Travel News Namibia Winter 2014 by Venture Media

is published by Venture Publications in Windhoek, Namibia www.travelnewsnamibia.com 4 Herzinger Crescent, Klein Windhoek PO Box 21593, Windhoek, Namibia MANAGING EDITOR Riéth van Schalkwyk rieth@venture.com.na TEXT EDITOR Amy Schoeman TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Naude Muller LAYOUT Petra Tegethoff CUSTOMER SERVICE Bonn Nortjé bonn@venture.com.na ONLINE EDITOR Jana-Mari Smith jansmithventure@gmail.com COVER PHOTOGRAPH Paul van Schalkwyk

TEXT CONTRIBUTORS Annabelle Venter, Ron Swilling, Edward Jenkins, Konny von Schmettau, Pompie Burger, Elzanne Erasmus, Luise Hoffmann, Christine Hugo, Christie Keulder PHOTOGRAPHERS Paul van Schalkwyk, Annabelle Venter, Ron Swilling, Konny von Schmettau, Pompie Burger, Elzanne Erasmus, Luise Hoffmann, Christie Keulder 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 responsibility of the publisher and no part of the magazine may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

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CONSERVATION 2013

and the Environment in Namibia

RHINO

SECURITY IN NAMIBIA

RAISING THE PROFILE OF NAMIBIA’S PARKS

PROTECTED INTERNATIONALAREAS TRENDS WITH A NAMIBIAN FLAVOR and climate change

PARKS AND PEOPLE INTEGRATED PARK MANAGEMENT

Conservation and the Environment in Namibia, an annual special edition of Travel News Namibia, is published in close cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, and is available as a printed magazine and online.

SPECIA

SPAN L

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HUNTINAMIBIA This annual magazine has an English edition for distribution in the USA and a German edition for distribution in German-speaking European countries. It consists of a minimum of 60 pages and is available as a printed magazine and online. www.huntnamibia.com.na

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EDITOR’S LETTER

WINTERTIME

IN NAMIBIA “THERE IS SOMETHING MAGICAL ABOUT ETOSHA”

here else in the world would you drive along a dusty, white gravel road and a big lion appears in the tall grass, then slowly saunters closer, all the time looking straight into the camera? The photograph on the cover of this edition was taken by my late husband Paul on one of our countless trips to Okondeka. We knew that the lions often laze under the trees after a good night’s hunt. If you’re lucky, as we were then, the big-maned cat would become thirsty just when the light was perfect to capture him through the lens. I always thought it was only we locals who feel at home in the park. A contributing factor is probably that I grew up in Outjo, (the small town you pass through en route to the panne (the pans) as we called them back then. I feel at home when the white dust settles in and on everything, watching the pink sunsets from the tower in Okaukuejo and hearing the call of a jackal at night. As a girl guide I worked in Namutoni during school holidays, and one year when the pan had dried up, we were part of the team rescuing flamingo chicks. We were happy to clean rooms in the mornings just to earn the privilege of doing ‘real’ conservation work with game wardens after hours. That was where the magic started for me. In this edition we celebrate the fact that Etosha is still one of the few places on earth where visitors have the opportunity to drive along a gravel road in a rented vehicle and chance on scenes like the ones Annabelle Venter describes in her article on Big Cats. As with most rewarding experiences in life, this takes time. Her photographs were taken over many years and in different seasons. Piero de Masi, first Italian ambassador to Namibia and later contributor to the Italian edition of Travel News Namibia with his wife Sharri, told me that during their stay in Namibia, they visited Etosha eight times before seeing elephants. It seems almost impossible, especially when colleague Elzanne Erasmus posts incredible images on the TNN Facebook page of her experiences on a three-day trip through the park with our two American business partners. For the past three years, with the help of tourism experts, Namibians in the tourism sector have been challenged to send the Namibian tourism message to North America and Canada. Europe has always been Namibia’s source market. We knew what the European tourists expected and over many years we came to understand the market forces. Our dedicated NTB team in Germany consistently won market share for us against tourism giants on the African continent. But North America was an unknown factor. With funding from the Millennium Challenge Compact, and experts from the US and Canada, we have gained knowledge of how to get the message out there, and after three years on a steep learning curve, the Americans are coming. The mobile application of Travel News Namibia is downloaded in that part of the world by readers who would never have had the opportunity to buy a copy. We now know what American visitors are interested in and Namibians are resourceful enough to develop the products to lure them. The MCA programme is now over – the money has been spent and the experts are retreating. What they leave behind is a tourism community that is much better equipped to deal with the challenges of competing for the awareness of the millions of potential tourists. We use all the tools to convince them that Namibia should be their first choice. Enjoy the blue skies and soft light of a typical Namibian winter!

Riéth van Schalkwyk

TRAVEL NEWS NAMIBIA WINTER 2014

CONTENTS WINTER 2014 8 WHAT’S NEW(S)? New developments in the industry 11 FAST FACTS All you need to know about Namibia 12 ETOSHA Wild Cats to delight and surprise 20 ONKOSHI CAMP One of those special, quiet places

24 MBUNZA LIVING MUSEUM Water lilies and wide smiles 28 THE LIVING DESERT Alive and well in the Namib 32 TNN SHOPPING Stock up on Namibian wares

34 ORANJEMUND Discovery of a diamond town 40 TNN FOODIES Forgotten food 42 IT’S THE COFFEE CALLING... The Namibian cuppa 46 BIRDING The true story of Cinderella

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CONTENTS

32 40 52 WILD HORSES OF THE NAMIB The presence of a

boundless freedom

58 WETLAND TREASURES OF NAMIBIA Bwabwata-Okavango:

Caution - Elephant crossing!

62 TRAVEL TIPS for tree lovers

LIVING THE Lifestyle Apartments

WHAT’S NEW(S)? Compiled Elzanne Erasmus

The new Lifestyle B&B and Apartments is a privately owned and managed establishment located in central Swakopmund on the corner of Libertina Amathila Avenue and Otavi Street, within walking distance of popular restaurants, pubs and the beach. The enterprise offers 22 apartments consisting of four studios, and ten one-bedroom, six two-bedroom, and two threebedroom apartments. The B&B and Apartments are modern and trendy. Although all equipped for selfcatering, guests have the choice of booking a selfcatering apartment or opting for Bed & Breakfast. Breakfast and lunch packs can be ordered by corporate market guests if they have to leave for work before 7:00, while breakfast is served until 10:00. Lifestyle also hosts a conference room for groups of up to 20 people. Additional amenities are a 24-hour reception service, free WiFi, dry-cleaning services and secure parking. For reservations call +264 64 40 4770 or email gm.lifestyle@iway.na.

ADELAINE and the chocolate factory Walvis Bay recently began to play host to its very own chocolate factory. The Belgian Choclatique, which opened in December 2013, is owned and operated by Adelaine Bruwer, who specialises in creating delicious corporate goodies and gifts by printing business cards, logos and any variety of picture or message onto personalised chocolate confectionaries. The Belgian Choclatique is open to all individuals and invites Namibians and tourists to come and enjoy its selection of hand-made Belgian chocolates. You can find the Choclatique at Shop 204, on the corner of Sam Nujoma Avenue and 16th Road. Opening times are Mondays to Fridays from 08:00 to 18:00, and on Saturdays from 09:00 to 13:00.

HOT COOKING at Corner of 62nd Number 62, the old historical house on the corner of Fidel Castro and Bismarck Street in Windhoek, has – seemingly overnight – been revamped and turned into an upscale restaurant. The original structure of the house, complete with hardwood flooring and all the old window frames, is still there, but a sophisticated modern restaurant has taken up residence within the walls. Corner of 62nd, owned and operated by Ruda and Peter Hoch, presents a modern eating experience with a menu that ranges over many different culinary styles and caters for a wide variety of people. Items on the menu include traditional Namibian braai meats that will give you an authentic local experience, as well as an extensive wine list. The hosting skills and waiting staff at 62nd are equal only to their chef’s impeccable skills in the kitchen and make for an altogether wonderful night out on the town. Corner of 62nd also has a lunch menu and even offers Lunches-To-Go for corporate clients that may not be able to break away during their lunch hours. For reservations call +264 61 24 6288 or email cornerof62nd@iway.na. You can also keep an eye on the Corner of 62nd Facebook page and Events Calendar for upcoming events such as cooking classes, wine and whiskey tasting, Team Building Evenings and special theme evenings.

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WHAT’S NEW(S)? KAAPSE TAFEL TOWN STALL brings the beauty of the Cape to Namibia

There are not many wonders of nature that compare favourably to the arid beauty of Namibia, but a protea from the Western Cape comes pretty close, especially when you treat yourself or a loved one to a beautiful bouquet from the new Kaapse Tafel Town Stall at Ferreiras in Windhoek. Owners Kalf and Sandra van Zyl have created a beautiful would-be padstal (road stall) like one you would find only in the Cape Winelands – right in the middle of Windhoek. While the stall stocks everything from jams, nuts, spices, olive oils, nougat and dried fruit straight from the Cape, its most spectacular products by far are the freshly imported proteas, with interesting names such as Lady Di, Brenda and The King. Sandra explains that the emotion surrounding each of these flowers sends you on a memory trip and that it is this nostalgia that lends to the uniqueness of each flower. Sandra and Kalf also stock a very rare little flower known as the Pityphilla, which grows only on Mitchell’s Pass in the Western Cape and is exported mainly to Europe and Asia. With all these wonderful elements at her disposal, Sandra does arrangements for weddings and other events, making Kaapse Tafel Town Stall the only place you need to visit if you’re searching for the perfect combination of beauty and nostalgia for your special event, or even just your everyday happiness. Visit Kalf and Sandra van Zyl at Ferreira’s Garden World or phone them on +264 81 420 3009 for more information. You can also visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/kaapsetafel.

GET SOME BITS ‘n Pizzas For an interesting new twist on pizza culture, visit Bits ‘n Pizza in Swakopmund, Lee and Cindy’s newly renovated restaurant at 30 Daniel Tjongarero Street. Their square-shaped pizzas have the popular coastal town keyed up and pizza aficionadas are especially excited about the new, more comprehensive additions to their menu, such as burgers, steaks and pasta. For reservations or takeaways, phone +264 81 726 3126/7.

ATLANTIC-VILLA’S TECH-READY Conference Centre The Atlantic-Villa Boutique Guesthouse is now sporting a brand-new state-of-the-art conferencing centre. Facilities feature the latest technology equipment with surround sound, Smart Hub plasma screens, a projector and screen, as well as wireless Internet. The cinema/theatre style presentation can accommodate 60 people without tables and up to 38 people with boardroom-style tables and seating. Atlantic-Villa conferencing will arrange all your catering needs, including coffee, tea, snacks and lunch. There are 44 double rooms available for accommodating delegates and Atlantic-Villa will also assist you to book activities. For further information and reservations, visit the website at www.atlantic-villa.com or contact them at +264 64 46 3511 or bookings@atlantic-villa.com.

