camp.

This second female, known as the ‘killing machine’, is just bringing her two three-month old cubs out into the open for the first time and Newton is really excited to see her new babies. She allows us to follow at a distance as she moves them to a new safe place.

For two days we are the only guests at Shumba Camp and have the Busanga Plains virtually to ourselves. Busanga Bush Camp (BBC) is closed for renovations after some flood damage (we were originally booked in there) but we visit the camp and meet the staff. It’s a lovely rustic camp on the edge of the tree-line, with just four tents.

The killing machine and one of her cubs

WHAT HAPPENS IN THE WET SEASON WHEN THE CAMP CLOSES? Busanga Bush Camp and Shumba Camp are open for only five months each year from June 1st to the end of October. After that the summer rains begin and the black cotton soil makes driving impossible.

After the last guests have been waved farewell, it’s ‘all hands on deck’ as the staff begin the process of securing the camp against nature and the elements. Since the lounge and dining room are open structures, all the furniture is moved to the guest tents which are zipped up and wrapped in plastic.

One summer a lioness ‘broke into’ tent number 1 and raised her litter of cubs there! The staff was more than happy to leave her alone there.

Most of the staff leaves the camp in November. Some go to other Wilderness lodges, even in neighbouring countries, to gain experience and receive training, while others do piece-work. Just three staff members remain in each of the two camps.

Although the rains limit operational time and therefore income for the two camps, this is where WS plays a very important role in preserving this piece of paradise and its wildlife. WS maintains a presence all year round, and the staff assists the Zambian Wildlife Authorities (ZAWA) in their efforts to eradicate poaching. Wilderness Safaris supplies fuel and drivers for boats and vehicles, food and a support system for the ZAWA officials who stay at Kapinga Camp (near BCC).

CHILDREN IN THE WILDERNESS (CITW) PROGRAMME IN ZAMBIA WS runs its Children in the Wilderness programme from its Toka Leya Camp on the banks of the Zambezi River near Livingstone. Sinde village is the focus of the programme and the goal is to offer children a ‘hand-up, not a hand-out’. Groups of children are invited to visit the lodge for three or four days at a time to experience the bush and learn about sustainable conservation through leadership development. There is an eco-club at the school and a co-ordinator from WS visits the children between camps.

WS has built two houses for teachers at the school in Sinde and a third house for the doctor.

Painted Reed Frog

Busanga Plains in the morning mist

Shumba deck as the sun sets

CONNECT YOUR TRIP Shumba Camp on the other hand is a bit more luxurious and raised on boardwalks with a magnificent deck from which to view the plains and the full moon rising. It is set in a small island of trees in the middle of the floodplains, and it is also the centre of the Papyrus lion pride’s territory. Two nights before our arrival the pride had crossed the decks during the night leaving footprints in the morning dew.

We spend the afternoons on our private deck watching lechwe and soaking up the silence. In the mornings we wake at six and our first thought is to see if mist is covering the plains. Sadly the mist evaded us until the last morning.

The wonderful staff at Shumba is sourced mainly from the surrounding villages.

The nearest one, where Newton grew up, is 94 km away. Newton’s father Idos was a well-known guide at Shumba and has been a big influence on his choice of career. Fred, the barman, is a great character and always ready with the day’s cocktail. He gives a demonstration of a local board game and does a mean imitation of a lion’s roar on a cow horn!

Activities offered at these two camps vary according to water levels. Drives, boating and birdwatching are the main attractions at the beginning of the season (June and July). As the flood plains dry up from August onwards, more extensive drives replace the boat trips, walks are optional and a balloon trip is the highlight, included in the price if you stay three nights or more. This later time of the year is also good for seeing roan and sable antelope move onto the dry floodplains. The Busanga Plains are a wetland paradise in the early season, and we’d love to return to experience the dry season. TNN

WILDERNESS SAFARIS EMPLOYS LOCAL ZAMBIANS IN THE CAMPS Head waiter Chrispin Kibinda from Kasempa village has an interesting tale to tell of how he came to Shumba. As a young boy, he and three friends heard that a new lodge was being built and since work opportunities were non-existent, they decided to walk the 80 km to find the lodge they had heard about. They made a boat out of a pieces of bark (it was April and very wet), slept in the bush with no shelter or food for two nights and arrived at the camp on the third day.

Initially Chrispin was told that he was too young, but then WS offered him temporary employment to help build the camps. He returned after further schooling and is now the only one of the original group of four who is still with Wilderness Safaris. He has great personality and an infectious laugh, loves WS and plans to become a chef in the future!

HOW TO GET FROM NAMIBIA TO ZAMBIA

WHERE TO STAY IN LUSAKA?

1) Two days by road, travelling north from Windhoek, via Katima, Kasane in Botswana and across the border into Zambia at Kazungula. Some car hire companies allow crossing into Zambia with Namibian vehicles.

Flights depart from Lusaka for Busanga Plains at about 14h30, i.e. not necessarily after your international flight arrives. Co-ordination is essential!

2) Fly Air Namibia: 3 times a week to Lusaka on a 2-hour flight, currently departing from Windhoek at 07h30.

A registered taxi at the airport costs U$35 for the trip into town.

Shuttles booked by a hotel are charged at U$25 per person.

A herd of red letchwe

It’s a good idea to stay in one of the hotels close to a shopping mall as taxi fees are steep and the city is spread out. There isn’t really a tourist centre as far as I could establish, so somewhere like the Arcades Mall will give you a choice of restaurants and a bookshop. On Sundays there is a colourful market in the car park at Arcades Mall.

TRACKING

TRACKS

THROUGH AFRICA

Text Rièth van Schalkwyk Photographs Johann Groenewald

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Taking a break in the Desolation Valley.

Wouter on his bike with Brandberg in the distance.

I

n the middle of Kigali, on the car park of a hotel, we had to replace the clutch of our camper. It took longer than anticipated, because replacing the clutch meant the engine had to be removed, which is slightly more time consuming when the contraption with which to lift the engine out, arrives in the back of a taxi. Up to that point there had been some other mechanical challenges along our 14,000 km road trip, which – I want to add for the record – did not involve our Land Rover only. Just before we entered Burundi one of the Cruisers needed to get a gearbox fixed and we spent 24 hours playing cards in the yard of the mechanic shop while waiting for parts to be bussed in from Dar es Salaam. Then came the big problem, which actually brings me to the beginning of my story. The alternator packed up.

With my limited knowledge of what goes on under the hood, to me this only meant no air-conditioning in the truck, in mid summer on the equator.

What happened then seemed like magic to me. In the sprawling capital of Uganda, we typed in “Landrover Dealer Kampala” on the iPad app and there it was – a pinpoint in a maze on the screen. We were certainly not the first travellers looking for this place, because if we were it would not have been on this amazing app. As the left-seat passenger I never bothered to find out why we always arrived at our precise destination. I assumed my husband was such an instinctive guide that he just knew where to go. Until that day I actually never bothered to find out how the electronic maps work, how and why a Land Rover garage, in the middle of a rather chaotic city with a multi-million people, would be a pin on an electronic app. We followed the electronic path, came to the pin on the screen and although we did not believe it at first, when we walked through the metal gate, it was obvious we had arrived on pin. We had been led to the source thanks to many travellers before us, who cared to share their tracks.

TRAVEL NEWS NAMIBIA SPRING 2017

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Mr Abdul Ssesanga, the saving grace of many a Land Rover traveller through the heart of Africa, stood in the most extraordinary yard I have ever seen. A few hours later we were on our way to Entebbe, again following the electronic arrow through the chaos of small streets with no names and barely space enough to turn or pass.

How is it possible to have all this information of almost every conceivable route and road – with small but essential details such as “sandy”, “dangerous”, “ferry closed”, “bridge is not yet open” – on a smartphone, or an iPad?

Waiting by the roadside for Mossie to pick me up with the van.

Wouter with the Namibia paper map.

The motorbike is dwarfed by the walls of the Ugab River Canyon.

WHAT IS THE STORY BEHIND THESE MAGICAL ELECTRONIC TRACKS THROUGH AFRICA? Pure coincidence and challenges with too much information on maps for delicate areas in Namibia was the key to my discovery. When I parked at a restaurant in Windhoek, next to a Combi covered in dust, with a scrambler inside, also covered in dust, I knew it must belong to Johann Groenewald, one of the men behind Tracks4Africa. The other partner, Namibianborn Wouter Brand, continued his motorbike journey before we could meet. Theirs is a tale of the right people at the right time at the right place, plus of course a great idea and passionate networking to make it happen.

Where else but in the Kaokoveld would one think about navigation and dream up a way not to lose your way. At the turn of the century, Wouter travelled in Namibia’s northern wilderness areas. This group of friends decided that it was time to start sharing information and data, which they had already gathered and shared amongst their existing community of explorers, adventurers and enthusiasts on forums and discussions about routes and roads. It was the year 2000 and the first website of Tracks4Africa was born.

Wouter and Johann are both engineers, teckies and mad about road tripping. Johann is the map specialist and Wouter a data analyst. And so it began. With data collected by a community of 500 enthusiasts, the duo started to build the first on-line map. Soon more than 2,000 people had access to that map and were able to provide information about a new road here, an upgrade there. As the community sent in data, Wouter updated the map. Open innovation is what this kind of product development is called nowadays – when the users of a product determine how that product develops. “We never planned it that way, it just happened,” Johann says. After every trip Wouter posted a report on the website, with credit to the members of the community who sent in the data that was used for updates, adding a story about every new pin on the map and asking for input and opinions.

In 2003 new software enabled them to transfer the GIS data to a format that could be used on a GPS, which in those days was only a picture. Johann tells the story of when he tested this “picture” on his GPS for the first time in the Makgadikgadi Pan in Botswana. They were driving on a small track, and only he knew that this track would eventually take

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them to the main road and back onto the beaten track. Much to everybody ’s relief, they were not lost.

Two years later Wouter said it was time to make the electronic map commercially available. They asked for opinions on the trusted forum and within one month sold their first maps. In 2006 Google Earth contracted them to work together for five years, and that was the beginning of the beginning: resigning from day jobs, renting an office, and the hobby became a business. In 2007 Tracks4Africa became the first company to launch a Cape to Cairo routable electronic map. “Although we call it a map, it is much more than that. We document and combine the travel experiences of individuals, adding everything a traveller would need to know along the way. We want to answer all the questions travellers ask. Where can I sleep tonight, and eat and buy airtime, fix tyres? Where is the closest hospital, police station, petrol station? We want to tell users which look-out point on a specific route not to miss,” says Johann.

“When we started we did not have a goal of where we should like to be sixteen years down the line. We just improved the product as we went along, gaining experience, partnering with the right people and continued to develop appropriate apps.

Back then we drove with a laptop with relevant software on our laps. The laptop was connected with a cable to a GPS, which then showed the GPS points which we indicated on the paper map. More than a hundred people travelled through Africa this way and shared their information on how to connect such contraptions. We called the contraptions ‘carputers’ back then,” Johann recalls.

16 years later technology is available to broaden the functionality on those early maps. To do routing and tracking and to download the latest functionality of the app on your smart phone.

Johann is of the opinion that the GPS as we know it will disappear in the not so distant future. Instead of a GPS in our cars we will be able to synchronise our smart phones with the screen in our vehicles and use our app of choice to navigate.