TRAVEL NEWS NAMIBIA WINTER 2014

Photo courtesy of: Paul van Schalkwyk

FAST FACTS ON NAMIBIA GENERAL Surface area: 824 268 km2 Capital: Windhoek Independence: 21 March 1990 Current president: Hifikepunye Pohamba Multiparty Parliament Democratic Constitution Division of power between executive, legislature and judiciary Secular state—freedom of religion (90% Christian) Freedom of the press/media

ENVIRONMENT Nature reserves: 15% of surface area Highest mountain: Brandberg Other prominent mountains: Spitzkoppe, Moltkeblick, Gamsberg Perennial rivers: Orange, Kunene, Okavango, Zambezi and Kwando/ Linyanti/Chobe Ephemeral rivers: Numerous, including Fish, Kuiseb, Swakop and Ugab

FLORA 14 vegetation zones 120 species of trees 200 endemic plant species 100 plus species of lichen Living fossil plant: Welwitschia mirabilis

ECONOMY Main sectors: Mining, Fishing, Tourism & Agriculture Biggest employer: Agriculture (46%) Fastest-growing sector: Tourism Mining: Diamonds, uranium, copper, lead, zinc, magnesium, cadmium, arsenic, pyrites, silver and gold, lithium minerals, dimension stones (granite, marble, blue sodalite) and many semiprecious stones

PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

FOREIGN REPRESENTATION

Roads: 5 450 km tarred, 37 000 km gravel Harbours: Walvis Bay, Lüderitz Main Airports: Hosea Kutako International Airport, Eros Airport, 46 airstrips Rail network: 2 382 km narrow gauge 6.2 telephone lines per 100 inhabitants Direct-dialling facilities to 221 countries Mobile communication system: GSM Agreements with 117 countries/255 networks Postal Service: affiliated to the Universal Postal Union

More than 50 countries have Namibian consular or embassy representation in Windhoek. For information, contact Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Information and Broadcasting—Tel (+264 61) 282 9111

SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE

MONEY MATTERS

One medical doctor per 3 650 people Two privately run hospitals in Windhoek with intensive-care units Medical practitioners (world standard) 24-hour medical emergency services

POPULATION 2.1 million Density: 2.2 per km2 240 000 inhabitants in Windhoek (15% of total) Official language: English 13 regions, 13 ethnic cultures 16 languages and dialects Adult literacy rate: 85% Population growth rate: 2.6% Schools: 1 450

FAUNA Big game: Elephant, lion, rhino, buffalo, cheetah, leopard, giraffe 20 antelope species 240 mammal species (14 endemic) 250 reptile species 50 frog species 676 bird species Endemic birds including Herero Chat, Rockrunner, Damara Tern, Monteiro’s Hornbill

TAX AND CUSTOMS All goods and services are priced to include value-added tax of 15%. Visitors may reclaim VAT. Enquiries: Ministry of Finance— Tel (+264 61) 23 0773 in Windhoek

Currency: The Namibia dollar (N$) is fixed to and equals the SA rand. The South African rand is also legal tender. Traveller’s cheques, foreign currency, International Visa, Master Card, American Express and Diners Club credit cards are accepted

DRINKING WATER Most tap water is purified and safe to drink. Visitors should exercise caution in rural areas

TRANSPORT Public transport is NOT available to all tourist destinations in Namibia. There are bus services from Windhoek to Cape Town/Johannesburg/Vic Falls/ Swakopmund. Namibia’s main railway line runs from the South African border, connecting Windhoek to Swakopmund in the west and Tsumeb in the north. There is an extensive network of international and regional flights from Windhoek. Domestic charters to all destinations.

www.namibiatourism.com.na

WILD CATS to DELIGHT Finding and photographing the big cats in Etosha, and why they matter Text and photographs Annabelle Venter

If you’re planning a trip to Namibia in the winter, then a visit to the Etosha National Park, Namibia’s jewel in the crown, should be high on your list.

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AND SURPRISE

ETOSHA

TRAVEL NEWS NAMIBIA WINTER 2014

ctually, you can expect good game viewing in Etosha at any time of the year, but wintertime is exceptional for several reasons. It stopped raining a few months ago, so the veld is dry by now and the game must visit the waterholes to drink, which increases your chances of seeing the big cats that hunt their prey. The summer grass has faded to yellow, and is flattened by countless hooves, making visibility excellent for spotting prey and predators, and for all the smaller creatures that delight and surprise. And the weather is so pleasant in winter that you could even swim in the pools at the camps! But let’s pause for a moment to consider. While Namibia is truly a big-cat country, with enough space and uninhabited areas for these magnificent creatures to still roam free, nowhere will you have a better chance of seeing lions, leopards and cheetahs in their natural environment than in Etosha. You do have a chance of sighting cheetahs on the gravel roads that criss-cross the country. You might even be lucky enough to spot a leopard crossing the road at night, as I have done. On an organised trip, if time and resources allow, you could also gain a glimpse into the lives of the legendary desert lions – an extraordinary opportunity for a few. But for the best value and chances of sightings in winter, Etosha is the place to be. So where will you find big cats to photograph? All the camps in Etosha are equally good for game viewing most of the year round, so perhaps two nights in each would give you a variety of opportunities and backdrops.

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Entering at Andersson Gate, first up is OKAUKUEJO. This area is renowned for good lion sightings, as well as for encountering cheetah. • At Okaukuejo you can simply sit at the in-camp waterhole after dark and wait for lions to arrive. Needless to say, nothing is ever guaranteed! • Or you could be out at first light and head north-west past the airstrip, to search the plains for lions. A good place to end would be Okondeka waterhole, where the resident pride might treat you to a viewing of their new batch of cubs. They move up and down the edge of the pan as well as inland, but often just laze around under the acacia bushes on the left of the road, doing what lions do for about 20 hours a day – rest! • Ombika waterhole near the Andersson Gate and the open plains to the east of this waterhole are a good bet for cheetah early to mid-morning. • Nebrownii waterhole, just 7 km east of the camp, sometimes has lions, with great early-morning backlighting and outstanding front lighting in the afternoon. When it’s hot, cubs sometimes take shelter in the culverts close by.

ETOSHA

Moving east to HALALI, you’ll find beautiful areas of vast open plains bordered by thick stands of Acacia nebrownii providing habitat for all the big cats. • The Salvadora plains are an excellent bet, particularly in winter when the game congregates there to drink, as is

Charitsaub by mid-morning. We have seen both lions and cheetahs hunting on these plains, and it’s always the first and last port of call on any trip. A highlight two years ago was spotting a mother cheetah with three large cubs watching a male lion walking across the plains. He didn’t seem to notice them and it was quite a tense and amazing moment!

TRAVEL NEWS NAMIBIA WINTER 2014

More than 20 years ago I witnessed a leopard trying to catch birds in a nest in the dead tree that stood in the middle of Goas waterhole. But the tree fell down soon afterwards, and there’s no longer a bird or beast to tell the tale! Of course, that was before my interest in photography grew and my camera was in the boot of the car...

• I’ve always wanted to see a leopard in the big acacia tree at Charitsaub, but it’s not a place leopards frequent as far as I know. However, luck was on our side recently when we spotted a large male crouched in the grass near the waterhole, later crossing the road right in front of us! • Do try and fit in the two detours in this area, north of Rietfontein (8 km) and south of Salvadora (14 km), as big cats, especially cheetah, are often spotted here early in the morning.

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• Rietfontein is visited regularly by leopards and lions, but the waterhole itself is a bit far for photography. • I love looking for leopards. Crawling along at 10 km/h searching for them is high on my to-do list! I once observed mating leopards in the bushes near the Nuamses waterhole. Hearing a third leopard rasp as it walked past these two, naturally put the mating pair on high alert. A minute later people driving past said they had also just seen a leopard at the waterhole more than a kilometre away!

ETOSHA

Talk about a ‘leopard-jam’… So make a point of driving slowly as you approach the waterhole, and scan the bushes carefully. Most of the leopards I’ve sighted were on the ground, and these cats are the masters of camouflage. • I’ve often seen leopards crossing the roads leading to and from HALALI CAMP, where you can expect a leopard any time of the day. Having personally notched up well over 80 daytime sightings in Southern Africa, I can verify that it’s simply a matter of luck, perseverance and really slow driving.

• The Moringa waterhole in the camp is often visited by a leopard just after dark, especially in the winter, so take a (quiet) blanket, a warm drink and settle in to wait. • Just recently the game guides on a night drive spotted a mother leopard moving her two babies across the main road at the T-junction leading to Halali. Two days later there was a small ‘traffic-jam’ as we were treated to a wonderful sighting of the mother, a young female (presumably from a previous litter) and the mum’s tiny cub. Sadly there was only one cub present.

TRAVEL NEWS NAMIBIA WINTER 2014

When you continue east towards NAMUTONI, your first stop (and this must be as early as possible) should be Batia waterhole, which was closed for a long time due to roads that had been washed away. On our first visit there since being reopened, we came upon a mother cheetah and her two big cubs. We watched an amusing scene unfold as the young cubs tried to hunt a warthog, but ended up being chased themselves! • Batia, as well as the next waterhole, Okerfontein, is known to be frequented by cheetah, while females with cubs are sometimes seen between the two.

• The drive to Fischer’s Pan is interesting if done slowly, and can yield an array of smaller, more unusual species such as honey badgers and bat-eared foxes. Twee Palms could be your leopard spot on this drive, and there are sometimes lions hanging around in the bushes along the route. • Kalkheuwel west of Namutoni is an excellent call for both lion and leopard, so should be high on your list. • Chudop is well known for lions. It’s close to the camp and the waterhole is near the car park, making it a good spot for photography.

MUST-DO’S TO PLAN FOR

cub near Halali was seen in the same area for at least two to three days. • Talk to fellow visitors and share your sightings. It rarely becomes crowded in Etosha, so exchanging tips will not detract in any way from your viewing potential! And be sure to write your sightings in the books for others to enjoy. • Read up on the basic knowledge and behaviour of the big cats beforehand – this will enable you to anticipate their likely actions. For example, do your cheetah hunting during the day, as this is when they can often be found out on the plains. Leopards generally keep to the cover of the wooded areas and will frequently drag their kill into a tree to protect it from scavengers. • It’s important to take some shots of the cats in their environment – for example, a photo taken on the plains of Etosha will look profoundly different from one taken in Kruger or East Africa. Scale is important here. • Share and spread your images and messages about big-cat conservation. Awareness is crucial for the conservation of these species. These days when photographing endangered wildlife it’s a good idea to disable the GPS function on your camera beforehand. Poachers have recently started locating our threatened species by accessing the data on images that you post on the Internet.

Now that you know where to start looking, here are a few things to remember when planning your photographic trip. • Get up early! Lions and leopards are on the move early after the night’s hunt, looking for a place to settle for the day. Besides, the light is best in the golden hour immediately after sunrise. Etosha has particularly harsh light and the golden hour seems even shorter here, so aim to be the first out of the gate. The last hour or so before sunset when the nocturnal cats are starting to move is also important. • Have your camera unpacked and the settings correct before you leave camp. Make sure you have a high ISO and fast shutter speed to accommodate the low light and moving cats. You can always dial down the ISO as the sun comes up and the light improves. • Don’t hesitate to shoot towards the rising sun. Using manual exposure, you can achieve some stunning rim-lit silhouette photos at first light. • Ask the guides who drive the park vehicles – they are helpful and knowledgeable – where the cats are. • Check the sightings book in the offices to see where the cats have been spotted in the last day or so. Lions will often stay in the vicinity of a kill for a day or two. The leopard with the tiny

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ETOSHA WHY ARE NAMIBIA’S BIG CATS SO IMPORTANT? Big cats are amongst the iconic species that symbolise Africa and its wildlife. They play an essential role in maintaining ecosystems, and by conserving them in their natural habitat, we protect other animal and plant species. The populations of all these cats are declining rapidly due to uncontrolled human population expansion and the resulting encroachment on their habitat, which reduces their natural prey. Poaching, disease, unsustainable hunting, and persecution by farmers and herders are just some of the many challenges they face today. • Figures on how many lions there are today in Africa vary widely, but what seems clear is that their numbers have decreased by two thirds in the last 50 years. Wildlife filmmaker Dereck Joubert estimates there are only about 20,000 lions left in wild Africa. According to the AfriCat Foundation (www.africat.org), there are between 600 to 800 wild lions left in Namibia, distributed between the Kunene Region, Etosha and the north-eastern regions of Khaudum, the Nyae-Nyae Conservancy and the rivers bordering Botswana. • In Africa some 7,500 cheetah still live in the wild today. Of these Namibia has the largest population – a conservative estimate puts the figure at around 3,000 – of which 95% live outside protected areas on farmlands. There are no reliable figures on how many there are in Etosha – a recent estimate puts it at less than 50, and becoming fewer every year. Cheetahs are just not able to compete with lions for prey, and are prone to the naturally occurring disease anthrax, contracted mainly by eating infected prey.

WHY OUR LIONS LOOK SO GOOD! Etosha’s lions are one of only a few African populations considered to be free of FIV (feline immuno-deficiency virus), canine distemper and tuberculosis.