The latest developments in the Tracks4Africa app are more zoom levels for navigating in cities and the possibility to put in a destination point. Earlier this year they also launched an updated travel atlas for Southern Africa, which comes with an updated version of the Track4Africa app.

“At this stage Tracks4Africa has two apps. Firstly an Overland Navigator which will turn your smart phone into an offline GPS. This is used for obtaining directions to places on the map and it works more or less the same as a conventional GPS. The second one is the Guide app which is a digital reference guide for self-drive travellers. It provides offline access to the map, with points of interest as well as additional information on these places. The maps on the Guide app are intended to be similar to a paper map, but on your device provide zoom levels which are impossible on a static paper map.

There are plans to bring in more zoom levels to the Guide app as technology allows. And the great thing is that the app can then just be updated to include the latest features.” TNN

Apps can be downloaded from Apple and Google app stores. Paper maps and the road atlas are available in Windhoek at Cycletec, Adventure Centre and Radio Electronics. For further information on Tracks4Africa: t4a-guide-app.tracks4africa.co.za

ADVERTORIAL

The hidden wonders of

Hobatere

I

t’s not Etosha. It’s not Damaraland either. Hobatere Lodge lies nestled in its own world.

A wonderful mesh of white sand, rock and mopane woodland. A place where two iconic Namibian settings marry to create a haven for wildlife. Hobatere, situated in the Khoadi Hoas Conservancy west of Etosha National Park, is a hub of animal and bird activity and breathtaking landscapes. This is a place for nature-lovers to not only indulge in sightings of plains game, lions and elephants, but to also relax in peaceful tranquillity.

The only sounds I hear while sitting on the massive veranda of the lodge’s main area is the slight rustle of wind through the trees and countless birdcalls. They’re busy this morning, as restless as the leaves jostled by the winter breeze. In the distance a pride of five young lions and their mother laze under a mopane tree at a waterhole. A group of Hartmann’s mountain zebra neigh unhappily nearby. They might be thirsty, but they’re no fools. They will return later for a refreshing drink, once the waterhole is distinctly predator-free.

On an afternoon drive our guide Albert catches a glimpse of the small and enigmatic Pearl-spotted Owlet in an Ana tree at the roadside. Though incredibly cute, this little predator is not well liked by the other birds in the branches nearby. They know he is a far better hunter than they are and would rather see him move along, increasing the effectiveness of their own hunting endeavours.

A savannah lanscape comes into view. Dotted with over a hundred termite mounds. We dub it ‘Termite Town’ and the sight of gemsbok, mountain zebra and springbok grazing the sweet yellow grass among the termite mounds is enchanting indeed. Albert muses that he often imagines that we are as interesting a sight to the animals, as they are for us. Perhaps a game drive goes both ways, with us in our game-viewer the oddity being observed. Or, he ponders, perhaps the gemsbok just sigh and think: “Oh here comes Albert again…”

After our sunset visit to “The Valley of a Thousand Termite Hills” we head back to the lodge. At night we laze in wonderfully comfortable chairs around a fire pit where we watch the flames crackle at our feet and the night sky twinkle overhead.

Hobatere is a world unto its own. Home to birds abundant, regularly frequented by prides of lions and migrating elephant herds, it is a must-visit retreat. A sentinel on the divide between Etosha and Damaraland like a drongo perched on a branch in a tree, keeping a watchful eye on the beautiful natural surrounds.

Reservations Tel (+264 61) 22 8104 Email: hobatere@journeysnamibia.com Fax: +264 (0)88625903 Web: www.hobatere-lodge.com

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BIG CATS AND BIG SMILES What I learnt through a school trip to AfriCat

Text Nina van Schalkwyk Photographs Elzanne Erasmus & Nina van Schalkwyk

T

here’s a certain kind of fervour that is seen only in the eyes of people with a passion for education. Those people have eyes that flash with it. Gleaming with their fondness for it.

Is it because they are changing the world, one pliable mind at a time? That must be it. I am thinking this while chatting to Sue Wagner, a lifelong teacher and this weekend’s chaperone for the Mondesa Youth Opportunities (MYO) kids, who’s got exactly that look in her eyes. The MYO group arrived the previous night at AfriCat’s Okonjima Nature Reserve, just south of Otjiwarongo, to take part in an AfriCat education programme, or veldskool.

The group came all the way from Swakopmund, where most of them have lived their whole lives. In fact, as Sue tells me, the aim behind this weekend’s excursion is to showcase a part of Namibia that they have never seen before.

But why AfriCat? Why travel all the way from the coast to the dusty plateau so far removed from anything these kids know?

Areas of farmland close to the town of Otjiwarongo have been combined into what is Okonjima. The 22 000 hectare private game reserve is home to a selection of lodges as well as AfriCat, a large carnivore education and research-based welfare organisations. Okonjima means ‘place of the baboon’, but while we are there baboons take a bit of a backseat to all the predators on the prowl that salted explorers such as myself and my colleague still are impressed to see. For the kids, it’s another story. Spotting cheetah under a bush in the open veld is one thing, walking in a direct line towards them, is a totally different matter. These cheetahs are part of AfriCat’s rehabilitation programme and thus they are used to humans. Either way, I was too skittish for this particular part of the journey and opted to stay in the car. We trekked through the veld, under thorn trees and past a vast expanse of grassland. We spotted zebra, oryx and a full giraffe nursery (two adults, many young ones). Finally, with the help of radio signals, we were able to locate a leopard and her cub. I’m not sure if any of the kids realised how special that moment was: leopards are some of the stealthiest creatures, staying hidden and under cover away from humans – their biggest threat. To see this wondrous big cat with her baby, who poked his head at us with curiosity through the undergrowth, is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

At sunset, after a full day on the open safari vehicle, we finally stopped back at camp to let the kids and ourselves stretch our legs. I watched the kids come together in a circle around their ‘bush’ teacher for the weekend, Johan Viljoen. The light

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was fading, and the world around us became grey. It felt as if there was magic sparkling around us. The kids sat with rapt attention, eyes shining as they listened to Johan talk about the day, about conservation specifically, and what we, as humans, can do to help in the effort. That is, after all, the point of the weekend: to get these kids to understand the importance of wildlife, and our role in protecting it. Even though they come from difficult and impoverished backgrounds, they show an immense enthusiasm for what they are learning about. All through the day their hands shot up to answer questions, to be the first to convey what they learnt.

In the silence of the night, we watch nocturnal animals appear in the red glow of spotlights. Eyes flash. At first I see only porcupines, the sharp points of their quills rustling. The one closest to me looks like an animated bush. These creatures are shy. One rarely, if ever, sees one during the day. And then my breath catches in my throat. Shuffling toward us, hunched like a naughty dog with its tail between its legs – a brown hyena. The Lion King did not do these animals justice. Like most creatures in the animal world, it’s easy to judge them by human standards, as if they were bad or good. And the hyena, unfortunately, has the inescapable reputation of the bad guy.

But as the kids are taught throughout our time at AfriCat, these creatures are integral to our ecosystem, and special to boot.

They are worth protecting. It makes me think about how often we assign roles to animals as either good or bad, the latter like criminals in the animal world that cause destruction out of spite, when the reality is that they go about their lives doing what they’ve always done. The kids are taught that people and animals can live together in harmony.

I reflect on this in particular when we see jackal lounging in the sun next to the gravel roads the next morning. They seem totally at ease. In contrast to their situation on most farms in the rest of Namibia, here the jackals are left mostly to their own devices and live at peace with the other animals.

The main message of the weekend is prominent in my mind: human beings, not other animals, are the biggest threat to these animals. The next morning, hearing the kids recite what they have learnt, I’m left with hope that they understand the gravity of the situation which we as Namibians face, and the importance of protecting our wildlife. They are the future, and the only ones that will be able to ensure a future for the species they share their home country with. TNN

The desert’s secrets are far from being entirely revealed, and an appreciation for its everenchanting forms of life can be enriching to observe. To paint a picture of the Namib, many have emphasised the unrelenting heat and aridity, unceasing winds, and with them, the bombardment with miniscule sand grains. The presence of aquatic animals, so unorthodox to the predictable stereotype of the sterile waste known as the desert, instils a sense of childlike wonderment. It is common knowledge that the adaptations of certain desert organisms are disparately alien to our own physical bodies, yet an appreciation of the overlooked or unknown can illuminate an unexpected novel world of awe and admiration.

Pseudoscorpion found under a rock in the Namib Sand Sea.

UNEXPECTED

INHABITANTS OF THE NAMIB Text and photographs Oliver D. Halsey

W

hen exploring the vast Namib Sand Sea, one may come across the occasional small rock, as seemingly lifeless as the surrounding area. Upon lifting the rock, a pseudoscorpion or two may be found – kilometres away from other visible life forms, let alone civilisation. Pseudoscorpions are tiny creatures, several millimetres long, resembling scorpions yet lacking the tail or stinger. Occasionally found perching on flowers, they can wait for flies, bees, or butterflies in order to catch a ride by clinging to a leg and then detaching themselves whenever it is deemed suitable, hence these tiny terrestrial arthropods show up in distant and remote places. In 1969 biologist Peter Weygoldt wrote in his aptly named academic book The Biology of Pseudoscorpions, “Sometimes I am asked why I study animals so unimportant to human life and economy as pseudoscorpions. There is one simple answer: every aspect of nature that interests the human mind is worthy of study whether or not it is of direct importance to man”.

The Namib Sand Sea covers an area of over three million hectares.

Why are small forms of life important or worthy of study? A perpetual question that often troubles biologists and taxonomists. The world over we are losing species by the day, more often than not due to anthropogenic causes; yet life persists regardless of diversity loss, filling gaps in any available niches.

The problem is, however, that we simply do not know of all species that are vital to the sustained functioning of an ecosystem, or the long-term implications of such rapid species loss.

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A !nara fly with pollen grains on its legs and body clings to a !nara flower.

To serve as an example: there is a small, green species of fly known as the !nara fly, of which science knows very little.

The fly is thought to be found only on the !nara plant in the Namib Desert. !Nara is of fundamental anthropological, biological, commercial and historical importance. !Nara has provided a valuable source of food for indigenous peoples for thousands of years. The ≠Aonin Topnaar, current indigenous inhabitants of the Namib-Naukluft and Dorob national parks, still harvest !nara, crucial to their cultural identity and lifestyle. !Nara demonstrates its growing commercial success with products such as !nara soap, oils, lotions and seeds. !Nara also serves as a critical fortress and source of food for many organisms; its thorny stems protect small animals from predation and provide stability in sandy soil, enabling many creatures to create burrows.

In 2013 scientists produced evidence showing that, among other tiny insects, the !nara fly is a pollinator of the plant. We do not know the full impact the fly has upon the plant, but its potential significance as a pollinator is huge, regardless of its physical size. If the fly were to suddenly disappear, the decrease in !nara pollination would result in a drastic reduction of fruit. Modern biodiversity loss has resulted in a global concern for pollinator conservation since food supplies worldwide are reliant on tiny insects such as the !nara fly.

Empty shells found in the Namib Desert.

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The Gobabeb shells were found on the interdune area at the top left of the above image. Interdune areas are the often vast spaces between sand dune formations.

Traversing the desiccated terrain of the Namib Desert, one could be forgiven for believing that one had been transported to another planet. The Namib Sand Sea, a majestic yet inhospitable body of dunes, flowing over some three million hectares, engulfs the land with its parched grasp. What decades of research, documentation and observation on the Namib has told us, however, is that it is anything but inhospitable – at least for the countless desert-adapted organisms that grace its scenic grandeur.

The diverse array of specially adapted organisms found in the Namib never fails to impress. Countless creatures have evolved to contently inhabit this otherworldly environment, such as burrow-digging geckos, scorpions and spiders, or the beetles, which conjure up inventive ways to exploit the regular fog to obtain necessary moisture. These organisms and many others have captivated generations of curious minds. Often one can physically see and therefore logically understand the extraordinary evolutionary adaptations bestowed upon these creatures, which enable them to survive in hyper-arid conditions. While one may be able to deduce that many of these desert-dwelling inhabitants belong to this environment, merely by observing physical traits, beneath the surface lie some rather unexpected, logicdefying residents – snails.

The shell of a Trigonephrus haughtoni.

Terrestrial snails are present in many of the world’s deserts, and the Namib is no exception. Snails are often associated with wet areas; to learn that they exist here may therefore come as a surprise. Parts of the Namib seldom see rainfall and some years may go by without any rain at all. Incredibly some snails have evolved to exploit infrequent rainfall, lying dormant for months or even years at a time and then surfacing shortly after heavy rainfall or on damp, foggy nights and mornings at certain times of the year.

Certain snails have been observed to bury themselves several metres below ground, entering a state of dormancy. When the snails are dormant, water loss is dramatically reduced to the point where some species can survive for several years without moisture. Upon rare desert rainfall seeping into the sandy soil, snails can emerge for a limited time to feed and reproduce before cosily burying themselves beneath the surface once again.

There have been reports of snails emerging from their subterranean dwellings in droves – making it impossible to walk across the surface without crushing their shells - only for all of them to completely disappear ten minutes later at sunrise. Even digging does not reveal the slightest evidence of the prior mass-congregation. Once a snail from an arid region

An empty Trigonephrus haughtoni shell collects sand. Wasps, bees and spiders have been observed to construct stable nest cavities in empty, sand-collecting Trigonephrus shells. of northern Africa, thought dead, was glued to a plaque in the British Natural History Museum, where it emerged from its shell four years later after water had been applied to the plaque. For creatures that are often overlooked or disregarded, they are certainly capable of some truly incredible feats.

At Gobabeb, a scientific research station in the central Namib Desert, several snail shells have been lying in and around a small fenced-off enclosure on a remote interdune area for many years. The shells have baffled many a scientist, their origin is a mystery. Several of these shells were recently sent to an expert in South Africa, Dr Willem Sirgel, who identified them as Trigonephrus haughtoni, a relatively large terrestrial species of snail, which has been previously found and studied in the southern Namib but never in the Gobabeb area. “The fact that no living snails have been seen [at Gobabeb] is not so strange”, explains Dr Sirgel. “Trigonephrus spends most of its life underground [and] I can only come to the conclusion that if there are shells, there must be some snails at least nearby”. Dr Sirgel proposes that the snail shells in and around the enclosure plot may be a result of birds preying on them and carrying them there to perch on the fence, the only elevated point on the otherwise barren interdune, and discarding the shells after consuming the contents. Has the mysterious origin of snail shells around Gobabeb’s enclosure plot finally been solved?

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A shell of Trigonephrus haughtoni found lying on a remote interdune area of the Namib Sand Sea.

Throughout history, the Namib has cycled through wetter and drier climatic periods, which leads to another theory: that the snail shells are thousands of years old and Trigonephrus species do not occur in the Gobabeb area anymore. Present-day rainfall patterns across the Namib might lead to Trigonephrus preferentially occurring in the southern but not the central Namib. Deep in the Namib Sand Sea there are areas known as paeleo-lakes, which once held significant volumes of water. Stone Age tools have been found at these ancient lakebeds, now completely dry and inhospitable to man, as well as calcified stem casts of Phragmites – common reeds that occur in areas where freshwater is present. Stones show the unmistakable signs of being carried and shaped by water. Ancient animal tracks also exist in a remote area of the Sand Sea. The animals wandered across the mud, which then hardened, preserving their spoor for thousands of years. Shells of freshwater snails dating back to around 13,000 years have also been found at these sites. It is possible that the shells found at Gobabeb are just as old, if not older. An archaeological excavation of a cave in the southern Namib revealed charred Trigonephrus haughtoni shell remains – the snails had been collected, cooked and presumably eaten by hunter-gatherers in the last two millennia A.D. According to the archaeologists the palatability of the snails, however, is unfortunately unknown.

TEMPORARY DESERT POOLS Although fog is fairly frequent in parts of the Namib Desert, unpredictable and occasional heavy rain can fall, which presents remarkable opportunities for the formation of desertadapted life. The sudden surge of water can form temporary pools that may last for days or several weeks at a time. Usually the gravel plains of the central Namib appear barren, dry, and devoid of life – reminiscent of a Martian landscape. Heavy rainfall can quickly transform the land; lush grass sprouts, covering the desolate expanse with a carpet of green. Insects abound; dragonflies dart, and numerous other creatures with aquatic larval development can be found fluttering along or swimming around. Dragonflies are normally associated with wetter areas, requiring water for their larvae to develop. This immediately seems problematic for dragonflies found in the Namib. The species Sympetrum fonscolombii can be found in the Namib Desert but is not a desert endemic. S. fonscolombii can migrate to arid areas during the rainy season and is opportunistic in its water body selection. S. fonscolombii larvae have been observed to hatch on the second day after the eggs have been laid – not just a useful adaptation to areas with only short-lived temporary pools, but also believed to be a world record for dragonfly egg development.

In early 2017 some 50 mm of rainfall was measured near an inselberg (an isolated mountain rising from a plain) located on the central Namib gravel plains. Angela Curtis and Dr Gillian Maggs-Kölling of Gobabeb examined a temporary pool that had formed and observed small creatures swimming around in the shallow and murky water.

Those creatures were tadpole shrimps, or Triops – primeval shrimp-like crustaceans that have endured on Earth for

some 250 million years. The temporary pool was in an area of the Namib Desert that has unpredictable rainfall patterns. The eggs of these Triops had been lying dormant for months, even years, in soil temperatures that are known to reach above 60 degrees Celsius.

Constrained to a small and temporary world, the life of a Triops is undoubtedly intriguing, yet seemingly inconsequential to our own. However, Triops have been anything but irrelevant to humanity. Found throughout the world, certain Triops species have been used by scientists for an impressive host of practical applications. Triops are used to control weeds in Japanese rice paddy fields and have also been found to deter mosquitos from laying their larvae, as well as consuming the larvae, thus reducing mosquito populations and the diseases attributed to them.

Most impressively, Triops have been launched into space to board the International Space Station (ISS) to be studied as a potential high-protein astronaut food for future long-term missions. Dormant Triops eggs have even survived the outer space conditions outside of the ISS for a continuous period of 13 months. In addition to an already impressive rĂŠsumĂŠ, some Triops eggs can survive water temperatures up to the boiling point. The point of listing these studies is not to justify scientific experimentation, but to illustrate that there is more beyond the first impression of a small, cannibalistic living fossil, confined to a fleeting ephemeral world. TNN

Angela Curtis (right) and Monja Gerber, researchers at Gobabeb, examine a lone temporary pool containing Triops on the central Namib gravel plains.

FROM TOP

A juvenile Sympetrum fonscolombii found in the Namib Desert.

Triops attempting to mate at the bottom of the murky pool.

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Running

WILD SKELETON COAST ON THE

Text and Photographs Annelien Robberts

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Skeleton Coast Park entrance

T

he Skeleton Coast has gained a reputation of being a haunting, frankly eerie, piece of land. The name itself speaks of its features. Among the scattered bones of animals that have succumbed in bygone days, many a ship have met their fate on these sandy shores. Numerous Portuguese sailors, the first Europeans to experience this inhospitable shoreline, named it ‘the gates of hell’. Local San called Namibia ‘the land that God made in anger’.

Blistering sands in hues of black, brown, purple and rusty red. The icy Atlantic Ocean. Notorious, searing easterly winds and thick coastal fogs. All these elements contribute to the sheer splendour of this place which is, astonishingly, home to hyena, jackal, gemsbok, springbok, ostrich, flamingo and seal to name but a few.

Today the biggest risk when visiting this area is getting a flat tyre, or even worse, a flat camera battery. Many visitors, local or international, come here to unwind. They pitch their tents in what seems the middle of nowhere and enjoy long summer days angling and barbecuing fresh fish on an open fire.

Challenge-seekers from all corners of the world gathered here for an extraordinary thrill: a rough-country endurance footrace through the desolate landscapes where many shipwreck survivors previously lost their way. Runners of the 4 Deserts Sahara Race will remember this place as the brutal, yet breathtaking desert they raced through.

While following the runners on their 250 kilometre journey through the world’s oldest desert to the finish line, I was blown away by the strong wind, However, more significantly, it was rather the participants' passion for the desert and for running that blew us all away in the end, as well as their incredible endurance.

The course management team appearing in the morning fog

six stages, the extremely rewarding suffering takes place over seven days. In general, 20% of the competitors run all the way, 60% combine running with walking and 20% walk the entire distance.

Trying to escape the wind, I stood behind one of the 4x4 vehicles with event director, Samantha Fanshawe. “Namibia has some of the most beautiful and iconic scenery that I could ever imagine. The Atlantic Ocean, the unique wildlife and untouched pristine areas are all features that certainly surprised me,” she said. Samantha was also very impressed with the dedicated local team led by Oliver Ahrens and camp manager, Francois Snyders.

Each day after the runners kicked off at the start line at eight in the morning, the camp was packed up and moved to the next location, be it among the dunes, on the beach or in the dry Koichab River. The cut-off time was generally at six in the evening, when runners could recover and prepare meals.

Hot water was provided. Other than that, runners were completely self-sufficient: in a backpack they had to carry everything they needed during the week away from civilisation – food, gear, extra clothing. To give you an idea, the lightest backpack at the start of the race weighed almost six kilos and the heaviest more than fifteen.

THE ‘WHO’ OF THE RACE On the last day, as a tiny figure appeared between the dunes, volunteers at the finish line started clapping and shouting enthusiastically while speculating about who it could be. This was surely just a fraction of the exhilaration the runner must have felt after the final 10 km (described by most runners as a walk in the park compared to previous distances) as he neared the bright green banner that read Sahara Race 2017. A place of refuge where water and shade awaited.

THE ‘WHAT’ AND ‘WHERE’ OF THE RACE The Sahara Race’s origin is in Egypt, but it was relocated to Namibia in 2016 due to political instability in North Africa and the Middle East. This race, that still bears its original name, is part of the 4 Deserts Race Series that takes place in Africa, China, South America and Antarctica. Divided into

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The desert always has the last say, but the competitors’ energy seemed inexhaustible at times. Many managed to still crack jokes even after the 82 km stage that extended into the next morning. For them, desert running is not a professional sport but a hobby fuelled by passion, dedication and endurance.

The last rays of sunlight on our first camp before the race

Samantha Fanshawe and members of her volunteer team

Iulian Rotariu from Romania and Jovica Spajic from Serbia

Riitta Hanninen exchanged her 4 Deserts management role for running shoes in this race and arrived at the finish line apologising for being late.