• Most leopards also live outside protected areas and are still often killed by farmers and trophy hunters. It’s extremely difficult to estimate numbers, and this is part of their predicament. Although they are opportunists and adapt better than other big cats to encroachment, it is not at all clear how well they are coping. I often say that we visit the parks to enjoy all the wildlife there, and I mean exactly that, because there is such beauty to be found in the smaller creatures, not least of all the birds, and in the great variety of trees, grasses and flowering plants. But when I recently had the opportunity to spend three hours watching three leopards, I realised that this is the ultimate thrill and privilege and probably the reason why I return again and again to the bush, and especially to Etosha. I simply don’t want to imagine our big-cat country without these majestic, intelligent creatures, and neither should you. TNN

We no longer have the luxury of time when it comes to big cats. They are in such a downward spiral that if we hesitate now, we will be responsible for extinctions across the globe. If there was ever a time to take action, it is now.

Dereck Joubert

TRAVEL NEWS NAMIBIA WINTER 2014

ONE OF THOSE

Text and photographs Annabelle Venter

special, quiet PLACES

A vast, white and silent pan spreads out like a lake in front of you, yet itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dry. Telltale tracks in the salt crust reveal only who visited this place the previous night. Birds call in the bush behind you, and in the distance you can just make out a gemsbok hanging in the mirage. The sun begins to set swiftly, as it does in Africa, through a thin strip of distant stray cloud. 20

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ONKOSHI CAMP

he best part of this scene is that you don’t have to turn your car around and head back for camp to make it home before the gates close, because you are in camp, sitting on your own private deck, in fact, watching the end of another glorious day in the Etosha National Park. Onkoshi Camp, situated in the far north-east of the park about 43 km from Namutoni, was opened in September 2008 and serves to give the visitor an opportunity to experience the pan 24 hours a day. When it first opened, the pan was full of water due to excellent rainfall that year, but it has been mostly dry ever since. Nevertheless, this doesn’t detract from the beauty of the camp. In fact, it makes for interesting viewing of the occasional animals passing by, of fascinating mirages, and of animal tracks left by nighttime visitors. When we were there, a rhino had walked past the restaurant during the night, leaving big, heavy prints in the pan surface. It’s an unfenced camp that hugs the edge of the pan, with 15 tented chalets that are accessed from an elevated walkway. Lions and leopard occasionally visit the area, and we were woken in the pre-dawn hours by three hyenas snuffling in the undergrowth just below our deck. Each tent is powered by solar energy and insulated by a thatched roof. You have the choice of an indoor or outdoor shower, while large folding wood-andglass doors frame the expansive scene in front of you. Huge mosquito nets envelop the beds, so you can leave the doors wide open in summer to catch the breeze. Room service will bring you a flask of boiling water for your tea, and will be happy to freeze or refrigerate your food or drinks for you, if need be.

TRAVEL NEWS NAMIBIA WINTER 2014

AN AMBIENCE FOR MEDITATION Dinner is served in what is unequivocally the best location in Etosha! In good weather, the tables are set out on the deck, which affords you a vast and silent view over the pan – loads of empty space providing a marvellously meditative experience. Nightjars can be spotted hunting on the pan below the deck. It’s hard to drag yourself away after dinner, but you can continue the viewing from your own deck, and we sat out till well after midnight, witnessing a spectacular electrical thunderstorm far away on the pan horizon. Breakfast is an equally breathtaking experience. In the soft morning light, swallow-tailed bee-eaters and fork-tailed drongos hunt early, swooping over you while you sip that first coffee of the day. At the time of our visit there was just one single-lane sandy track to and from camp, and visitors from Namutoni were transported in and out by game-drive vehicle. This meant little traffic, but also posed the risk of rounding a bend to find yourself face to face with another camp vehicle – a potentially dangerous situation! Sunday Nelenge of Namibian Wildlife Resorts told me recently that the track has now been widened and gravelled to accommodate sedan cars selfdriving to the camp. He says that if you arrange it beforehand with the office staff at Namutoni Camp, you can book lunch as a day visitor to Onkoshi.

FOUR BIG FIVES AND MORE As the late afternoon sun penetrates the pan-side of your tent, take your chairs out to the walkway and watch the bush titivating for the late afternoon viewing. We watched a waxing moon rise from the shade of our front door, while small birds flitted about in the bushes, and a mongoose made a dash for cover. Or you could go for a late-afternoon drive through the woodlands close to camp. Onkoshi feels different to other Etosha camps because it is separated from the roads that are open to the general public by a 15-kilometre drive through some of the most attractive woods in Etosha. Yes, you’ve read right – thick, secret woodlands with trees you won’t find further west in Etosha, such as Lonchocarpus nelsii (Kalahari apple leaf) and Terminalia sericea (silver terminalia). Also lavender crotons, raisin bushes, purple-pod terminalias, trumpet thorns and many more. This was undoubtedly the highlight for me – slow driving down a deep, sandy, winding track not knowing what you’ll find around the next corner. We came upon spoor of all four of the Big Five species that occur in Etosha – elephant, rhino, lion and leopard – as well as a multitude of antelope tracks crisscrossing the sandy forest floor. Fellow visitors were lucky enough to see a leopard right outside camp when returning from one of the afternoon drives. Steenbok, kudu and warthogs scurried away into the undergrowth at our approach.

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ONKOSHI CAMP

OTHERWORLDLY ONKOSHI If you can tear yourself away from your deck and want to explore the wider area, there are several options to choose from, such as a few good waterholes near the camp. Namutoni is not too far away if you want to visit Chudop at first light â&#x20AC;&#x201C; always a good option for lions. There we encountered more hyenas socialising and playing in the water. Nearer home you can watch elephant interactions at Tsumcor, and Stinkwater on the edge of the pan is excellent for elephants and often lions. Once we found a herd of elephants with babies here having tremendous fun in the mud. The pan scenery is mesmerising, and you will often find a few antelope tottering along in the mirage. A slightly longer drive north will take you to the Andoni Plains, an area that is good for plains game as well as for the occasional endangered blue cranes. When the time comes to leave, you feel a little sad, because Onkoshi is one of those special quiet places, off the beaten track â&#x20AC;&#x201C; one that grows on you, beckoning you to return soon. TNN

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WATER LILIES and

Text and photographs Ron Swilling

WIDE SMILES

At first light, a wispy mist rose above the Okavango River. Birdsong began to fill the morning in joyful bursts as shafts of golden sunlight warmed the day. I heard footsteps outside as hot coffee was delivered to my veranda. Hmm... I could feel a good Kavango day dawning.

he delicious excitement of river time roused me from my cotton-wool dreams and I padded outside to collect the flask of steaming coffee. The promise of the day lay ahead with enticing afternoon possibilities of lazing on the water’s edge watching waterbirds skim the river surface and local fishermen row out in their mukoros (dugout canoes), and of cruising along the river in the Hakusembe River Queen as the red sun dipped into the trees. My plans for the morning were just as appealing and included a short and leisurely stroll to the Mbunza Living Museum to meet the people of the Kavango. This ‘museum’ is nothing like the museums of old that display ancient memories in their corners like cobwebs.

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The ‘living museums’ are outdoor celebrations of culture: an ingenious concept initiated by the Living Culture Foundation Namibia (LCFN) to preserve traditional cultures of Namibia that are fast disappearing as people embrace the 21st century. I was enchanted by the light-spirited Bushmen at the Ju/’Hoansi-San Living Museum near Grashoek, amazed at the Mafwe twirling their reed skirts with vigour and a good deal of sensuality in their grove of baobabs in the Caprivi, and had watched the Damara remembering their ancient culture against the backdrop of imposing granite boulders near Twyfelfontein. It was now time to meet the Mbunza, one of the five Kavango groups.

MBUNZA LIVING MUSEUM

Kaundu, and applying for the land before they could open their ‘doors’ to visitors. Grass and river reeds had been collected from the surroundings in true Kavango fashion for the construction of the living museum.

CREATING THE LIVING MUSEUM After receiving directions from the receptionist at the lodge, which involved walking down the sandy track past the water-lily pond and then veering to the left through the fields, I wandered off clutching a bottle of water and my camera. Grey louries kwêeeeeed to me from treetops as I passed, water lilies bobbed in the ponds, flaunting their radiant beauty, and the bleached grass shone like melted butter against the blue sky. On reaching what I thought was a deserted lapa area, I stuck my head into a reed hut and was admiring the neat office with books laid out perfectly on the counter when Sebron Ruben appeared. He beamed the broadest smile I had seen for a while. The Mbunza group continued to delight, educate and entertain me with everything they could possibly show me from their culture, with such grace and authentic friendliness that I was instantly absorbed into their world. Situated on the banks of Lake Samsitu, the ‘place covered with big trees’, the living museum began in spirit in 2009 when Werner Pfeifer and Sebastian Dürrschmidt from LCFN visited the Samsitu Campsite and introduced the concept to the community. It took two years of meetings and discussions, drafting a proposal for the project, approaching Chief Alfonsi

Sebron, a member of the group comprising five men and six women, welcomed me in and acted as translator and guide, continually flashing his white teeth in a wide smile. I was led from person to person, each revealing another part of the Mbunza culture. The women wore wigs made from Sansevieria (Mother-in-law’s tongue) twine and Terminalia roots, the customary headdress for married women, and both men and women wore modest skin wraps in traditional style. Each demonstration was given while Sebron filled in the gaps with fascinating anecdotes about the culture. As I watched a man fashion a tiny cow out of river clay, he informed me that they made good gifts to give to a chief if he punishes you or, if your wedding is imminent, to your future in-laws. Someone else carved a small canoe as they would the larger dugout canoes or mukoros used on the river. Women wove baskets from makalani palms, a craft passed down from mother to daughter. This is an important skill, Sebron informed me, not only to make vessels for carrying, for use as plates and for separating grain from chaff, but necessary to prove your worth to your mother-in-law. If you didn’t know the craft, she was entitled to return you to your parents! It was just as important for a man to know how to make a mat, this being a man’s work, so he could make the first mat that he would share with his future wife. TNN

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INFORMATION PRESERVED FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS I carried on walking around the reed-lined enclosure, pausing to watch someone play the finger piano (played when people gather around a fire or when there’s a feast or ceremony), the mouth-bow (to attract antelope) and the drums (for dancing).

I acknowledged the fact that there was too much to record in such a short visit. There was a wealth of information here. I realised the value of it and the importance of preserving it for future generations. And the living museums are doing just that.

Food was next, and a favourite drink amongst the older people – sour milk. “Souring the milk is work for the father and not the children who drink it up before it’s done,” Sebron informed me. He offered many more amusing snippets of information as I tasted steaming-hot mangetti fruit and watched a woman pound grain, a reed skirt being made (which can take two to three months if you’re lazy!) and an African board game played in the sand, an important test of intelligence when a chief is vetting potential suitors for his daughter.

The women laughed as they fished with traditional woven traps, and the men smiled as they practised blacksmithing skills that had nearly been lost to time. My visit was drawing to a close and I was chock-full with Kavango kindness. The final part of the visit was entertainment. The energy of the dance and the spirit of the songs culminated in the finale, with the women ululating to a crescendo as they wished me well on my way. The drumbeats paused and the still and hot Kavango day took over again.

I was trying to keep up with walking, taking photographs, watching the demonstrations and scrawling notes. I eventually had to abandon my notes when I was taken for a lesson on medicinal plants laid out neatly and brightly on a mat. By the time we reached the Aquafresh and Colgate toothpaste trees,

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I stumbled to a hut to purchase some expertly made baskets, bade my farewells and walked back past the butter-coloured fields and lily ponds to the lodge and the glistening stretch of river. The water lapped softly against the shore as I contemplated this rich culture on the banks of the perennial Okavango River.

MBUNZA LIVING MUSEUM

LIVING MUSEUMS Five living museums have been established to date (with plans of more for the future), where cultural groups don their traditional gear and introduce visitors to their traditions. The activities can include bush walks, craft-making, stamping grain, preparing food, song and dance performances, weaving mats and even hunting. The museums include the Living Museum of the Mbunza near Rundu, the Ju/â&#x20AC;&#x2122;Hoansi-San (Bushmen) in Grashoek near Grootfontein, the Mafwe near Kongola in the Caprivi, the Hunterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Museum on the outskirts of Tsumkwe, and the Damara Museum en route to Twyfelfontein. Each living museum is run by the group themselves, not only reinforcing traditional values and keeping their culture alive, but also bringing in revenue in areas where there is scant chance of employment.

DIRECTIONS If travelling northwards to Rundu, take the B10 turnoff (towards Nkurenkuru) before reaching the town. After approximately 10 km, look out for the signboards to the museum (on the same road as Hakusembe River Lodge and Samsitu Riverside Camp).

Contact details Booking is not essential but recommended. Phone ahead to contact manager Sebron Ruben at +264 81 215 2496, book via email at contact@lcfn.info, or just take a stroll down the sandy road. Living Culture Foundation Namibia (LCFN) +264 61 22 0563 www.lcfn.info/en

TRAVEL NEWS NAMIBIA WINTER 2014

ALIVE AND WELL IN THE NAMIB Text and photographs Ron Swilling

“ Yahoooo,” shouted Johnny as we rode the sand dunes on our 4x4 Mitsubishi ‘surfboard’. He looked at me with his warm, chocolate-brown eyes and we threw back our heads and laughed. Around us was the magnificent desert, a medley of apricot and orange hues, and peeping out between dunes was the sparkling Atlantic. What a ride! Actually, what a morning in the desert! Or, rather, in the LIVING desert, as we had recently discovered.

e had just provided a Namaqua chameleon with a feast of toktokkie beetles, leaving the beetle glutton in peaceful bliss as we moved on to crest a dune. Not your everyday chore – we were having a Living Dunes Experience. Our journey had started three hours before when a few of us hopped aboard a Charly’s Desert Tours microbus from Swakopmund with our city blinkers firmly in place. Left to ourselves, we would have driven into the treasure house but completely missed the jewels. Johnny Nampungu wasn’t about to let that happen. An experienced desert guide, he spent nine years as a quad-bike guide and another five with Charly’s, and can read a track on a sand dune faster than an American can say critter or lickety-split. We had barely left the town and crossed the Swakop River when Johnny stopped the vehicle. He jumped out and starting digging in the sand. We sat there incredulously while he returned to the vehicle, looking like a dove holding out an olive branch, and set to prove that there is life in the desert. Cupped in his hand was an iridescent palmato (web-footed) gecko, our first jewel of the day.

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There were more to follow. Johnny listed ‘the little desert five’: the palmato gecko, the dancing white lady spider, the sanddiving (shovel-snouted) lizard, the sidewinding adder and the Namaqua chameleon. A few possible bonuses were the legless lizard, scorpions and the horned adder. Although he mentioned that he couldn’t promise we would see them all – that was up to Mother Nature – he would definitely try his best. And we couldn’t have wished for a better guide leading us into the land of milk and honey. Surprisingly, the Namib Desert is not barren at all; it is alive and well. Desert-adapted flora and fauna have made this great and ancient desert their home. You just had to know how and where to look.

MORE DESERT JEWELS Our intrepid guide glanced at a few marks in the sand, pulled up his handbrake and leapt out of the vehicle, returning with a sand-diving lizard with ‘feathery’ feet. Although Johnny tried to coax it into hooking onto his ear like a desert earring, the little guy just wanted to disappear into the sand, a vanishing trick he

THE LIVING DESERT could complete in two seconds. This ‘lickety-split’ stuff must be going around. Eventually, realising that his attempts were useless, he obligingly decided to pose for the humans who were obviously wasting his precious time. Then we let him go – and before we could open our mouths, he had disappeared in a puff of dust. I had a few moments to ponder the desert playground that invited us out to play. There were quad-bikers, sand-boarders, horse- and camel-riders, and guests open to wonder – as we were. And play we did. Just as I started to ponder the desert paintbox and how there are insufficient words to describe the colours of the gentle and undulating beauty, the vehicle stopped. A snake trail was visible on the golden dune. But the trail proved cold, so we moved on. Soon after we happened on the small and slinky legless lizard and a disinterested Namaqua chameleon, and Johnny transformed a magnet into a porcupine by running it over the iron-rich sand. Then Johnny’s “Come, let’s take a picture of a snake,” caught our attention. Jackal tracks led to a small dollar bush where a sand-winding snake had survived a near-death experience. It wasn’t altogether spared from our inquisitive eyes though when Johnny spotted the shape of its head in the sand. Using his stick, he pried it from its hiding place, giving it the chance to side-wind, hiss and put on a fearsome display of ferocity before digging into the sand and disappearing again.

A DAZZLING ASSORTMENT OF LIFE Our luck doubled as we continued on our way and a horned adder was spotted in the shade of a small bush. This venomous snake was treated with more caution. Someone exclaimed how fortunate we were to see two snakes on the same trip. Johnny took the compliment with grace and beamed his sweet smile. “Bring on the food!” he called out while we were examining hundred-year-old mud cracks in the sand. A small bottle of toktokkie beetles was quickly brought from the vehicle. A hush descended on the desert while the small chameleon swivelled its eyes, caught sight of lunch and flicked out its tongue to catch the crunchy beetle. Cameras clicked and whirred as we zoomed in, trying to catch the incredible moment and the dance of the elongated tongue. The chameleon gobbled its way through three courses of varying sizes before ambling off into the shadows. Around us the desert was silent. Life and death had flashed before our eyes, thanks to us well-meaning travellers, and we had witnessed the wonderful cycle of existence in the Namib. Our jewel box was full. We had glimpsed a dazzling assortment of life. Dollar-bush seeds blew among the dunes like miniature tumbleweed, the sand glistened, the sky had cleared into a friendly blue and we were replete with Namib wonders. We left the satisfied chameleon and went riding the golden waves, dipping and cresting until we neared the sea. TNN

HOME SWEET HOME The desert also provides breeding grounds for certain species like the Damara tern. This small black-capped bird is listed as ‘Near Threatened’ because of its small population. Ninety-eight per cent of Damara terns nests between the Orange and Kunene rivers, with the largest known breeding colony being south of Swakopmund. Threats to this species include human disturbance and destruction of nests by off-road vehicles. Fenced-off areas and ‘Damara tern breeding site’ information boards between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay grant the population some protection.

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A COMPLEX ECOSYSTEM What looks like nothing more than a dead pile of sand is actually a fascinating and fragile ecosystem with a high level of species interdependency. Every species is specialised and depends on others for its survival. If we break a link, the whole chain is affected. Besides being a lot of fun, the Living Dunes Experience is an introduction to the Namib Desert ecosystem that depends on the life-giving mist generated by the ocean.

DESERT ETIQUETTE Keep on the existing tracks. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be tempted to drive across the gravel plains. The tracks can last for decades, the soil becomes compacted, and often the flora and fauna living there are damaged or destroyed, with recovery of the area slow if not impossible. Take only photographs while you are there. The Namib-Naukluft Park is part of Namibiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s national heritage, so collecting plants, stones or any other artefacts is not allowed. Leave only your footprints. Keep shining memories and respect for the wonder of life in the desert.

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1 BE A RHINO FRIEND The world is making a concerted effort to try and save Africa’s rhino population from extinction. Amongst the rhino freedom fighters we find African Curiotique, a popular curio shop in Windhoek’s CBD. Situated in the Gustav Voigts Centre in Independence Avenue, African Curiotique hosts a wide variety of rhino-centric curios for sale and donates N$2,000 to the Rhino Fund every month. These curios include the Rhino Friend pictures (framed pieces of printed fabric donated by the Rhino Fund), the Rhino figurines, including the Undercover Rhino, as well as a painting donated by the family of the late D. Freyer. All funds from the sale of Freyer’s painting will be donated to the Rhino Fund.

TNN SHOPPING

Rhino Friend N$560 Undercover Rhino N$50

Compiled Elzanne Erasmus

2 COFFEE SETS AND CERAMICS AT THE JOY OF FOOD If you need beautiful coffee or tea sets for serving your winter morning coffees, look no further than the ceramics sold at The Joy of Food at The Village complex, 18 Liliencron Street in Windhoek. These hand-made ceramics have a truly rustic, natural Namibian look and are ideal as gifts or to spruce up our own kitchen. Contact them at +264 61 30 1159 or thejoyyoffood@gmail.com Milk jug N$45 Espresso tray N$95 Espresso cup and saucer set N$60

3 MARIA NEMBWAYA’S ICONIC CURIO TWIST Everyone who lives in Namibia or has visited our beautiful country is familiar with the classic Herero-woman dolls that are for sale in markets from Windhoek all the way up to Katima Mulilo. Maria Nembwaya has created a new twist to this Namibian icon by creating Oshiwambo-woman dolls in the same style. She also sells beautiful stuffed giraffe dolls made from African print materials. During the week she sells her products at the Semi-Mall Market across from the Gustav Voigts Centre in Independence Avenue, and on Saturdays she displays her wares at the Green Market across from Wilde Eend Nursery in Dr Kenneth David Kaunda Street. Giraffe N$70 Owambo doll N$60

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WHAT TO BUY 4 SUIT UP AT VANIAH’S TAILOR If you’re looking for a tailor-made suit to reflect your own personal style, with a wonderful Namibian twist to boot, you need look no further than Vaniah’s Tailor located directly next to the Craft Market in Windhoek’s Tal Street. Soro Gervasio will custom-make any suit you might want or need. Whether for casual everyday work-wear or something more formal, Soro will ‘sort you out’ and have you looking professional and fashionable at the same time. Contact them at +264 81 360 4921 Men’s wear: Short-sleeve shirt N$350 Long-sleeve shirt N$400 Trousers N$500 Suit N$2,500

5 OMBA GETS SNUG WITH CROCHET DOLLS There’s always something uniquely Namibian to be found at OMBA. Their beautifully handcrafted crochet animal toys are perfect gifts that showcase the wide variety of skill-sets that Namibian crafters have mastered. OMBA also features a new range of picture frames made from papier mâché that are decorated with ostrich eggs. The frames come in a wide variety of colours and have a modern pop-culture flare. Contact them at +264 61 24 2799 or visit their website www.omba.org.na Crochet dolls N$100 Frames made from papier mâché and ostrich shell beads: large N$169 medium N$120 small N$87

6 STUNNING HANDMADE JEWELLERY FROM FRIEDA LÜHL This spectacular jewellery range of individually styled pieces by Frieda Lühl includes an eclectic collection of oxidised silver rings, earrings and necklaces, featuring gemstones and beading. Frieda has a workshop and showroom at her home, where she also presents jewellery-making classes. Visit her website at www.frieda.co.za or contact her at info@frieda.co.za or +264 81 751 3026 for requests and more information. Earrings: Pearl, Aqua Calci, Silver oxidised N$2,490 Earrings: Silver N$1,180 Ring: Garnet, Silver N$2,290

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DISCOVERY of a DIAMOND TOWN Text and photographs Konny von Schmettau

For more than 80 years the secret of a small town built on diamonds was guarded carefully from the rest of the world. Its origin was driven by true pioneers hungry for riches buried beneath the sand and sea, and ready to face tough conditions to realise their dreams. 34

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ORANJEMUND

n 2011, Oranjemund was officially proclaimed a town, subject to several restrictions remaining in place as regards visitor access to the urban enclave situated in the Sperrgebiet, which still falls under strict mining rights. Despite this, the first elected mayor of the town, Henry E Coetzee, is ready and dedicated to welcoming tourists and investors. He is eager to develop tourist accommodation in the town and along the banks of the Orange River within the near future. According to Coetzee, the Municipality of Oranjemund is working hand in hand with Namdeb to further the cause of putting the town on the map, and to open its doors to the future. These days a gemsbok standing on a street corner or munching away on its favourite grazing hotspot – the greens of the 18-hole golf course – is an iconic image of Oranjemund.

In today’s world, in which most children play behind closed doors or tall walls, this quiet town emanates an image of bygone times. Here children ride by on their bicycles, while cars, their drivers smiling and waving, wait patiently for them to pass. Townspeople – human diamonds in the rough – chat jovially when they meet for coffee at the Museum Café. This is a community where people still stick together closely, quietly, peacefully and warmly – united by the remote setting of their hometown, brought together by friendship, work and diamonds. And then, of course, there is the mining – the reason why the town came into being in the first place. Charming as it now is, its façade hides a history of a typical mining town in days of yore – one of rough-and-tough beginnings in a harsh, unsettling and unforgiving landscape.