“How are you doing?” Tobias Verwey from Namibia asked me when he sat down to recover. As if it weren’t him who just spent 15 hours running through the desert.

Felix Allen from England, who came in third place overall, was rarely seen without a smile.

Ralph Crowley from the United States competed in his ninth 4 Deserts Race and left from the third checkpoint on the night run, saying that he might as well finish since he had nothing else planned for that night.

For Hannes Smit from Namibia it was a huge moment when he arrived at a checkpoint where a group of Namibian women were singing and cheering him on.

After a round of hugs for everyone at the finish line of stage 2, Jovica Spajic from Serbia threw his hands in the air and exclaimed how incredibly beautiful Namibia is. With an attitude like that and limited signs of exhaustion, it comes as no surprise that he came second overall.

The winner of the race, Mo Foustok from Saudi Arabia, a down-to-earth guy with his feet firmly planted in the sand, gave me his expert advice for the next race, “If you want the real experience, put on your running shoes and join us next time. You will hate it, but you will also love it.”

LITTLE DESERT RUNNERS CLUB If you think you have heard it all, the inspiration level at the race was boundless. Germany’s most famous desert runner, Rafael Fuchsgruber, is celebrating a decade of running in the desert. Several members of his Little Desert Runners Club based in Germany accompanied him on this journey to Namibia and for him there was no better way to commemorate his 10-year anniversary of radically turning his life around from alcoholic to athlete.

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Club member and accomplished runner Kirsten Althoff, pursuing her first 4 Deserts medal, won an astonishing first place in the women’s section.

DESERT-ADAPTED LIONS ROAM THE SKELETON COAST When competitors were informed about the ‘big animals out there’, questions started racing through everybody’s mind.

“What do they mean by big?” The Skeleton Coast is home to many animals, among them the remarkable lions that have adapted to life in the desert.

Dr Philip Stander from the Desert Lion Conservation Trust compares runners to the lions in this desert area, especially in terms of the distances they cover per day – which could be up to 70 km. He travelled with the 4 Deserts team during the whole race to monitor lions’ whereabouts.

In stark contrast to the desert-adapted lions, who can survive on very little water, competitors drink up to 9 litres of water per day. They had up to 11 litres during the unseasonably hot weather conditions in May.

GATE TO A BETTER LIFESTYLE: SAHARA RACE 2018 Races have led to humbling endings and happy beginnings.

Aside from witnessing several engagements and newfound friendships along the way, Samantha herself met her husband through the 4 Deserts Series.

The team continues to offer life-altering experiences internationally, and will return to Namibia next year for more desert action on this side of the planet. Over some of the highest dunes, into thick sandy sections and rocky areas, onto the beach, past seal colonies, over the Jack Scott Bridge overlooking the Huab River valley…

If this race does not inspire you to stick to your training programme, or perhaps even start one, I am not sure what will. As we are reminded by 69-year-old Tadashi Murakami from Japan, the oldest competitor in the race, age is not a valid excuse. TNN

Iulian Rotariu from Romania at the finish line after 250 km

Hanging out with the medical team

Tobias Verwey and Hannes Smit from Namibia

Competitors getting ready in the morning

ADVENTURE AWAITS

FAIRY CIRCLE/TIRAS TAXI Experience SOSSUSVLEI’s unspoilt desert beauty, situated in the largest conservation area in Africa, the Namib-Naukluft National Park.

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ADVERTORIAL

10 THINGS TO DO IN

SWAKOPMUND

A

trip to Namibia’s coastal town of Swakopmund is sure to be packed with activities for everyone to enjoy. Don’t let the sleepy desert town fool you - there’s plenty of adventure to go around. If a rush of adrenalin is what you’re after, the Swakopmund Sky Diving club will make your heart race as you jump out of a plane high above the ground. Or take to the dunes with Desert Explorers quad bikes; go sand boarding or put your feet to the pedals of a Fat Bike. In town, appreciate the quirky architecture that Swakop is famous for: see the Woermann House, Atlas House, the Lutheran church and many more, on a stroll around the city centre.

Swakop has some of the best culinary experiences there are, as well as the perfect setting for a sundowner. Three fantastic O&L restaurants for you to choose from are located right on the beach at the Mole: Brewer and Butcher, Farmhouse Deli and Ocean Cellar.

Take your fishing rod and equipment to the jetty, cast a line and get hooked on this hobby that keeps many a Namibian at the beach in the summer time. Watch out for the camel’s bite when you ride her over the coastal sands, or go on a trip through the Namib on horseback.

Coastal towns offer a smorgasbord of history, so get cultural and visit the Swakopmund Museum. While you’re at it, make the journey to the aquarium to see the fins up close and personal, or else visit the Kristall Galerie to view a 14 ton crystal cluster that almost dwarfs a man.

There’s a lot to see from the sky, too, so catch a scenic flight over the town and experience first-hand that the best views are indeed from above. Pay your respects to the oldest resident of the coast, the Welwitschia mirabilis, at the Welwitschia Plains just a short drive from town. Go on an Eco-Tour for some inspirational information on local communities who call the coast their home. Lastly, hit the beach. If the waves are great, there’s surfing to be enjoyed. Or if the water is just too cold to even dip your toes, lie back, relax and soak up the sun.

(064) 411 4308 strandhotelswakopmund.com

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THE GREAT

DEBATE

A future of hope for rhino conservation Text Elzanne Erasmus Photographs Chris Botha

RIDE FOR RHINOS

The idea of wilderness needs no defense. It only needs more defenders – Edward Abbey, American Author

I

t was the third year in a row that I found myself driving across the breathtaking Damaraland landscape. The sun was setting, the grass, which still swayed high after good rains, was ignited by the golden glow of last light. I was here for the same reasons as the years before. A few kilometres further on lay a temporary haven among the rocks and euphorbias our home for the next few nights in this arid Eden. We would share the striking vistas with mountain zebra, giraffe, springbok and gemsbok and also with the area’s most endangered inhabitants. It was them and us for a few days, with a mission in our hearts. We were a small group of explorers, cyclists and nature-lovers, all there for the same reasons: To make a difference, even in some miniscule way, to a species on the brink of extinction. We were all there… to ride for rhinos.

that one has to have all the facts, and above that, one needs to always keep an open mind to the views of others. Maybe there isn’t one right answer. Maybe there are multiple right answers. That is The Great Debate.

FIND YOUR FIRE

although we differ in the route we need to take getting there.

We are all so passionate that we sometimes miss the collective whole. Because we believe so strongly in our own opinions we often miss or do not even listen to the theories of those with different ideas, but the same ultimate objective.

Last year, in the Summer issue of Travel News Namibia, I mentioned the need for a continued conversation about conservation, especially as it pertains to the country’s rhino population. The thing about debating such heated topics is

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EVERYTHING YOU CAN IMAGINE IS REAL PABLO PICASSO To get an idea of the general feeling of what the right course of conservation action should be, I have asked many questions about the future of the black rhino population to a wide range of people in Namibia. I have quizzed people involved in NGOs, consulted academic journals, spoken to salted conservationists and Namibians with no direct interest in conservation. One thing I have established, is that we all have the same end goal,

Gerhard Thirion

TOP FROM LEFT TO RIGHT

Base camp in the bush.

Communing with nature.

High-fives all around after another tough day braving the elements in the bike saddle.

SRT Ranger, Javed, went peddle for peddle with the experienced mountain-bikers, unlike them though, he doesn't use his bike for sport, but rather as a way to better patrol the area.

RIGHT AND BELOW

Gerhard Thirion

The mountain-bikers were stretched to their limits in this rough, rocky terrain and had to deal with very tough windy conditions on top of the very technical single-track game paths.

WE HAVEN’T COME THIS FAR TO ONLY COME THIS FAR. Despite great successes in recent years, Namibia’s rhino population is still under tremendous threat. Much is being done to curb the onslaught of poaching. It’s a tough job though, as poaching syndicates are well equipped and financially motivated. The truth is that we will never be able to truly stop the continuing slaughter of rhinos for their horn until the demand for the product is eradicated. It is the only way to save them. Simple economics. This may only happen through education in the respective end markets. Users of the products made from rhino horn need to realise that they might as well chew on their own fingernails. But this change will not come about quickly. So what do we do today?

NATURE NEVER DID BETRAY THE HEART THAT LOVED HER - WILLIAM WORDSWORTH Venture Media's initiative, The RMB Namibia Ride for Rhinos, is an annual cycling tour which takes place in the Torra Conservancy in Damaraland. The tour, which recently completed its third year, is aimed at raising funds and awareness for the plight of Namibia’s black rhino population, the special desert-adapted subspecies Diceros bicornis bicornis. The tour brings together twenty avid mountain-bikers and conservation enthusiasts on a four-day trip through the rugged Damaraland wilderness. Along with fundraising, the tour also provides a platform for Namibians to discuss the rhino conservation issue, brainstorm ideas that will help curb the poaching epidemic and raise awareness of the difficulties faced by the Save the Rhino Trust (SRT) rangers in their daily lives.

To date it has raised almost a million Namibian dollars in both cash and equipment for Save the Rhino Trust Namibia. The tour is sponsored by RMB Namibia, local retailer CYMOT and Wilderness Safaris.

Apart from financial and logistical support, the RMB Namibia Ride for Rhinos event has created a platform for Namibians, corporates, individuals and concerned citizens to get together and share opinions. Sitting around a campfire each evening like our forefathers, completely immersed in nature, with “civilisation” far away, these cyclists discussed a series of

very important topics. Such as the legalisation of rhino horn, the legal ownership of black rhino, the involvement of local communities on both sides of the struggle and the influence that tourism has on rhino conservation.

THE EARTH HAS MUSIC FOR THOSE WHO LISTEN WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE These campfire talks have yielded many great results. The fact that the group of cyclists are joined by SRT rangers has produced amazing outcomes. On the first tour, SRT CEO Simson Uri-Khob was asked what his greatest current operational hardships were. He spoke of the difficulty of getting water supplies to rangers out on patrol in the harsh landscape.

A few weeks later an off-road water trailer was presented to him by a corporate sponsor. The next year, SRT ranger Sebulon was asked why they were struggling to apprehend poachers.

He replied that poachers were better equipped than they were and could spot them from far distances with high-tech binoculars. As a result, night-vision binoculars were donated to SRT and four poachers were caught at night a few weeks before the third Ride for Rhinos.

RAISE YOUR WORDS, NOT YOUR VOICE. IT IS RAIN THAT GROWS FLOWERS, NOT THUNDER - RUMI This year’s fireside talks took it a step further. Some tough questions were asked and ideas were tossed around. I got goose bumps listening to the passionate debate. I saw the rain that evening when informed opinions were traded back and forth. And though many did not agree with each other, they sat and listened. Some left with new ideas, some left swayed to either this or that side and some left with a thirst for more knowledge on the topic so that they could develop an altogether new line of thinking.

MAY YOUR CHOICES REFLECT YOUR HOPES, NOT YOUR FEARS - NELSON MANDELA There are some hard truths at play. From a community aspect, the human element is all too real. There have been many instances where members of the local community have been found to be directly involved in a poaching incident. They are motivated by monetary gain. How do you convince a

The fireside conversations kept going throughout the day, Ideas kept flickering like the flames.