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MORE DIAMONDS THAN BEFORE The original foundations of Oranjemund were laid in 1928, to create a modest camp for diamond staff. This was after the initial glitter of Lüderitz and Kolmanskop had worn off, causing the heyday of wealth rising from the discovery of diamonds to shift further south. The even richer deposits found at the Orange River Mouth promised more profit, more diamonds than before. The landscape was not a place for the faint of heart and body. Hot summer winds marked the long days at the edge of the rough Atlantic Ocean. The treeless landscape offered no shade from the unrelenting rays of the hot, African desert sun. At the opposite extreme were the ice-cold nights and open landscape exposing the body to a barrage of freezing winds.

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The area was considered too rough for the delicate sense of women, who were not allowed to enter at the time. The lone shop offered no release from the relentless hardship of work and daily life, just the basics, such as soap, shoes and one temporary escape, tobacco. Days off were rare, and had to be worked in. For one year of work, without a single day off, an employee was given five days’ leave. After five years, an employee was eligible for nine days’ leave.

THE FEMININE TOUCH Slowly conditions at the base camp improved and the first house sprung up in the mid-1930s, which speedily led to women being invited to enter the hereto forbidden area.

ORANJEMUND Responding to the presence of women, the butchery was opened, and the small queues of women at the shops brought life to the town. Gossip and stories were shared, and tips were handed down on how to fight an ever-present menace: the desert sands that proved almost undefeatable when invading the modest homes. The dreary, lifeless surroundings forced the townspeople to focus on forging a close communal life, and soon balls, receptions and other festivities formed the hub of everyone’s social life. To smooth the contours of the harsh outer tones of life in the middle of the Sperrgebiet, a sparkling social life was especially important.

UNSPOILED NATURE AND CLEAN BEACHES Today Oranjemund is a pristine town, providing a pleasant surprise to those visiting the remote settlement with its unspoiled nature, clean beaches dotted with small huts ideal for weekend braais and family outings, undisturbed birdlife in the wetlands, historic places, and, of course, the diamond mine – the major employer and master of all who reside here. In these modern times, the day-to-day meet-and-greets among the townspeople still take place during shopping trips for groceries at the Spar Supermarket. There is also a popular hangout, Muckie’s Motores, where locals wait for their cats to be cleaned while catching up on the latest town news. TNN

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NATURAL ENVIRONMENT Situated between the town and Swartkop Gate, the Swartkop Nature Reserve rises just 70 metres above sea level, presenting rare plants, some of them occurring in the northern Richtersveld. The hill forms a link with northern Namibia, and features some typical Namib flora. Close to the Oppenheimer Bridge, lithops – popularly referred to as ‘living’ or ‘flowering’ stones – and even Tylecodon schaeferianus, can be found among the rocks overlooking the Orange River.

ORANJEMUND

LAUNCH OF LANDMARK BOOK A groundbreaking book was launched in Swakopmund in midMay when author Konny von Schmettau introduced the first travel guide featuring Oranjemund to the public. Oranjemund – a journey through history and modern times is a unique travel guide about the history of the diamond fields surrounding the town, the life of its people, and the development of Oranjemund into a modern and accessible Namibian destination. For more than 80 years, Oranjemund was an off-limits mining town, its status as a miner’s work camp keeping tourists and other curious passersby at bay. Von Schmettau’s travel guide is aimed at the visitor keen to investigate the past as well as the current and future status of this historical mining settlement. Since its proclamation as a Namibian town in 2011, the townspeople in Oranjemund have been making preparations to welcome tourists to the unique location, showcasing its singular modern atmosphere and celebrating its pioneering history. While still semi-restricted due to its location, with special permits needed to visit, the town is becoming increasingly integrated into the Namibian tourism landscape.

GETTING THERE All roads lead to Oranjemund! You can travel from Windhoek to Oranjemund by car on the tar road (800 km). Drive along the B1, pass Keetmanshoop, continue on the B4 to Aus, continue further south on the C13 to Rosh Pinah. A few kilometres from there, a road sign indicates: Oranjemund 83 km. The scenery is beautiful, especially the stunning views across the Orange River. After entering the Sendelingsdrift Gate leading to the Sperrgebiet, you’re not allowed to step out of your car until you reach the Swartkops Gate. A permit has to be applied for at least two weeks in advance. While day visits will be possible soon, for the time being they still require a permit.

Von Schmettau conducted several interviews with Oranjemunders, digging deep to provide the intrepid tourist with past and present facts on the town. She also collected an array of exciting and funny stories about the old and modern times of the town, bringing the reader closer to the hearts of the people who built a home for themselves behind desert sands and diamond walls.

Another route to take is from the Fish River Canyon through Ai-Ais, turning right shortly before reaching Aussenkehr (C13).

Oranjemund – A journey through history and modern times is available in bookstores and selected lodges throughout Namibia and South Africa. Interested readers can also order the book directly from the author through info@namibia-aktiv.com.

Alternatively, take the C19 through Sesriem (to visit Sossusvlei) from Solitaire, proceeding to Aus along the colourful D707.

From Swakopmund it is approximately 900 km. Follow the C14 via Maltahöhe (for the ‘the coolest beer in the desert’) and Helmeringhausen to Aus, and from there further south.

From South Africa, you can enter from Alexander Bay, crossing the Oppenheimer Bridge. Air Namibia provides flights from Windhoek and Lüderitz. There is no public transport to Oranjemund.

FORGOTTEN FOOD In addition to breathtaking landscapes and abundant wildlife, Namibia offers the visitor a unique eating experience. For most locals, meat is the country’s prime food, ranging from staples such as beef and mutton, to the more exotic varieties of venison including gemsbok (oryx), kudu, eland and springbok. If you are a lover of all things meat, you’ve arrived at the right destination. Yet with its variety of wild fruits and vegetables that are unique to this part of the world, the country offers so much more for the adventurous eater and serious foodie. The so-called traditional

TNN FOODIES

food – veldkos as it is called in Southern Africa – has been part of Namibian cuisine since time immemorial, but visitors will have a tough time finding it in local stores or restaurants. So, if you happen to be travelling through rural Namibia, keep a look-out for some of these lesser-known varieties of edible wild fruits and vegetables. They are often sold next to the main roads and in some villages. All it takes is a little time, an open mind and a sense of adventure.

Text and photographs Christie Keulder

MANKETTI FRUIT (Schinziophyton rautanenii) Both the flesh and stones of this fruit are edible. The fruit keeps well, and during the winter months when other food is no longer available, plays an important role in supplementing the diets of some groups. Once the fresh fruit is consumed, the stones are left to dry in the sun for later use. When needed, they are re-hydrated in water. The stones are roasted before being cracked open to reveal the edible nuts inside.

WATER-ROOT KAMBRO (Fockea angustifolia)

CORKY MONKEY ORANGE (Strychnos cocculiodes)

Namibia has numerous edible tubers, which serve as a source of water as well as food. Kambro can be eaten raw or cooked (usually with meat). It also makes a great and crisp addition to a fresh vegetable salad, while its ability to absorb liquid makes it an ideal ingredient for pickling purposes.

The maguni (as it is called in the north-east) is without a doubt one of Namibia’s most delicious wild fruits. This bright-orange coloured fruit with its hard, thick skin and juicy, brownish flesh has an extremely complex flavour, suggesting an entire bowl of tropical fruit salad. Sucking the sweet flesh from the pips is a most rewarding eating experience (albeit quite messy) and few sweet treats beat maguni ice cream. It takes dedication though, as it is hard work to juice a maguni.

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EATING OUT HORNED MELON (Cucumis metuliferus) This is another fruit that is both a source of nutrition and of water. Also called the horned cucumber, jelly melon or kiwando, small quantities are grown commercially in parts of the United States, Chile, Australia and New Zealand. It is one of many wild cucumber species found in the Kalahari Desert and other regions of Southern Africa. When fully ripe, the fruit has yelloworange skin and lime-green flesh, but can be eaten at any stage of ripening. Most commonly, it is used as a replacement for domesticated varieties of cucumber. It has sharp horn-like spines, which should be removed before handling the fruit.

KALAHARI TRUFFLE (Terfeziaceae sp.) One of the most anticipated local food events in Namibia is the short truffle season that comes after the main rainy season (January to March). Locally known as !nabas, these desert truffles do not have the same flavour as their more famous and much-prized European counterparts. Fortunately, however, they are also more affordable. Their culinary uses are extensive in savoury dishes, and if vacuum frozen or dried, they can be preserved quite successfully. They are available only for a few weeks each year, and appear and disappear almost overnight.

OMAJOWA (Termitomyces schimperi) These wild mushrooms, which are found exclusively at the foot of termite mounds built and inhabited by the species Macrotermes michealseni, are arguably the best known and most valued of all Namibia’s wild foods. During the season, main roads in central and some northern parts of Namibia are lined with omajowa sellers. Of all the veldkos, this is the one you are most likely to encounter in restaurants, but only during the short season after the first rains. These fungi do not preserve well and should be consumed as soon as possible after harvesting. They are commonly used in soups, as grilled omajowa ‘steaks’, in pasta or rice dishes, and even on pizzas!

MARULA FRUIT (Sclerocarya birrea) The marula fruit is perhaps the best known of our forgotten foods, due mainly to the popular liqueur Amarula®. In some traditional communities, specific trees are owned by families and form an important part of each family’s heritage. The fruits are eaten fresh, while the juice is fermented to make a refreshing drink. If the juice is fermented for longer, it becomes a potent alcoholic beverage. In its fresh form, the juice can be used in a variety of savoury and sweet-food preparations, especially frozen desserts such as ice cream, sorbet and parfaits. Also, the fruits and nuts are pressed to make marula oil, which has become a much-prized beauty product. Keep in mind that veldkos is highly seasonal and is not commonly available in commercial food outlets. In recent times, some community-based tourist ventures have included veldkos excursions in their programmes. One such venture is Living Hunter’s Museum of the Ju/’Hoansi-San situated in //Xa/oba near Tsumkwe, which offers short daily excursions to collect and cook these local delicacies.

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Slowtown

IT’S THE COFFEE CALLING… Text and photographs Elzanne Erasmus

COASTAL COFFEE CONNOISSEURS Passion for coffee has staked its claim in the hearts of Namibia’s top coffee connoisseurs, Mark and Dennis De Wet, founders of Slowtown Coffee Roasters. Dennis explains that the idea for the name Slowtown was born from a wish to slow life down so that “…we can focus on the things that matter.” Slowtown is already well known in Namibian coffee circles for its commitment to fair trade and responsible farming. While the De Wets source their green coffee beans from countries far and wide, including Central America, South America, Africa and Asia, the magic happens at home, right here in Namibia, in the captivating coastal town of Swakopmund, where they roast the aromatic beans in their shop four times a week. This ensures that their coffee is always as fresh as can be, something you will not achieve by buying bulk-produced imported wholesale coffees, which by the time they reach you, have lost their quality due to the circuitous route of being roasted, ground, transported, shipped, warehoused and stored beforehand. “Once such beans have reached our shores, they have lost most of their original qualities and flavour nuances. We miss out so much in the world of bulk wholesale coffee that we never really come to appreciate the differences between an Ethiopian Peaberry and a Costa Rican Bromelia Fancy.”

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The brothers explain that it’s their roasting process that puts the detail into each consignment. They roast small batches at a time and can thus control the outcome and achieve the ideal profile for each of their wide variety of coffees. “There are easier and quicker ways to roast bulk coffee, but doing it like this means that we never compromise on the quality.” Slowtown encompasses the ideal of sharing a high-quality coffee culture with Namibia, and the De Wet brothers love the idea that they can now share their wide variety of Single Origin Coffees with locals. Every batch is freshly roasted to perfection, providing the ideal solution to your caffeine needs at home, in the office, at a coffee shop or when visiting a lodge. “We want everyone to appreciate the world of coffee as was intended from the outset.” When asked why they think Namibians have fallen head over heels with their coffee, they respond: “We have come to realise that people continue coming back to Slowtown not because we are special in any way, but because they appreciate coffee that has been made with love.” TNN

Slowtown is situated at 9 Altona Haus, Daniel Tjongarero Avenue, Swakopmund. You can contact them at +264 81 127 7681 or email them at info@slowtowncoffee.com, or just pop in for a brew.