RIDE FOR RHINOS mother who can’t feed her children that the life of a rhino is important? On the other hand, great strides have been made by organisations such as IRDNC to mediate and help educate local communities about the indirect value of a rhino population to their way of life. The fact that tourism plays such a big role in many Damaraland communities has also helped. Local communities now understand that tourists visit the area to see the rhinos, which leads to lodges being built and jobs created.

According to Namibia’s CBNRM program, tourism concession fees also contribute financially to the community. Does that mean, however, that if a member of such a community is given the opportunity to gain financially from the death of a rhino that they won’t take it?

The 2017 Ride for Rhinos adventurers and some of the crew.

In interviews conducted with riders on the last evening of the tour many opinions came to light. Some maintained that a direct financial contribution to communities may not always be the most beneficial as there may not be any regulations of how this money is spent. Donations in the form of tangible, and visible infrastructure is then perhaps more beneficial, so that the community can see with absolute certainty the direct correlation between rhino conservation and benefits to them. The continued upliftment in the form of employment opportunities by both NGOs and tourism businesses in the area is another direct tangible advantage.

IF YOU HAVEN’T FOUND IT YET KEEP LOOKING STEVE JOBS So what is the answer then? The two most notable sides of the debate argued between an economic and preservationist solution. The “realists”, as they liked to call themselves, argue that the reality of the situation is at such a stalemate that the only plausible solution is an economic one, i.e. pushing for the legalisation of rhino horn and allowing private ownership of black rhinos as is the case with white rhinos. They argued that for an animal such as this to survive it must have a monetary value. Strictly controlled legal rhino horn trade and trophy hunting put a tangible value to the animal and thus motivation for the effort to preserve it. The other side, who may favour the title “preservationists” or “idealists”, argues that no monetary value can be attached to a life. Only through education, tourism and other community incentives will the species be protected.

Which side is to be chosen as the correct path to saving the species? Have one of them found the absolute answer?

Have you? TNN

Conservationist Garth Owen-Smith, kept everyone enthralled with stories from the field and his own experiences with rhino conservation.

a Travel News Namibia Initiative Over the past three years, the RMB Namibia Ride for Rhinos has raised over a million Namibian dollars in funds, products and equipment for Save the Rhino Trust Namibia. Over 50 participants have braved the wilds of Damaraland on this epic quest. The riders stem from multiple economic sectors in the country and over 30 different professions, the conversation about rhino conservation thus having reached multiple platforms, influencers and sympathetic ears. Through its hands-on approach, the riders, who become a close-knit group after each tour, have been engaged on a personal level and form part of a community of supporters with a similar objective. Entries for each year’s tour are sought after as only 20 participants are invited to preserved the viability of such an exclusive tour and minimise the environmental impact. The tour will continue in its efforts to inspire Namibian and foreign mountain-bike and conservation enthusiasts to join the fight for the future of Namibia’s rhino populations.

TRAVEL NEWS NAMIBIA SPRING 2017

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Join us TODAY ADVENTURE AWAITS ETOSHA ANDERSSON TAXI Located in the beautiful and desolate northern reaches of Namibia, ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK is one of the country’s prime tourist locations and home to a large variety of wildlife.

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FROM

ROCKY TO RUGGED: A record of the Riemvasmaker Text and Photographs Marita van Rooyen

R

omansia ‘Roos’ Roman flashes her contagious smile as she invites guests at the lodge where she works to a glass of the legendary desert refreshment, Desert Rose, a drink she invented herself. It consists of a combination of secret ingredients plus a shot of kaktusfeigen (prickly pear) juice that varies in colour from season to season, and ensures a soft pink tinge that “puts everyone who drinks it in a good mood!”

Roos is part of the Riemvasmaker community who lives in the area. Her grandmother, at 90 years old, is one of the original members who were forcibly removed from their former land south of the Orange River*. *(See box for a short history of the Riemvasmaker)

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Roughly halfway between Khorixas and Palmwag, close to where the dry Huab and Aba-Huab rivers meet, is where Roos and many of the Riemvasmaker call home. Here, communal farms flank small settlements like the community headquarters of De Riet.

On their share of communal land, aptly named Spaarwater (save water), the Roman family farms with goats, sheep, donkeys and chickens, as do others in the community who still rely on subsistence farming to survive. A few brave ones also try their luck at crop farming, but for most it’s not worth the struggle because the elephants tend to take the upper hand.

In recent years the Riemvasmaker and their surroundings have grown in popularity among travellers in search of

COMMUNITY

A SHORT HISTORY OF THE RIEMVASMAKER Said to hail from an environment of stark, natural beauty and rare mineral deposits, members of the Riemvasmaker community were moved to the barren, rocky landscapes of north-western Namibia in 1973-74 under the Apartheid regime.

The area they have occupied since then has proven somewhat challenging. With sparse rainfall of 50-100 mm per year it is dominated by dry riverbeds, rocky mountain outcrops and arid gravel plains. Adequate water supply and grazing have always been among the community’s biggest concerns. For many, the challenge is not only a shortage of grazing but also human-wildlife conflict management.

Still, the largely untouched natural environment holds its own special charm – and over time has become home – so much so that when in 1994 the community was given the opportunity to return to Kakamas in South Africa, many of them opted to stay.

Johanna Rhyn and her husband, Jantjie Rhyn

cultural experiences and off-the-beaten-track destinations. As a result, many community members have found jobs in the tourism industry.

Romansia ‘Roos’ Roman Roos takes pride in her position as waitress at the exclusive, award-winning Damaraland Camp (part of the Wilderness Safaris portfolio, it boasts an inspirational partnership with the local community). Based in a remote, ancient valley of the Torra Conservancy where desert elephants still roam, she happily spends most of her days serving Desert Roses (and other refreshments) and dreams of working her way up to become general lodge manager in the not so distant future.

Apart from being fluent in a very poetic, pure Afrikaans – her home language over many generations – as well as Damara and English, she also speaks a bit of German, Otjiherero and Oshiwambo. As a citizen of a country with 13 ethnic groups, she believes that the more languages one can speak the better we can all get along. Of course, it also helps to communicate with foreign visitors to the area.

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THE STORY OF WHY SOME PEOPLE HAVE WHITER SKINS THAN OTHERS: AN OLD RIEMVASMAKER’S TALE, AS TOLD BY ROMANSIA ROMAN One day I asked my grandmother why some people have whiter skins than us Riemvasmakers. She said, “come here my child and I will tell you”. But I knew my grandma too well. She liked to pinch my ears or give me a slap when I was a bit naughty. So I stayed far away and told her that I could hear her very well from where I was standing. She gave me a funny look, but then she started telling the story:

Jantjie Rhyn

A CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENT Around the time Roos’s grandparents arrived in the region, Ouma Johanna Rhyn and her husband settled at Fonteine near presentday Damaraland Camp.

“I cried a lot when we first arrived here. There were so many rocks and mountains,” Ouma Johanna recalls. While she fondly remembers her days as a young woman in Kakamas – the town in South Africa where she grew up gathering cotton, cutting grapes, shelling peas and managing the kitchen – she soon became used to the rugged Kunene environment. She had nine children when she was resettled, but only six survived, three boys and three girls.

“Later the Lord took the girls as well,” she says. The early years were hard.

Her eldest son, Oom Jantjie Rhyn, and his family live with her at Fonteine. A former farmer and leader in communal conservation, Jantjie has retired “to also enjoy a taste of what I’ve helped to create here”. The Rhyn legacy and perseverance continues, and his children and grandchildren are now in charge of farming activities.

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Long ago there was a big dam. The Lord said that everyone should come to swim in the dam, to wash away their sins.

The first group of people came and jumped into the water.

They stayed in the water for such a long time that their skins turned a luminescent white. And those were the albinos.

The next group came and jumped into the dam. They also enjoyed the water too much, so when they came out they were white. And those were the white people.

And then, finally, it was our turn. We went to the water and touched it with the bottom of our feet and hands and immediately realised, “Oh, it’s cold!” And so, our people stayed a bit dark, except for those spots where we touched the water.

And you know, my grandmother can tell a story in such a way that you feel as if you’re part of it. For a long time I believed her story to be the only truth as to why some people are different than others.

COMMUNITY BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE

STAY & MEET THE COMMUNITY

Oom Jantjie was 20 years old when he arrived in Namibia. “When we first moved here, we were not used to co-existing with lions and elephants,” he says. “The reality came as a big shock, and suddenly we had to make peace with a very different life. Over the years we had to learn how to use the presence of wildlife to our advantage.”

If you find yourself fortunate enough to pass through De Riet on your way to an inspiring Kunene landscape, be sure to make a stop at the De Riet Information Centre.

Despite the challenges, Oom Jantjie believes that Namibia provides better opportunities than his former homeland. “Communal farming is a different concept here than what it is in South Africa. Yes, we have our testing times, but we learnt to work with what we have.”

With support from the government the community formed a trust with the aim to find a communal way of wildlife management. “In the beginning our community reacted with doubt to the idea”, Oom Jantjie recalls. “Many asked what benefit they would get out of protecting predators that pose a threat to their livestock. Meeting after meeting, and finally, most of the members agreed: we could create jobs and generate income by managing our wildlife better. Wildlife could bring more tourists to our community.”

Today, tourism is one of the main livelihoods for many in the Riemvasmaker community.

Oom Jantjie explains that the advances in tourism lead to a decrease in farming activities, as the former provides a more ‘stable’ source of income. “Tourism brought a lot of positive change to our community, but still, there are many who prefer sticking to farming, and our farmers face big challenges with human-wildlife conflict. To co-exist with wildlife is not an easy life.” He himself has had numerous face-offs with destructive elephants and hungry lions. “Elephants are a problem to our gardens and water points, lions and hyenas to our goats, donkeys, calves and even fully grown cattle.”

Oom Jantjie started his farm with 40 heads of cattle. Today he has seven left, if not as a result of the predators, then due to the drought.

The family garden – despite its sponsored electric fence – has been completely destroyed by rogue elephants, and he has given up trying.

“We want the wild animals here for our future generations, but we also want to be able to continue farming, today and tomorrow. It’s a tough choice, but we have to keep in mind that the conservancy concept is for our children, not for us. We’re doing this for future generations,” Oom Jantjie emphasises.

A community initiative, in partnership with TOSCO (Tourism in Support of Conservation), the centre was only recently opened to the public. It is housed in an eye-catching historic building, and apart from refreshments, crafts and a space to mingle with the local community, also provides detailed information on the Torra Conservancy, the Riemvasmaker community, desert-dwelling elephants and other wildlife found in the surroundings.

The centre is open every day. It is run by the friendly Rebecca Adams who can be contacted at +264 81 3429965. Visitors can also email huab@tosco.org for more information about the centre.

In October each year the Riemvasmakers host a Cultural Festival at De Riet with traditional song, dance and delicatessen. It is definitely worth a visit if you happen to be in the area. Visits to the local settlements can be an enriching cultural experience, which can be organised through lodges or via tour operators. TNN Places to stay near De Riet include Damaraland Camp, !Doro Nawas Camp, Camp Kipwe, Twyfelfontein Country Lodge and Aba-Huab Campsite.

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Things are relaxed here. We take time to enjoy our long sun-filled days and appreciate our stunning backyard. So whether you’re travelling to Namibia for business or pleasure, make sure you take some time to kick back, relax and take in this Namibian view with a Namibian beer.

Not for Sale to Persons Under the Age of 18. Drink Responsibly.

Beauty and the BEASTS… Text Anja Denker Photographs Emsie Verwey

For the love of hyenas: Emsie Verwey shares an insight into the Skeleton Coast Brown Hyaena Project, which she runs from the research centre at the Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp.

H

yenas are much maligned creatures – hated, feared and generally viewed with great suspicion and contempt. They are depicted in African folktales as mythical creatures associated with witchcraft and are said to possess abnormal powers. People refer to them as ugly, stupid, ungainly and usually regard them with disgust.

Exactly these misconceptions and negative sentiments are something that Emsie is working hard at to dispel, with the goal to change people’s perceptions of hyenas and getting them to view them in a new light, namely as the highly intelligent, lovable, powerful and complex animals that they actually are.

It all started in 2011 when Emsie was still managing the old Hoanib camp for Wilderness and came across a den with two brown hyena cubs. She installed a camera trap to observe activity at the den and with that her love for these shaggy brown creatures was born. The den was observed intermittently and the cubs eventually disappeared. But a while later, when Emsie was studying a second litter, she learnt that hyenas actually have two types of dens: maternity dens and social dens (they have a few in each territory). A den is usually a hole in the ground and the gestation period is around 97 days, with an average litter size of 2-3 cubs. Hyenas have the longest suckling and denning period of all large carnivores. The cubs are suckled until they are about a year old and only leave the safety of the dens some three months later. During their time in the den the whole clan looks after the cubs. The adults take turns playing with them, looking after them, feeding them and generally socialising with them. Their mortality rate is quite high once they venture into the dangerous world outside where they are mostly left to fend for themselves.

The cubs are quite fearless and inquisitive, but not very streetwise and fall victim mostly to lions and recently also to spotted hyenas. Brown hyenas can reach an age of 16 to 20 years.

Brown hyenas are well adapted to arid regions and Emsie’s brown hyena research project focuses on three different clans: the Hoanib clan, the Floodplain clan and the Skeleton Coast clan.

Clyde is a young hyena from the Skeleton Coast clan

The main aim is to compare the adaptations the three clans are making in terms of the habitat they live in, and to find out how big their home ranges are.

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Hoanib Research Centre

SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT HYENAS: •

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Brown hyenas can be identified by the stripes on their front legs as well as ear-markings.

Brown hyenas are more solitary and shy, while the spotted hyena is the more social one and lives in clans of up to 80 animals.

Hyenas have the second strongest bite force per square inch (PSI): 1100 pounds. This is only outranked by the saltwater crocodile, which has a bite force PSI of 3700 pounds. Only brown hyenas can bite open an ostrich egg. Spotted hyenas kick the eggs against one another in order to break them.

Brown hyenas are perceived as livestock killers, and therefore their greatest enemy is man. In reality, brown hyenas rarely kill livestock, as they are mainly scavengers. There are rare exceptions in the form of solitary individuals who have specialised in this art.

Spotted hyenas are proficient hunters and can wear down their prey by sheer stamina, endurance and strength.

Loss of habitat is a severe threat to the brown hyena, and even more so for the spotted hyena population.

The total number of brown hyenas in the whole of southern Africa (Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe) is estimated to be 5000-8000 individuals, of which 800-1200 are believed to occur in Namibia.

Another long-term goal of the Brown Hyaena Research Project is a density and distribution study of the entire Skeleton Coast area.

Brown hyenas are classified as near-threatened on the IUCN list. Numerically, spotted hyenas are the most common large carnivores in Africa.

The aardwolf is also part of the hyena family.

Hyenas are more closely related to cats than dogs, and their closest living relatives are civets and genets.

Brown hyenas are one of the least studied large carnivores in southern Africa.

WWW.TRAVELNEWSNAMIBIA.COM

Emsie with Stevie, a female from the Hoanib clan

Dr. Philip Stander

Anja Denker

Joey and her cubs from the Hoanib clan, photographed with a camera trap

TOP CHART

Movement charts of Boesman of the Hoanib clan. They show his movements from May 31, 2016 until January 31, 2017, when the river came down in flood and all the game dispersed.

BOTTOM CHART

The second chart shows his whereabouts after the flooding of the river.

A hyena secretes a waxy, paste-like white substance when it rubs its bottom against grass

In Green Hills of Africa, Ernest Hemingway wrote:

Fisi, the hyena, hermaphroditic self-eating devourer of the dead, trailer of calving cows, ham-stringer, potential biter-off of your face at night while you slept, sad yowler, camp-follower, stinking, foul, with jaws that crack the bones the lion leaves, belly dragging, loping away on the brown plain …

Although the clans are situated in a desert environment, all three of them have different habitats and different food sources and the predator factors differ as well. Brown hyenas are predominantly scavengers and usually they are nocturnal and solitary operators in their quest for food. At the coast, for instance, seals are the main food source and no other predators except for lions pass through occasionally. Due to the much cooler temperatures they also look for food during the day. At the Floodplains the hyenas feed mainly on insects, rodents and birds and they seem to make regular trips to the seal colony, which is 27 km away. Predators there would be lions and leopards.

The Hoanib clan also feeds on insects and rodents, and a large portion of meat is scavenged from prey killed mainly by cheetah and lion.

The leopard density in the Hoanib is very low, the main predator again being lions. All three hyena clans also supplement their diet with wild fruit. Their main predators are lions and leopards.

Each clan has five to seven members; numbers fluctuate in the course of the year.

Some males are nomadic, which means that they are single and not associated with a clan, and move around to mate, while other males emigrate to other clans for mating rights and usually have to fight in order to be accepted. Females usually stay with their clan.

The genders do not differ in appearance, although males may be slightly larger than females. The average weight of a brown hyena is between 35-45 kg, but a weight of 72.6 kg has been recorded for a brown hyena in Eastern Gauteng.

In order to locate dens, establish their size and find out how big the home ranges are, a small number of hyenas are collared.

Currently three females and one male are collared: two females from the Skeleton Coast clan and one male and one female from the Hoanib clan.

Collars have a battery pack and GPS unit. The GPS unit records its position every hour at night when hyenas are most active, and every two hours during the day. The GPS positions are stored by the device on the collar. There are four Data Logger stations at crucial points, i.e. at a waterhole, at the park border, on the floodplain and at the coast. When a collared hyena moves past a logger, all information is downloaded from the collar onto the logger. The data is evaluated every week.

Satellite collars are not necessary because there is no human-wildlife conflict in the study area and Emsie does not need to check the movements of the hyenas all the time. On average, a hyena walks about 30 km a night, sometimes as much as 50 km.

Dr. Philip Stander

If hyenas fight it is mostly over food or territory. The dominant hyena raises his/her hair and the submissive hyena is vocal. Most fights occur between same sex animals, not only the males.

Brown hyenas have a small repertoire of vocalisations, but not as vocal as spotted hyenas, and communicate mostly by visual (piloerection) and chemical means. When a hyena rubs its bottom against grass it secretes a waxy, paste-like white substance as well as a second black secretion, loaded with chemicals, through its anal glands. Brown hyenas are the only ones that secrete two pastes. Other hyenas can thus glean a whole lot of information, such as another hyena’s gender and reproductive status, by sniffing the paste. The Skeleton Coast Brown Hyaena Project is run from the Hoanib Research Centre. The centre was established with the emphasis on educational information and displays, regular camp chats about various research projects based at Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp and involvement of guests interested in learning more about conservation and community efforts in the area.

Funding is a challenge and donations are few and far between.

Everybody loves a lion, leopard or cheetah, but hyenas basically have to sell themselves – no mean feat with their reputation as being ugly and unlovable!

Emsie has been living and working in the Kunene Region for the last 13 years and through Wilderness Safaris has been involved in various conservation efforts and local community initiatives.

She has collected data and information for research projects, mostly for the Desert Lion Project, but also for studies involving bats, cheetahs, gemsbok, birds of prey and anthropology.

The Skeleton Coast Brown Hyaena Project is a long-term project and Emsie plans to obtain a Master’s degree with the brown hyena habitat/adaptation comparison study.

Emsie loves cats, the Skeleton Coast – and, oh, also brown hyenas! TNN

For more information on the Skeleton Coast Brown Hyaena Project and donation enquiries, please contact Emsie directly at emsie@brownhyaena.com

Built of moon, mist and rain Mushrooms of the Zambezi Text Pompie Burger Photographs Helga Burger

M

ushrooms are magical because they appear and disappear in an instant, and toadstools are the residence of various elves and fairies. This magical “plant� acted as a wonderful substitute to my usual bird watching during a visit to Nambwa Tented Lodge in the Zambezi Region. Having seen very few of my favoured avian pastime goodies, most probably due to the ample amount of rain that fell in the region, the mushrooms replaced the birds (I will add some bird/mushroom recipes at the end of the article). As a result of the limited birding opportunities my wife Helga had a field-day stopping me every five minutes to take pictures of all the beautiful flowers.

After finishing all the old Beechies* I could find behind the steering wheel, my ear or under the seat, I started looking for lost potato chips, popcorn, biltong, nuts and other delicacies under the carpet and in any other little crevices in the bakkie. I even finished the last cigarette stubs. When this was done and dusted and I was well fed and smoked, I looked around for other interesting objects and activities I could entertain myself with outside the car. The most amusing and interesting treats were found among the different kinds of dung scattered on the ground in the bush.

Mushrooms abundant.

I ended up seeing lots of different mushrooms in various dung heaps. Quite obviously the mushrooms were more interesting and satisfying than the dung because there was the additional advantage of possibly seeing the odd fairy and elf (yes I do still believe in fairies). In the end my search for fairies was not rewarding, but I will not stop looking, especially at Nambwa, where I am sure I will have success in the near future.

*Chewing gum for the new generation

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Bracket from the side attached to tree without a stem.

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Mycena vibicena growing in the shade.

COMMON POISONOUS MUSHROOMS:

The dung beetle, is one of the fungi's main co-workers in cleaning up dung.

1.

2.

3.

4.

Amanita phalloides (Death Cap) Amanita pantherina (Panther) Amanita muscarina (Fly agaric) Omphallotus olearius (Copper Trumpet) 5. Hebeloma crustuliniforme (Poison Pie) 6. Paxillus involutus 7. Inocybe species

Fungi are a kingdom of their own, their closest relative being insects. They do not need light to grow, they appear overnight, degrade organic material to supply nutrients to other organisms and reproduce by forming spores. That was the scientific part of the article, so now you can relax. To understand and appreciate fungi one needs to be extremely intelligent with an IQ of way over 150. There are more than 200,000 species in the world, so after my initial enthusiasm of identifying and classifying all the different mushrooms we saw, and reading more than a 1000 books and lots of articles, I realised that this is not going to be an easy task for an amateur like me.

After consulting Paulina Nmwandingi (UNAM’s mycologist), and reading another hundred articles and a few more books, I believe I have finally mastered the art of mushrooming.

The first and most important point to understand is that all mushrooms are fungi but all fungi are not mushrooms.

All men are humans but all humans are not men. Here is the basic difference: mushrooms are fungi bearing a cup attached centrally to a stalk and they are visible without a microscope. The shape, size and colour of the fruiting body (visible partly above the ground) are important elements to

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take note of when attempting to classify them, as well as the upper and bottom surface of the cap. The stem is also important especially in identifying some of the poisonous species. Unfortunately the colour, shape and size change with age, making identification even more of a challenge.