The best way to kick-start your day, thaw the chill, swop a spot of gossip, catch up with your colleagues and absorb the office vibes is to down that first cup of the day. To be sure, coffee culture has taken the world by storm, swirling its rich aromas around the room, powering a lifestyle that is neither a fad nor a hobby, but rather a calling. So if that longing for the perfect cup of coffee is calling, enticing you to succumb to the need for a shot of caffeine in your veins, the only logical course of action would be to visit one of Namibiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hottest coffee hotspots and drink your fill.

WHAT OUR READERS HAD TO SAY WHEN ASKED ABOUT THEIR FAVOURITE NAMIBIAN COFFEE HOTSPOT Anri Jacobs says of Slowtown Coffee Roasters in Swakopmund: Because they roast their own quality coffee, it has a taste like no other in Namibia. Their shop has the best atmosphere. You feel you can spend the whole day there, and we sometimes do! I go back at least four times a day for a cup of cappuccino or a flat white. They offer the best coffee and quality beans in Namibia by far!

Slowtown boasts with a special Guatemala Coffee that comes from the award-winning farm, El Morito. The farm came second in the 2013 Cup of Excellence Competition, which, according to Slowtown, is something very special in the world of coffee.

The Dream Team – Joy, Belinda, Tate Ipinge, Elize, Kavee and Honey

Our barista Belinda working her magic

THE JOY OF THE COFFEE CUISINE CULTURE If you could taste passion in a cup, feel it in the air you breathe, hear it whisper to you, The Joy of Food is a mecca for filling your senses – a place where it pours from every seam. “Food is love made visible,” enthuses owner Joy Sasman, and this is the motto by which she manages both her business and her life. Her overwhelming passion for food, and needless to say coffee, is as visible and tangible as the lovely lady sitting in front of me while we exchange our thoughts on food, coffee and our love for the country. Joy took over the café, which used to be known as Moiya Artisan Café, in June 2013 and renamed it The Joy of Food. She says the name is in effect her mission statement, as it emphasises the importance of food in society. It functions as social glue and makes a cultural statement. Joy explains: “We derive delight from food – like we do from life – and if we take delight in what we do, we will transfer it to our clients.” And delight is without doubt something that can be found at The Joy of Food, an establishment Joy describes as a ‘café/ deli/place to hang out’. A cake baked by a friend, which Joy refused to believe wasn’t store bought, combined with another friend’s love for cooking, served as her inspiration for creating a space where everything culinary could be celebrated. A former journalist and information officer, Joy sums up the story as follows: “The Joy of Food was born as a result of our love for each other and food, and what food represents to us.”

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Joy’s passion for food steers our conversation towards her other great loves: travel and… coffee. As Namibians we are blessed with an inherent desire to explore and learn from our country. From a young age, Joy and her family have been travelling across the country, discovering its nooks and crannies and bringing home food from their travels. Everything from preserves to fresh produce accompanies them back. Thus Joy reaps from her own country when it comes to buying produce for The Joy of Food’s kitchen, a bounty that includes meat from Stampriet, herbs from Brakwater, cheese from Wilhelmsdal and even olive oil from Swakopmund. “We as Namibians must look around us and celebrate what we have as a country.” She shares her amazement in what other Namibians have accomplished when it comes to coffee. The Joy of Food serves Slowtown coffee exclusively, and the baristas take great care in their preparation of each and every cup. And what a wonderful passion-filled cup of coffee it is! “Slowtown coffee is a world-class product! The company has revolutionised coffee drinking in Namibia by finding the ‘best green beans of the second-most traded commodity in the world’.” Joy’s passion-driven approach to serving a delicious meal and a great cup of coffee is certainly what puts her establishment on our list of must-visit coffee hotspots in Namibia. So venture forth to The Village, 18 Liliencron Street, in Windhoek, and enjoy the ambience and sense of community that comes with the free WiFi, wholesome meals and amazing coffee at The Joy of Food. TNN

THE TRUE STORY of CINDERELLA/ASPOESTERTJIE Text and photographs Pompie Burger

Giant Kingfisher (Megaceryle maxima)

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Green-backed Heron (Butorides striata)

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Rufous-tailed Palm-Thrush (Cichladusa ruficauda)

Die ding is nie fxct-up nie; hy werk net nie mooi nie. (T.W.T.)

magine planning a birding trip to Namibia, and having to choose only one destination. Fear not. To back up and increase your tick list a few notches, you can probably not do much better than Kunene River Lodge, situated on the banks of the Kunene at Swartbooisdrift, halfway between Epupa Falls and Ruacana Falls. The possibility of seeing nine of a possible 13 endemics is not the only reason for choosing this destination. You will probably also see specials other than the endemics that will have you slobbering for days on end. As you might have realised by now, I am not that good a birdwatcher. Looking for little brown jobs never seen before, getting up at three in the morning to crawl under thorninfested trees among poisonous creepy crawlies and fighting off dangerous animals is just not my style. I would prefer the comfort of a campfire or, even better, my bed. On the topic of dangerous, my first outing to this region was in the early eighties doing my army service as a doctor, based at the Ruacana Airport for three months! I realised only on a recent visit (to show my kids where I had performed my brave acts) that the side I always thought was the dangerous side (the side from which the enemy might attack us) was actually the safe side. Since then – in 2011 – they discovered an Angolan Cave Chat (Xenocopsychus ansorgei) in the Zebra Mountains. Obviously this makes for good birding if you are on 999 and can show your T-shirt to confirm it. My first trip to this area was preceded by sleepless nights, while revelling in how I was going to be the first photographer to take a perfect shot of a Cindy, which is what they call the Cinderella Waxbill (Estrilda thomensis) in these parts. There was also talk of seeing a Grey Kestrel (Falco ardosiaceus), not to mention a Red-necked Spurfowl (Pternistis afer), which is seen exclusively here and, with its somewhat lighter plumage,

Red-necked Spurfowl (Pternistis afer)

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belongs to the race afer. And it doesn’t stop here. There’s the Rufous-tailed Palm-Thrush (Cichladusa ruficauda), a special for this region, especially common around the tall, graceful makalani palms along the riverbanks. Last but not least there’s the possibility of seeing a Bat Hawk (Macheiramphus alcinus). But let’s not get too carried away. The essence of this story is that it’s never been told, because we left after two days of not seeing any of these specials. At that stage I knew at least which was the danger side. I also knew that it would be my last visit to this area because of a combination of multiple disappointments while there. To summarise, my thoughts are personified in the infamous words of T.W.T. when he looked at the lift of my spare tyre. Fortunately my Owambo helper told me: “No, it was just not working!” Fact is, Kunene River Lodge was fixed. On our arrival at the camp site, our bird-watching effort was rewarded immediately by the sight of a breeding Goliath Heron (Ardea goliath) on the other side of the river (the danger side).

Swamp Boubou (Laniarius bicolor)

Goliath Heron (Ardea goliath)

The constant melodious whistle under the shrubs alongside our camping spot turned out to be that of a Rufous-tailed Palm-Thrush. This special was, in the end, a faithful companion during our stay. Finding its nest on the wall of one of the chalets behind an ornamental basket was just another bonus. Apparently this was a ploy to get out of the hunting territory of the Swamp Boubou (Laniarius bicolor). The Woodland Kingfisher (Halcyon senegalensis) had apparently just arrived from its long trip from Europe and was already harassing the small birds in the camp, looking for its own spot to do its breeding. The Groundscraper Thrush (Psophocichla litsitsirupa) couple had settled quite comfortably on the little lawn in front of the bungalow, while the consistent calling of the Madagascar Bee-eaters was haunting us. Although not visible, this promised much excitement to come.

Woodland Kingfisher (Halcyon senegalensis)

Along the banks of the river bordering the campsite, you can hear the White-browed Coucals (Centropus superciliosus) continuously calling to each other. A visit by a Yellow-bellied Greenbul (Chlorocichla ventris) and its steady calling kept us guessing as to which of the various bulbuls it could be. In the end the diagnosis was that it was a Stripe-cheeked Greenbul (Andropadus milanjensis), a species never seen in this area before, but who cares?, especially after a beer and a cigar around the campfire. The calls from outside the camp were mostly from the local donkeys, apparently also in their breeding season, but their calls could not really compare to those of any of the local avian population, unless you’re somewhat of a masochist. The expedition to look for the Cinderella Waxbill was very special. Driving up a riverbed (on the instructions and map provided by Peter) we suddenly came upon a trickle of water, which we followed on foot. The trickle became bigger, until we eventually reached a waterfall (which, when described by Peter earlier, I had written off as a ha-ha waterfall). But there it was, in a beautiful setting, surrounded by massive fig, camelthorn and combretum trees, with the odd bottle tree in between. There were lilies in bloom after the recent rains that added to the magic of the area. We came across a group of Barecheeked Babblers (Turdoides gymnogenys), which entertained me – or perhaps it was the other way round – for quite some time. In the process of following them on foot and stomach, I saw an African Golden Oriole (Oriolus auratus), White-bellied Sunbirds (Cinnyris talatala), White-crested Helmet-Shrikes (Prionops plumatus) and Violet Wood-Hoopoes (Phoeniculus damarensis)… and a donkey. Apparently some of our fellow tourists from the USA thought them to be cute little ponies! Rachelle, who was waiting at the vehicle, had a group of Swallow-tailed Bee-eaters (Merops hirundineus) entertaining her with their flying abilities. When she became bored, she used the calls of the Cindies on her cellphone, trying to attract them while we were sweating it out at the waterfall. Unfortunately the only reply she got was from a group of goats and a Himba lady who wanted sweets (the Himba lady, that is). The closest we came to seeing a Cindie was a Cinnamon-breasted Bunting (Emberiza tahapisi). The cin and the size were close, but unfortunately not close enough. Apparently they had occupied the camp during the drought, amusing the tourists and staff. Obviously you do not really need a GPS reading and superstrong binoculars. It’s more about the timing of your visit to see these beauties.

Madagascar Bee-eater (Merops superciliosus)

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The boat trip on the Kunene is a must, not only because of the scenery along the river. Although the water is quite dirty compared to that of the east-flowing rivers of Namibia, the protruding rocks are fascinating, the rapids exciting and the trees and vegetation along the river beautiful. On the river bank we saw a combretum of over 600 years. The birding here is exceptional. We finally saw the Madagascar Bee-eaters

Yellow-bellied Greenbul (Chlorocichla ventris)

(Merops superciliosus) at their nesting site and an African Harrier-Hawk (Polyboroides typus) in one of the makalani palms. A Diderick Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx caprius) allowed us so close that I had to lean back a bit to get him in focus. Some exciting ticks were Green-backed Herons (Butorides striata), African Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer), Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta), African Jacana (Actophilornis africanus), Carps Tit (Parus carpi), Water Thick-knee (Burhinus vermiculatus) and Little Bee-eaters (Merops pusillus). While I was doing my second boat-birding trip the next day, Ian and Rachelle did a bit of white-water rafting, which turned out to be a lot of fun. The birding was not that good though, probably due to their speed rather than the birds not being present. The much-promised Bat Hawk, Macheiramphus alcinus, was not in at the time of our visit to its favourite tree, but we did see

other raptors. On our way back, I saw but did not photograph my first Red-necked Spurfowl because they were too quick for me. Peter promised me that we would definitely see them at the camp at dusk and dawn. I thought ja, that’s what they all say when the sun gets a bit hot. That evening we went for a two-hour drive looking for them, without any luck. But when we drove back to camp, there they were – four Spur Fowls minding their own business at the gate of the lodge. The Afrikaans for Cinderella is Aspoestertjie! No comment on that, but going all that way really was worth it, and my first impression a few years ago was proven very wrong, as my friend at T.W.T. told me: “Die ding is nie fxct-up nie, hy werk net nie mooi nie.” (The place was not fxct up, it was just not run properly.) The clock did not prevent us from finding the magic of Kunene. TNN

Bare-cheeked Babbler (Turdoides gymnogenys)

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THE PRESENCE of a boundless FREEDOM Text and photographs Ron Swilling

There’s something about a wild horse. It’s difficult to put your finger on. It attracts you, mesmerises you, pulls heartstrings you didn’t even know you had, and makes you feel you could open that farm gate and run off into the wilds. It’s a kind-of Free Willy experience.

t’s an entirely acceptable universal reaction but actually rather a strange one considering that humankind has spent over 4,000 years domesticating the horse. We have utilised, abused and exploited horses over the millennia to advance civilisation – using them for transportation, work, exploration and in wars. Before motorised transport, we lived, moved and dreamed from the back of a horse. Strange as it is, after all our time spent domesticating the horse, wild horses symbolise a freedom we long for and admire. The wild horses of the Namib Desert also epitomise something else. They embody the rugged and wild spirit of Namibia, the very words that Namibia Tourism has 52

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coined to describe this exceptional country, and over the years have become a tourist drawcard and highlight when visiting south-western Namibia. They are not new to Namibian soil, having already spent a century, over seven horse generations, living in the Namib Desert. But, how did they get there? There have been many theories about their origins, some stranger than others, involving a shipwreck and a distraught widow letting stud horses free. Most can be discounted due to the huge distances the horses would have had to travel through arid areas. There are two theories, however, that have endured, and these are the most likely beginnings of Namibia’s intriguing population of wild horses.

WILD HORSES OF THE NAMIB

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The ground trembled, gravel flew, dust rose. Twelve horses galloped past me, so close I could smell their wildness and feel the presence of a boundless freedom. August Sycholt

FROM KUBUB TO GARUB

ABANDONED IN THE CHAOS OF WAR

Fates changed suddenly in 1914 when WWI and Union of South Africa soldiers arrived on the country’s doorstep. Kreplin was interned for the duration of the hostilities and later returned to Germany, where he lost all his diamond wealth in the depression years following in the wake of the war. His horses at Kubub, uncontained by fences, are presumed to have left the farm that was overgrazed during the war years, gradually making their way to Garub, 35 km away. The Garub borehole, which provided water for the steam trains, was the only source of water in the desert during the dry winter months.

Pawns in a chess game of human conflict, the horses did what they knew best. They survived. It is uncertain how many of each group assembled at Garub (and there is the possibility that other horses abandoned in the chaos of war might have joined them), but it seems plausible that the Kubub stud horses formed the core of the wild-horse population. Photographs taken of the Kubub horses at the time reveal significant similarities in conformation and characteristic markings to the wild horses of today. The traces of good breeding are still visible.

In the time of German South West Africa, at the beginning of the 20th century, the south-western corner of the country and the town of Lüderitzbucht prospered. Sparked by the discovery of a diamond by a railway worker outside the town in 1908, a diamond rush swept through the area. Diamond towns sprang up, champagne flowed and the desert sparkled with a hope that trader Adolf Lüderitz was still dreaming of when his boat disappeared under the icy waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It was at this time that influential mayor, Emil Kreplin, established a stud farm at Kubub, 150 km to the east, in an area with better grazing and water. Here he bred workhorses for the diamond fields and racehorses for the thriving town, and was known to import new breeds into the racing arena.

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At Garub the Kubub horses would have joined others that were abandoned during the war. And this is where the second theory slides in seamlessly. Thousands of Union soldiers – and their horses – were based at Garub, in pursuit (although a rather slow one) of the Germans who had entrenched themselves at Aus, preparing for confrontation. A German airplane flew over the Union base several times during this period, but only bombed it three times. The last time, on 27 March 1915, was to mask the Germans’ retreat. The bomb caused havoc at the Garub base, scattering the military horses assembled there. It is thought likely that some of these horses would have run off into the hills in fright, gathering at the water pools that remained after the summer rains and escaping capture by the Union soldiers.

PROTECTED BY DIAMONDS

As luck would have it, the Garub area was part of the forbidden diamond area, the Sperrgebiet, which provided a protective enclave for the horses over the years. The northern part of the Sperrgebiet, including Garub, became part of the NamibNaukluft Park in the late 1980s, granting further protection. A new borehole was opened for the wild horses, further east, and a hide was built at the viewpoint overlooking the waterhole, giving visitors prime seats as the horses come in to drink. And drink they do, cantering in from the plains and stirring many a heart. But it hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t all been plain sailing for the horses. Being wild entails living according to the seasons, and in Namibia and in the Namib Desert in particular, this includes dry seasons and years of drought. Our dream of wild horses has to take a romantic step back and make space for the reality of living in the wild. On the upside, the droughts serve to keep the population numbers in balance with the carrying capacity of the land. They also keep the genes of this Namib population strong. However, the horses have to face other challenges in their daily lives, including the risk of being hit by vehicles on the main road that bisects their area, and being preyed on by spotted hyena. But these resilient horses, like the desert country that is their home,

continue to survive, delight and enthral us by being the strong, rugged, wild and free animals they are. A century down the line, they are in tune with the land, and have become part of it. There is little to match the experience of watching a family group appearing at the crack of dawn, with the first rays of sunlight catching their manes and dust exploding from their feet as they move with the life-affirming presence of animals that have, against all odds, gained and retained their freedom. TNN

NAMIBIA WILD HORSES FOUNDATION A non-profit association established in 2012, the Foundation comprises seven directors from the tourism, veterinary and environmental management and research sectors. The aim is to monitor the horse population and environmental conditions of the horses to provide further information to the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) to serve as advice and assistance for appropriate management practices. All financial contributions are welcome. Namibia Wild Horses Foundation First National Bank of Namibia Current Account 62246659489 Branch: Klein Windhoek (code 281479) Swift: FIRNNANX

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DID YOU KNOW? • That there are pockets of wild horses on virtually every continent in the world? • That all wild horses (with the exception of the Mongolian Wild Horse or Przewalski’s Horse) originated from domesticated stock?

The importance of social interaction and the space for social interaction is often overlooked in the domestic horse world. Although the Namib Desert may appear a hostile environment, it fulfils the most essential needs of the horses, providing food, water and space. Wild Horses in the Namib Desert: An equine biography

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HOW DOES A WILD HORSE BEHAVE? You may well ask. Telané Greyling has spent two decades studying the Namib wild horses, giving us valuable information on their behaviour when they have the opportunity to live a natural life. She discovered that:

Like us, they form family groups and bonds that can last a lifetime; There is not a set dominance hierarchy amongst the horses. Rather, their behaviour varies from day to day, from group to group, and according to the circumstances of the time;

Unlike behaviour often seen in domesticated horses, there is little sign of aggression except in stressful times or during droughts; and

Although people have mistakenly thought that the wild horses are hardier than domesticated horses because of their harsh existence in the Namib Desert, experience has shown that they haven’t fared well in domestic situations. They have struggled to adapt to new environments and without immuneproviding antibodies are immediately susceptible to diseases. Trial and error has proved that the horses are best left in their home in the national park.

(See Wild Horses in the Namib Desert by Mannfred Goldbeck, Telané Greyling and Ron Swilling for further information.)

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BWABWATA-OKAVANGO CAUTION - ELEPHANT CROSSING Text Edward Jenkins Photographs Paul van Schalkwyk

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WETLAND TREASURES OF NAMIBIA

In 1971, concerns for the conservation and wise use of wetlands led to the adoption of an international treaty, designed to support national action and international cooperation. To date, 167 countries have joined the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (the Ramsar Convention). Namibia has identified five Ramsar sites, including BwabwataOkavango, which was designated in December 2013.

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n what could otherwise be categorised as a desert country, the north-eastern portions of Namibia near the borders with Angola, Zambia and Botswana are blessed with ample water, lush vegetation and a huge array of animals, large and small. Recognition of the unique value of the area came early. It was designated as a Nature Reserve in 1937, later becoming the Caprivi Nature Park (1963); the Caprivi Game Reserve (1965); and the Caprivi Game Park (1968). To the west, the Mahango Game Reserve was established in 1989. Recognising the value of contiguous wild areas for the health of game animal populations, the Namibian Government consolidated the two, while adding previously undesignated areas along the Kwando River, creating the Bwabwata National Park in 2007.

RAMSAR SITES IN NAMIBIA Namibia currently hosts the following five designated Wetlands of International Importance as prescribed by the Ramsar Convention: • Etosha Pan, Lake Oponono and the Cuvelai drainage system (central northern Namibia) • Sandwich Harbour (Atlantic coast, approximately 55 km south of Walvis Bay) • Walvis Bay Lagoon (Atlantic coast, immediately south of the Municipality of Walvis Bay) • Orange River Mouth (Namibia/South Africa border, on the Atlantic coast) • Bwabwata-Okavango (Lower Okavango River and adjacent marshes/flood plains)

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The area has long been recognised as a critical migration route for African elephants moving from Botswana to Angola and Zambia. African buffalo in the hundreds can at times cause major congestion on roads. Other hoofed mammals found here and nowhere else in Namibia include waterbuck, puku, lechwe, and sitatunga. The new Ramsar site not only includes major portions of the Bwabwata National Park, but also 470 km of the lower Okavango River, which ends its journey in Botswana’s fabled Okavango Delta (itself designated as a Ramsar site by the government of Botswana). The site includes permanent and temporary flooded marshes and flood plains that are home to slaty egrets, grey crowned cranes, wattled cranes, and pygmy geese. It has been listed as an internationally important bird area, with more than 400 species of birds having been recorded there, the highest ever in Namibia. The newly designated Ramsar site encompasses the Kwando and Okavango rivers, flowing from Zambia and Angola through Namibia, to end in the Okavango Delta of Botswana. Equally important, the land between the rivers hosts ancient riverbeds (omiramba) that carry water only after heavy rains, and for short distances. This results in many standing pools of water, easily accessible for cattle, small stock, and the plants and animals that abound in the area. These natural watering spots probably influenced human settlement here in ancient times. Currently, about 5,000 people reside within the park boundaries, mostly of the Khwe people, a San ethnic group, and of the Mbukushu people, who probably arrived significantly later. About 150 !Xun people – a large group that gathered here as refugees during the Angolan war and left when the conflict ended – remain here.

WETLAND TREASURES OF NAMIBIA The Bwabwata National Park is under integrated park management, balancing the needs of conservation and farming. Government encourages residents to take part in sustainable harvesting of plants, including devil’s claw (Harpagophytum), a medicinal plant used as a pain and fever remedy, and as a digestion stimulant. Many other residents participate in farming in authorised areas, trophy hunting and various tourism-related activities, such as guide services. Selection as a Ramsar Site adds an additional layer of protection and service to this critical wetland, which faces many challenges. Population growth in all three nations will impact the amount and quality of water available. The continued use of DDT for malaria control, the long-term impact of chemicals used in the control of tsetse flies, heavy-metal pollution and the runoff from agricultural and cattle-farming areas, inside and outside the National Park, all present significant challenges. Designation as a Ramsar site provides member governments with more tools to address the challenges ahead. It helps facilitate the dialogue between nations sharing the same resource, and provides technical support from international experts in the protection and management of water assets for the good of the people they serve. Finally, designation as a Ramsar site is expected to increase tourism-related activities such as bird watching and wildlife viewing, and provides an increased revenue stream for local communities.