Their growth medium is similarly important. The most common and important being dung, dead wood, humus, trees, grasslands, animal remains and termite heaps. Yet another classification divide in mushrooms is whether they are edible, non-edible or poisonous.

As one can see there are various important criteria signifying the difficulty in identifying and classifying the various fungi.

If you want to identify a fungus/mushroom, it is important to know all of these above mentioned entities and even more important, to find a good mycologist to help you.

Edible mushrooms are defined as those that when eaten cause no health disorder or death, provided they have been properly cooked. Poisonous mushrooms are dangerous because of toxins (this might be from the spores, fruit or the stem). There are four clinical symptoms associated with

Bushveld bolete (Phlebopus sudanicus) can be more than 50 cm in diametre

Trametes cinqulata is a Bracket fungi with pores visable on the surface

ingesting poisonous mushrooms: cellular destruction and/ or liver failure, gastric, nerve or hallucinogenic symptoms.

Cellular poison is the most lethal and results from the Amanita species (liver cell destruction) and Gyromitra species (red cell destruction). The most useful poisonous mushrooms are the ones that cause hallucinogenic symptoms (extending the limits of perception). Unfortunately they are not available in Namibia.

Enough of the bad news, the advantages from these beauties are multiple. Apart from degrading organic material and a beneficial relationship with plants and animals in their natural environment, they play an important role for humans. Fungi are used in producing yeast (bread dough), alcohol (beer and wine), medicine (antibiotics, anti-depressants, cortisone) and bleach.

Obviously the most important advantage is the contribution fungi have made to the human diet.

My personal knowledge of edible mushrooms used to start and end with Omajovas and !nabbas (Kalahari truffles). Maybe I can even expand and add the mushrooms I enjoyed at the Sardinia Restaurant on various occasions. Both Omajovas and

Japanese parasol (Parasola plicatilis)

!nabbas are mushrooms but they are very different. The one grows underground (!nabba), while the other only grows on termite mounds (omajova). They belong to different suborders of mushrooms: Omajovos are Basidiomycotina and !nabbas are Ascomycotina. Without going into too much scientific dung, Basidiomcotinas’ spore dispersal takes place via wind, while Ascomycotinas disperse by way of decaying fruit where the spores spread into the soil, or are eaten by animals and defecated elsewhere.

Omajovas are family of the Termitomyces umkowaan known as I’kowe or beefsteak mushroom which occurs in South Africa.

The scientific name of Namibia’s species is Termitomyces reticulatus. After good rains these mushrooms appear in groups on termite mounds at the beginning of summer. They can often be bought along the road around this time. As most Namibians will know, they can get quite large, up to 30 centimetres in diameter, and are more firm than your average grocer mushroom. The different ways of enjoying them vary from eating them raw to preparing them like steak (see Antoinette De Chavonnes Vrugt’s cookbooks My Hungry Heart or Life on a Table for recipes).

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Coprinus comatus, the wellknown Shaggy Ink Cap

Schizophyllum commune, known as Splitgill, grows on dead tree trunks.

FUN FACTS 1. All mushrooms are poisonous until proven otherwise 2. Fungi include: mushrooms (visible fungi), toadstools (poisonous mushrooms) 3. A circle of mushrooms is called a fairy ring (single fungi) 4. The largest fungus discovered to date was more than a hectare in size and weighed more than one ton 5. The oldest recorded fungi are more than 8500 years old 6. Lichens are a combination of fungi and algae 7. After consulting another mycologist, Margo Branch, she mentioned that there are probably mushrooms in the Zambezi Region that have not yet been identified. So there is the additional incentive to become famous. Get mushrooming!

Lentinus species with a convex, soft leathery cap growing on dead wood

You get old mushroom hunters and bold mushroom hunters, never both!!

Jelly fungi (Dacryopinax spathularia) growing on a dead tree Panaeolus papilionaceus growing on dung

!nabbas (Terfezia pfeilli), by contrast, are much more difficult to find because they grow underground, they are not sold along the road (too good to be true and too good to sell) and appear in late summer in Kalahari sand. Jean van Rooyen says: “Truffles appear within 61 days after rain”. Robyn Dixon said: “Truffles look like desiccated donkey dung”. The term !nabba is derived from the Nama word t!a-ba which means ‘something brown’. When cut open the flesh is glistening white, with a texture of soft cheese. Some people claim that the Namibian truffle is not as tasty as the European truffle, but that sounds to me like a very subjective opinion. The truffles grow near clumps of Aristida grass and close to Candlepod Acacias. Unfortunately nobody in Namibian has taught pigs or dogs how to find them, although apparently one can find them by watching baboons, jackals and meerkats (sounds more exciting) because they are usually the first to locate them.

Termitomyces reticulatus growing on termite moulds

In all probability the use of wild mushrooms as food began with prehistoric man. There is little doubt that early man worked on a trial and error basis, in the end the tribes became smaller and eventually the survivors became fat as they familiarised themselves with the edible and inedible plants. The most poisonous mushrooms are the Amanitas and Parasols. All the Amanitas have a ring and a volva. The Parasols have white gills, no volva, but a ring.

Mushrooms are not only for eating though. They are a wonderful addition to the many interesting things one can explore on a bush excursion apart from the usual Big Five.

Once you start enjoying the flowers, insects, birds (obviously), trees, frogs, spiders, reptiles, fish, mammals and even fungi – or if really bored, different geological formations – you will be blown away by everything nature has to offer. Then you can go home after a week satisfied, not even complaining about not having seen the BFF (Big Freakin’ Five). On our last visit to Nambwa we identified over 30 different mushrooms over a period of four days. At a time when there was magic and superstition, fairies and their mushroom homes were plentiful, “but as the magic waned, so did the fey”. TNN

EASILY IDENTIFIABLE EDIBLE MUSHROOMS: 1. Coprinus comatus (Shaggy Ink Cap) 2. Lactarius deliciosus (Pine Ring) 3. Boletus group (Mushrooms with tubes) 4. Agaricus group (Field mushrooms) 5. Termitomyces reticulatis (Omajova) 6. Terfezia pfeilii (Kalahari Truffles/!nabbas)

False Ink Cap (Podaxis pistillaris)

Recipies for Africa. Truffels from the Kalahari

GENERATION

WANDERLUST

goes to Waterberg Text Nina van Schalkwyk Photographs Elzanne Erasmus

"You said you and me was gonna get outta town and, for once, just really let our hair down.

Well, darlin', look out, 'cause my hair is comin' down!" - Thelma and Louise Two girls, one car and one chance to get out of town and have an adventure. Sound familiar? Wheels on the road, the sky a wide arc above us and only the black line of the road stretched out in front of us.

Our destination? The Waterberg Plateau National Park. Just two hours from Namibia's capital, the Waterberg is easy to get to, fun to explore and great for families. For two chicks though? Well, we're not unfamiliar with "roughing it" and, in fact, that's our usual setting. Turning off the B1 that runs like a blood line through Namibia from its southern border to the north-eastern tip, we waved at traff ic off icers on duty, who smiled cheerfully and waved us through, after curiously glancing into our car looking for the men that they guessed must be hidden somewhere. Nope, no guys, just us two girls.

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T

hrough the main gate at Waterberg, waved on by a guard, we stop underneath a canopy of trees at the Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) park office to pay for our stay. Inside, quite hilariously, stood a stuffed lion, eternally ready with a roar deep in his throat. I wanted to scratch his ear, but it might have fallen off – who knows how old the taxidermied thing is?

While my financially savvy friend handled the payments, I wandered off to the little shop next door. It's nice to know that in times of need there's always a beer for sale. Outside, Redfaced Francolins flitted on and off the green lawn, squawking at each other, ignoring me completely. I had been hoping for sightings of special birds, but except for fowl at my feet and the coo of doves I was out of luck.

Back in the car we drove up to find an absolutely perfect campsite under a massive camel thorn tree waiting for us to claim it. We had the area almost completely to ourselves. It was still early when we set up camp and enjoyed a cold beverage as the sounds of nature enveloped the surroundings in a hush.

Waterberg is one of the few places in Namibia where African buffalo roam, and since a trip to the Zambezi Region is not on the cards anytime soon, we jump at the opportunity to go on a game drive into the park. The NWR game viewer crawls up the side of the plateau at a steady pace. Once on top, the view is breathtaking. Toward the south the endless horizons, that this spectacular country is so famous for, stretch as far as the eye can see. The plateau rises stately above the plains of acacia thorn bushes below. The bright red and green hues make this vibrant place all the more special. On the four-hour drive we are treated to sightings of the aforementioned buffalo, sable antelope, eland and giraffe. The bush is thick and sightings of the flighty beasts are limited to quick glimpses, until the game drive comes to a rest stop at one of the park’s many hides.

From this enclosed space we can watch at our leisure as animals take full advantage of the waterhole constructed here.

In the evening we returned to the prime spot of our campsite.

As we sat there in the silence I heard the distinct crack of twigs.

My heart began to beat faster. I looked up. This wasn't a horror movie, and I wasn't scared. I was excited. The small sounds we heard were coming from right in front of us, and through the lines of the trees I could see horns. A magnificent kudu bull timidly moved through the bush that formed the boundary of our camp. We tried to take pictures but the stealthy gentleman was no newbie to camouflage and within minutes he had disappeared. In his wake, though, came a Damara dik-dik, Namibia's smallest antelope. He scurried about the edges of the trees, walked over to our braai area and sniffed the ground before relieving himself. Such bad manners!

Night fell before we knew it, and without realising it we'd missed the sunset. Nocturnal sounds emanated from the wilderness around us. The francolin bustled through the undergrowth, arguing loudly with each other until one got the last say, after which silence dropped all around us again. The animals were off to their nests, their holes, their beds. We sat with our feet extended to the heat of the campfire, listening.

My ears waited for the hoot of an owl, but like before, the birds were not forthcoming. As the evening drew on, our stories became longer and we hit the sheets only after we'd devoured a deftly put together salad and garlic bread - the chops didn't even make it to the coals.

German-Herero war have been to no avail. I looked across at the names etched into stone, the gothic scripts speaking of a long ago time. What starts a war, I wondered. In the end, all you have left are cemeteries and monuments like this one, and history inevitably changed forever.

The next morning we had packed up and were ready to go before many of the other campers had even had their first coffee. We had to be back in the capital before noon and we still had a bit of exploring to do before we departed. On a walk along one of many nature trails we met many more dik-diks. Such cute and enigmatic little creatures! Birds flitted about and I tried desperately to identify as many as possible before we had to move on. After our hike we drove up the brick pathway that loops onto the mountain and parked at the historic Rasthaus. The building is very much a colonial structure, its architecture harking back to Namibia's past as a German colony. The restaurant inside the Rasthaus retains a lot of the dignified atmosphere of a historic place, with golden chandeliers glinting beneath the wooden ceiling, lazily turning ceiling fans and black and white photos from a time gone by arranged on the back wall. Stepping outside, we saw a little sign hanging above another door. Small and browned with age it showed a frothy beer mug – this must be the bar. Inside we were taken back in time once again. Apart from the modern flat-screen TV behind the bar playing some or other sports game, the whole place, including the furniture, had a look about it of never having changed. Uninterested in the human activity below, Rüppel's Parrots perched in the trees outside as they groomed themselves in the morning sun.

For our final Waterberg adventure we followed signs to an old German cemetery. The gravestones stand silently against a magnificent backdrop of Waterberg's cliffs. The site is maintained by a Namibian committee called the Kriegsgräberfürsorge (phew, long name) which, according to the little booklet found in a box against the boundary wall, "looks after approximately 3500 graves of Schutztruppe and Union troops." Interestingly, the brief description on the first page notes that efforts to build a monument to the Herero who perished in the 1904 Battle of the Waterberg during the

As we left the park, the sun had risen above the trees. It shone on the ragged cliffs, which glowed red in the morning light. The gravel road beckoned bright and even, leading us home, surely with more adventures to come. TNN

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GENERATION WANDERLUST

Wanderlust [won-der-luhst] (n) a strong, innate desire to rove or travel about For the younger generation, whose pockets aren’t as deep as their dreams are big, it can sometimes feel as if adventure were limited to weekends spent watching the travel channel.

But the truth is, there are so many opportunities for young people to explore this wonderful country. Follow us in this latest installment of the Generation Wanderlust series with Namibia Wildlife Resorts as we discover how to find adventures for the young, or even just the young at heart, in amazing Namibia!

PS: All the photos in this article were taken using an iPhone, which just goes to show that you can be an adventurer/travel writer/blogger too!

EXPLORE EXPLORE

Namibia has some of the world’s most Namibia has some of the world’s most magnificent landscapes but there’s more… magnificent landscapes but there’s more...

Let Namibia Wildlife Resorts offer yo Let Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) offer(NWR) you a new perspective.

With 21 resorts Namibia we have perspective.

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From something for everyone, including the child camping to hiking trails for the thrill seeker in you or when camping to hiking trails for the thrill seeker in yo all you need is a breakaway from the big city monotony. all you need is a breakaway from the big city

1. Onkoshi Resort 2. Namutoni Resort 3. Halali Resort 4. Okaukuejo 1. OnkoshiResort Resort5. Sossus 2. Namutoni Halali Resort 4.

DuneResort Lodge 3.

6. Terrace Bay Resort 7. Waterberg Resort Okaukuejo8. Resort Sossus Dune Terrace /Ai-/Ais5.Hotsprings SpaLodge 9. Popa6.Falls 10. Bay Gross Barmen 11. Duwisib Resort 7. Waterberg Resort 8. /Ai-/Ais Hotsprings Spa 9. Popa CastleBarmen 12. Sesriem Camp 13. 12.

Hobas Camp Falls 10. Gross 11. Duwisib Castle Sesriem Camp14. Naukluft Camp 15.

13. HobasDolomite Camp 14.Resort Naukluft 15. Dolomite 16. Camp 18. Shark Island 16.Camp Torra Bay Camp 17.Resort Khorixas Torra Bay19.

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Our wealth of experience and in-depth knowledge of the incredibly diverse parts of Namibia and its neighboring countries enables us to offer up market tailormade guided fly-in safaris, special interest group or self drive tours.

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ON THE OPEN ROAD: Camper-living for the ultimate Namibian self-drive adventure!

Text and photographs Elzanne Erasmus & Nina van Schalkwyk

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Endless stretches of both asphalt and gravel dissect and are scattered across, over and through the vast plains, hills and valleys of this beautiful country. So often the greatest Namibian adventures lie just around the next bend or just beyond the next turn-off. For the avid traveller, the adventurer at heart, nothing quite beats the freedom and wonder of a self-drive safari through this spectacular corner of Africa. But what if staying in lodges isn’t quite your thing? Do you prefer the rugged appeal of camping, minus the hassle? Well, what if we told you that there’s a middle ground? The term is ‘glamping’. A combination of the luxuries and style of lodge-living and the freedom and often unparalleled immersion in nature by camping.

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W

e set off on our trip on a crisp winter morning.

The sun edging over the Auas Mountains that surround the country’s capital. Our first destination: Namibia’s most visited and most highly acclaimed national park, situated in the central north.

Etosha lay ahead like a beacon. With a quick pit stop to stock up on some supplies along the way, we were travelling in style. The Hilux bakkie may have been one of many such vehicles on the road but ours was special. We had a few key enhancements, you see…

On the back of the Supercab we carried with us our home for the week. Not unlike a snail, our comfortable accommodation was perfectly and snuggly assembled.

Making the most of the space and permissible dimensions, the Hertz 4x4 camper came fully equipped for an utterly luxurious camping trip – with everything we might need, wish for or even dream of.

Being salted campers we are used to a far less lavish setup. What a treat it was to be able to set up your whole camp in less than five minutes! A click of a clasp, a table quickly pulled out and chairs popped open, a slight push to the tent’s top, the awning pulled open and secured… and there we were. Done and dusted! Reaching into one of the two built-in solar fridges we pulled out two beers and said cheers to a job well (and very easily) done.

Life is an open road, It's the best story never told, It's an endless sky, it's the deepest sea Life is an open road to me - Bryan Adams

We set up camp so quickly that there was still a lot of time to just chill. Later that afternoon we watched animals from the hide overlooking the waterhole below us. Back at our campsite there was a braai-place, but we chose to cook our food on the little gas stove on the inside of our camper's door. The fire was made simply for the sake of it. After all, what is a camp without the crackling of flames? We sat around the table, chatting and slicing veggies for our salad.

The evening stretched ahead of us and it was almost too easy to feel at home. And so we sat and watched the sunset

glamping /'glampin'/ NOUN A form of camping involving accommodation and facilities more luxurious than those associated with traditional camping. from our perch at Etosha’s Olifantsrus campsite, reminiscing about camping trips prior to this one… How much easier life had just become.

From Etosha, after a quick pack-up, we travelled back south and took an easterly turn to Waterberg National Park. We cruised over the open roads and sang along to our road trip

playlist as the stunning sight of the Waterberg Plateau loomed before us. Under a massive camel thorn tree we popped up our glamp-camp and said cheers to another day while kicking up our feet.

So, if you are an adventure lover, keen to explore this amazing country, but want do so without the unnecessary discomfort and trouble often associated with camping in the wilderness, pick up a camper on your next self-drive trip! ‘Roughing it’ has never looked this good. TNN

KITTED OUT! The camper comes fully equipped with everything you may need: • Jack, compressor pipe gauge, jack block • Tyre repair kit • Safety triangle • Spare wheel tool kit • Braai bag with braai • Casserole with lid • Tongs • Shower equipment • Can opener • Cutting board • Bread knife • Egg lifter • Cork screw • Utility knife • Mugs, wine glasses, stainless steel glasses • Plates and bowls • Kettle • Cooking pots and cutlery • Mattress, sleeping bags, pillows, pillow cases • Bath towels and hand towel • Long range fuel tank 75l • 220V charging system • 3kg gas cylinders • Gas cooker • Geyser and water basin • Roof top tent • Ladder and awning • Table and camping chairs • 72l Fridge/Freezer • Tyre pressure monitor • Solar panel • Compressor

STOCK UP: Don't forget to buy these necessities before heading into the wilderness!

1. Cleaning supplies for dishwashing etc.

2. Firelighters, fire wood and matches 3. Food and drinks 4. Drinking water 5. Mosquito repellant!

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A delightful setting and peaceful bush ambience.

No matter the occasion, River Crossing Lodge has something special to offer.

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Guaranteed escorted tours / Fly-in saFaris

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Vast, contrasting and unpredictable Namibia is a country of primeval and unspoilt beauty: SWA Safaris can introduce you to its spectacular variety of landscapes, rich treasures of wildlife and unique flora. Enjoy the hospitality and friendliness of the Namibian people.

Let SWA Safaris, one of the most experienced tour operators in Namibia, that has been in operation since 1954, make your stay an unforgettable one.

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THIS IS MY NAMIBIA

By Elzanne Erasmus

I

stood atop a rock overlooking the Hartmann’s Valley in Namibia’s northwestern Kaokoland Region. Breathless.

Speechless. A tear quickly wiped away.

Clichés, I know, but often words fall short.

It wasn’t just the view, but a culmination of factors so intricate that I could scarcely explain it to myself, let alone anyone else. I didn’t take out my camera. I had previously tried to capture moments such as these elsewhere in the country: the view from a dune at Wolwedans, the sunset over the Okavango. Each time I was disappointed with the result.

Sometimes the magnitude of the moment just can’t be captured. Or maybe I’m just not good enough a photographer…

its essence. Maybe we start looking past it. Disenfranchised by being constantly confronted with it to the point that we are desensitised. Maybe I should take a breath and look around me during my everyday life. Maybe there’s something I’m missing today.

The photo above was taken by my good friend Gerhard. That moment right there was mammoth. But even a photo as stunning as this can’t fully capture the enormity of the experience in digital eternity. Some things are only felt. Gerhard and his family lived just a few kilometres from that very spot for many years. It used to be part of his everyday life. It used to be his Namibia. I think I’ll ask him next time what he sees when he stands on that rock. Or what he feels. Is it still awe-inspiring to him?

Or is it just Tuesday? Perhaps, if we’re continually emerged in a moment we lose

And I started thinking… In fact I started thinking so bloody hard that I penned this essay as I sat in the audience. People around me probably frowned at the glare from my cell phone screen, but I didn’t care. Just as the female vocalist had been inspired, and forced to write this song while stuck in rush-hour traffic in Cape Town, I had to pen my thoughts in a crowd, common courtesy be damned.

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I was at a live show of a travelling South African band recently. They sang a song, the lyrics of which resonated with me so strongly that I had one of those ‘moments’, a eureka instant if you will...

The lyrics said: What if you wake up tomorrow morning with only the things that you’ve been thankful for today? Will you be okay?

Will I be okay if I woke up tomorrow with only the things I was thankful for today? It probably depends on the day, but if it were a day like so many I'm

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privileged to have when touring around my spectacular country I would say yes.

Yes, I would be okay with the views, the mountains, the wildlife and the absolutely magnificent moments experienced. What about all the days in between though?

So I stopped and looked around with fresh eyes at my everyday Namibia. My everyday is not spent roaming around Hartmann’s Valley. I wake up most days in our country’s beautiful and enigmatic capital. What am I thankful for today?

I’m thankful for the sunset and the amazing golden glow it casts on the Christuskirche in Windhoek’s city centre, a sight I witness every single day on my drive home. I’m thankful for the mousebirds, hornbills and grey go-away birds that live in the candle-pod acacia outside my bedroom window. I’m thankful for the 5-minute drive from home to my office, and the fact that I’ll never get stuck in rush-hour traffic for hours. I’m thankful for friends and family and love and Labradors and my new old Landy.

I’m thankful for rain when it comes and sunshine when it doesn’t. I’m thankful for the magnitude of each moment here.

So bring on tomorrow, it’s sure to be another spectacular day in my Namibia.

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Wolwedans is more than a mere collection of camps. It’s a collection of dreams. Its ethos lies in setting an example in sustainability and continually fulfilling its commitment to the conservation of the NamibRand Nature Reserve.

...simply out of this world

Photo © Gerhard Thirion

Namibia. Wild at heart.

An untamed wilderness that will always leave you spoilt for choice.

Mother Nature is waiting for you.

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