WETLAND CATEGORIES Generally, wetlands are areas where water is the primary factor controlling the environment and the associated plant and animal life. They occur where the water table is at or near the surface of the land, or where the land is covered by water. Five major wetland types are generally recognised: • Marine (coastal wetlands including coastal lagoons, rocky shores, and coral reefs) • Estuarine (including deltas, tidal marshes, and mangrove swamps) • Lacustrine (wetlands associated with lakes) • Riverine (wetlands along rivers and streams) • Palustrine (meaning ‘marshy’– marshes, swamps and bogs) The Ramsar Convention, recognising man’s influence on the environment, has simplified wetland definitions into three categories: • Marine and Coastal Wetlands • Inland Wetlands • Man-made wetlands, such as fish and shrimp ponds, farm ponds, irrigated agricultural land, saltpans, reservoirs, gravel pits, sewage farms and canals.

http://www.ramsar.org

Namibia’s commitment to environmental protection was written into its constitution at independence (1990). Clearly, it remains a high priority for Government, as we celebrate the creation of our fifth Ramsar site, with the hope that it will be preserved for generations to come, and the elephants may continue to cross in safety. TNN

TRAVEL NEWS NAMIBIA WINTER 2014

Royâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Camp

Guibourtia coleosperma

Schinziophyton rautanenii

Ficus burkei

TRAVEL TIPS for TREE LOVERS Text and photographs Luise Hoffmann

Winter will have arrived by the time you read this. Why not escape the cold weather by going north to the Kavango area? Nights there can also be chilly, but daytime temperatures are usually very pleasant

rees and shrubs around the lodges and campsites mentioned in this article are tagged with the Southern African tree numbers. Obtain a list of these numbers with the botanical and common names of the trees from reception, and it will be easy to read up details in your tree book. Many trees will, of course, be without leaves. However, the features

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visible now will always be present, as opposed to the foliage, flowers and fruit, which come and go as the seasons change. With the exception of the first and last site mentioned, all these establishments provide boat cruises on the Okavango River for pleasure, birding, game watching and fishing.

TREES

ROYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CAMP

A very convenient overnight stop on your way to the Kavango Region is Royâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Camp, situated just 55 km north of Grootfontein off the B8 to Rundu. It has 10 rustic en-suite bungalows, each uniquely designed and decorated most imaginatively with a wide array of scrap metal. This is really something to see. All of them are equipped with air-conditioning and mosquito nets, and have a private braai area. In addition, there are 10 spacious campsites that come with water and electricity, a clean ablution facility, a well-designed bush kitchen and a laundry complete with washing line. And you can watch game at a waterhole and cool off in a sparkling pool. Be sure to walk along the marked hiking trails where you will find several examples of the strangler fig (Ficus burkei formerly F. thonningii) (48), their white aerial roots flattening out to engulf the rough black trunks of tall tamboti trees (Spirostachys africana) (341). Here you also have the opportunity to get to know the Transvaal saffron tree (Eleaodendron transvaalense) (416). As you continue towards Rundu, beautiful evergreen trees with large drooping crowns will catch your eye. At this time of the year, the false mopane (Guibourtia coleosperma) (199) is often the only green tree to be seen. Stop to enjoy the glossy dark-green, bifoliolate leaves similar to those of the mopane tree. In June you may even still find some of the small woody pods, the black seed with its bright red aril dangling from it on a long yellow stalk. The shape of the bare manketti trees (Schinziophyton rautanenii) along this road is highly distinctive. www.roysrestcamp.com

SAMSITU RIVERSIDE CAMPING

Created by the owners to provide a camping site where camper is king in contrast to many localities where campsites take backstage to chalets and other buildings, Samsitu Riverside Camping is situated 7 km west of Rundu. Pitch your tent on the grassy bank right above the river under the trees. Braai your dinner with a view across the river to the opposite Angolan bank where elephant may come to drink. The ablution facilities are roomy, with enough space for cosmetic paraphernalia and hooks for clothing. Relax at the riverside bar and on the deck above the river. No food is served in the camp. There are five campsites, with three male and three female bathrooms. Along hiking trails around the floodplain separating Samsitu from the mainland, 30 tree and shrub species have been tagged. Here you will have the opportunity to get to know the poison-pod albizia (Albizia versicolor) (158), a beautiful, tall tree with spreading crown confined to sandy soils along the Kavango River and eastern Caprivi. The Mbunza Living Museum is situated a ten-minute walk away along one of these trails and provides insight into the traditional way of life of the local people, including a demonstration by a rural blacksmith. Alternatively, relax during a boat cruise on the river with the open sky above and the chance of spotting an occasional crocodile on a sandbank. +264 81 129 3290

TRAVEL NEWS NAMIBIA WINTER 2014

Combretum zeyheri

TAMBUTI LODGE

Should you prefer to stay over in town, Tambuti Lodge has eight comfortable and spacious rooms with air-conditioning and mosquito nets in a garden with more than 20 mostly indigenous trees and shrubs. Interesting species to look out for here are sand camwood (Baphia massaiensis) (223), a shrub with clusters of sweetly-scented white to pale rose flowers with a central yellow spot from October to June; Natal mahogany (Trichilia emetica) (301), an evergreen with a dark-green spreading crown, and the corky monkey-orange (Strychnos cocculoides) (623) with its compact evergreen crown and fruit about the size and shape of an orange. Beware however: while the fruit pulp is edible, the seeds contain strychnine. Tambuti Lodge is situated within view and easy reach of the Okavango River. Patrick, the owner, uses many local ingredients to prepare unusual and delicious cooldrinks, desserts, marmalades and main dishes. Meals are served on a shady deck in a huge flamboyant tree (Delonix regia), an exotic from Madagascar. www.tambuti.com.na

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SARASUNGU

A hiking trail from this lodge to Sarasungu leads past almost 30 indigenous shrub and tree species, among them a particularly large shepherdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tree (Boscia albitrunca) (122), the shrubby Kalahari currant (Searsia/Rhus tenuinervis) (393.2), and the River Rhus (Searsia/Rhus quartiniana) (393), both easily identifiable by having three leaflets to a leaf. About 2 km out of town, Sarasungu Lodge offers camping on grass under a large variety of shady trees. More than 30 species on the premises have been marked. The large-fruited combretum (Combretum zeyheri) (546) is quite a small tree, while the largest of all combretum trees, the leadwood tree (C. imberbe) (539), bears the smallest fruits. Another member of this genus, the variable combretum (Combretum collinum) (541) and its subspecies are quite common in north-eastern Namibia. The sturdy climber finding its way into the highest treetops is wild jasmine (Jasminum fluminense) (F7). The windows of some of the rustic, grass-roofed chalets are secured only by wire mesh and fly screen for you to listen to the sounds of the night and to waken to birdsong in the morning. Other chalets provide all the usual amenities. While there is no direct view of the river, it is within very close walking distance. www.sarasunguriverlodge.com

Guibourtia coleosperma Albizia antunesiana

KAISOSI RIVER LODGE

Located 7 km east of Rundu, Kaisosi River Lodge is beautifully set out on the banks of the river. The double-storied chalets are spacious and well equipped. The grassy camping area is well shaded but situated away from the river behind the chalets. When I first travelled to the Kavango Region, I expected all the riverbanks to be dense with tall riverine forest, and was greatly disappointed to find no trees at all along the Rundu waterfront, in either direction. So I was overjoyed when I saw the lush trees at Kaisosi. In particular there are some really mature leadwood trees (Combretum imberbe) (539) and several other species taller than the double-storied chalets. A special bonus for tree lovers is that here you can see tall examples of all four Albizia species (A. anthelmintica (150), A. versicolor (158), A. antunesiana (151), and A. harveyi) (155) recorded for the Kavango Region, as well as a number of interesting exotic species such as the fiddle-leaf fig (Ficus lyrata) (G2) from West Africa and the kapok tree (Ceiba pentranda) (F5) from South America. www.kaisosiriverlodge.com

SHAMWUARA

Shamwuara, a permanent tented camp located 10 km east of Rundu, offers very adequate but not luxurious accommodation in a charming fully-equipped treetop cottage and four tents on raised platforms, two en suite and two with shower and toilet facilities close by. As can be deduced from their names, the tents are situated under marula, manketti, ushivi and combretum trees (Sclerocarya birrea, Schinziophyton rautanenii, Guibourtia coleosperma, Combretum collinum) respectively. The camp is situated on a prominent sand dune, offering the visitor access to 15 km of riverbank and pristine riverine vegetation. There is a large swimming pool and a treetop deck providing an excellent view of the extensive floodplains on the Angolan side of the river, which becomes home to numerous wetland birds and fish in the wet season. Meals can be arranged at the main building in the very hospitable and highly entertaining company of the owners Mark and Charlie. Mark has a thorough knowledge of all things natural, especially birds, while Charlie, a trained nursing sister, has been involved in the trade with baskets and other handicraft at a series of spots along the river. shamvura@iway.na

TRAVEL NEWS NAMIBIA WINTER 2014

Ficus burkei Knob-thorn acacias (acacia nigrescens)

KAYOVA RIVER LODGE

Founded by the Denner Foundation, Kayova River Lodge is situated 113 km east of Rundu. All profits generated by the lodge are invested in the upliftment of the local community. The foundation supplies 25 000 people in the surrounding countryside with water, runs four nursery schools and is in the process of erecting an orphanage for aids orphans at Nyangana. Local people are trained to do almost all the necessary construction work, as well as run the lodge. The Kayova River Lodge has eight well-appointed chalets, each with a view across the river from its own veranda. Situated on a high bank, the lodge also offers beautiful views of the adjacent Angolan flood plains. To the west of the main building is a large riverside camping area, which was under construction in May 2013 and should be completed by now. It is shaded mostly by tall knob-thorn acacias (acacia nigrescens) (178), which will become more prevalent towards the east and into the Caprivi Region. The raised knobs on their trunks and older branches, each knob bearing a sharply curved thorn, make them easy to identify. At Kayova Lodge you will find the first occurrence of the evergreen African mangosteen, (Garcinia livingstonei) (486), recognised by rigid, short lateral branches arising at an acute angle to the main stem, unusually in whorls of three. The stiff, leathery, darkgreen leaves occur in whorls of three or four. The outer flesh of the fruit is edible with a pleasant fruity flavour. Male and female flowers are borne on separate trees. Please note, however, that the variety of species inside the walled area is not too great. www.kayovariverlodge.com

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RIVER DANCE LODGE

Roughly 30 km west of Divundu, River Dance Lodge is highly recommended for nature lovers and for tree lovers in particular. Accommodation is in five wood-and-glass cabins on raised platforms, tucked away in the riverine forest and totally secluded from each other. Downriver from the main building are four equally stunning grassed campsites under shady trees, each with its own beautifully designed ablution facility. Each site has a direct view of the river. At least 60 different indigenous trees and shrubs have been tagged. For a special botanical treat, book a trip to the two islands in the river. They are completely uninhabited and covered with huge old trees entangled with liana-like climbers and scramblers. The vegetation is only penetrable if you cut a path open with a panga. On one of the islands we found the huge strangler fig (Ficus burkei), gutted by fires but still going strong. A visit here is an excellent opportunity to become acquainted with many woody species, which will become more common as you travel eastwards into the Caprivi. On the way to the lodge I passed a violet tree (Securidaca longipendunculata) with a characteristic pale-grey trunk and unmistakable fruit. The tall, evergreen mobola plum (Parinari curatellifolia) (146) reaches a height of up to 20 metres and has dark-grey corky bark and a spreading crown of dark-green leaves. The leaves are prominently veined below with secondary veins almost parallel. The jackal-berry (Diospyros mespiliformis) (606) has dark foliage that turns yellow before it falls, black-grey rough bark, and leathery, shiny, lanceolate leaves. This species has a disjunct distribution, occurring along the oshanas in the ancient Cuvelai Delta of central northern Namibia, northern Kaokoland, at River Dance, and then again in Eastern Caprivi. www.riverdance.com.na

Securidaca longipendunculata

Philenoptera violacea

N//GOABACA COMMUNITY CAMPSITE

The N//Goabaca Community Campsite across the bridge over the Kavango at Divundu offers pleasant, shady camping with a tap at each site and modest but clean ablution facilities with hot showers. It is close to the Mahango National Park, which has no accommodation. Twenty indigenous trees, such as the bird plum (Berchemia discolor) and the northern omupanda (Philenoptera violacea, formerly Lonchocarpus capassa) (238), have been tagged. Species not tagged thus far are the river dwaba-berry (Friesodielsia obovata) (108) and the mouse-eared combretum (Combretum hereroense) (538). +264 81 313 0696

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Photo courtesy of: Paolo Schneider

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