By putting nature first at Ongava, we set the scene for a renewed understanding and appreciation of the importance of wildlife conservation.
is published by Venture Media in Windhoek, Namibia www.thisisnamibia.com
Tel: +264 81 285 7450, 5 Conradie Street, Windhoek PO Box 21593, Windhoek, Namibia
EDITOR Elzanne McCulloch elzanne@venture.com.na
CONTENT MANAGER Le Roux van Schalkwyk leroux@venture.com.na
PUBLIC RELATIONS Elzanne McCulloch elzanne@venture.com.na
PRODUCTION & LAYOUT Liza Lottering liza@venture.com.na
CUSTOMER SERVICE Bonn Nortjé bonn@venture.com.na
TEXT CONTRIBUTORS
Le Roux van Schalkwyk, Elzanne McCulloch, Charene Labuschagne, Kirsty Watermeyer, Dirk Heinrich, Liza Lottering, Kim Skov-Nielsen PHOTOGRAPHERS
Le Roux van Schalkwyk, Elzanne McCulloch, Dirk Heinrich, Morgan Hauptfleisch, Liza Lottering, Kim Skov-Nielsen
Travel Namibia is published quarterly, distributed worldwide via Zinio digital newsstand and in physical format in southern Africa. The editorial content of TN is contributed by the Venture Media team, freelance writers and journalists. It is the sole property of the publisher and no part of the magazine may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.
All information and travel details are correct at the time of going to press. Due to uncertain circumstances, this may have changed after the date of publication. Please check businesses' individual websites for up-to-date details.
Industry partners:
Venture Media is the pioneer of Namibia tourism promotion. We are the leader in spreading the tourism word around the world. We distribute accurate, credible, up to date and regular tourism-related information on paper, in social media, on the World Wide Web, and on mobile apps. We have reached hundreds of thousands over three decades. Be part of our community and let’s do it together.
We focus on telling and sharing STORIES THAT MATTER across our various magazines and digital platforms. Join the journey and share your stories with audiences that understand and value why certain things matter.
Why ethical business, conservation, tourism, people and communities matter. How these elements interrelate and how we can bring about change, contribute to the world and support each other. Whether for an entire nation, an industry, a community, or even just an individual.
WWW.VENTURE.COM.NA or email us at info@venture.com.na for a curated proposal
In 2021, w MA our vario
824,268 km²
INDEPENDENCE:
21 March 1990
CURRENT PRESIDENT: Nangolo Mbumba
Multiparty parliament
Democratic constitution Division of power between executive, legislature and judiciary
Secular state
Christian freedom of religion
SURFACE AREA: Windhoek CAPITAL: 90%
Freedom of the press/media
MAIN PRIVATE SECTORS: Mining, Manufacturing, Fishing and Agriculture 46%
BIGGEST EMPLOYER: Agriculture
FASTEST-GROWING SECTOR: Information Communication Industry
Diamonds, uranium, copper, lead, zinc, magnesium, cadmium, arsenic, pyrites, silver, gold, lithium minerals, dimension stones (granite, marble, blue sodalite) and many semiprecious stones
CURRENCY:
The Namibia Dollar (N$) is fixed to and on par with the SA Rand. The South African Rand is also legal tender.
Foreign currency, international Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Diners Club credit cards are accepted.
TAX AND CUSTOMS
All goods and services are priced to include value-added tax of 15%. Visitors may reclaim VAT.
ENQUIRIES: Ministry of Finance
Tel (+264 61) 23 0773 in Windhoek
Public transport is NOT available to all tourist destinations in Namibia.
There are bus services from Windhoek to Swakopmund as well as Cape Town/Johannesburg/Vic Falls. Namibia’s main railway line runs from the South African border, connecting Windhoek to Swakopmund in the west and Tsumeb in the north.
There is an extensive network of international and regional flights from Windhoek and domestic charters to all destinations.
NATURE RESERVES: of surface area
ROADS:
HIGHEST MOUNTAIN: Brandberg
OTHER PROMINENT MOUNTAINS: vegetation zones
Spitzkoppe, Moltkeblick, Gamsberg
PERENNIAL RIVERS: Orange, Kunene, Okavango, Zambezi and Kwando/Linyanti/Chobe
EPHEMERAL RIVERS:
Numerous, including Fish, Kuiseb, Swakop and Ugab
20% 14 400 680
species of trees
ENDEMIC plant species
120+
species of lichen
LIVING FOSSIL PLANT: Welwitschia mirabilis
BIG GAME: Elephant, lion, rhino, buffalo, cheetah, leopard, giraffe
20 antelope species 250 mammal species (14 endemic) 256 699
50 reptile species
bird species
ENDEMIC BIRDS including Herero Chat, Rockrunner, Damara Tern, Monteiro’s Hornbill and Dune Lark frog species
Most tap water is purified and safe to drink.
Visitors should exercise caution in rural areas. GMT + 2 hours
220 volts AC, 50hz, with outlets for round three-pin type plugs
HARBOURS: Walvis Bay, Lüderitz
MAIN AIRPORTS: Hosea Kutako International Airport, Eros Airport RAIL NETWORK:
2,382
TELECOMMUNICATIONS:
6.2 telephone lines per 100 inhabitants
MOBILE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM:
Direct-dialling facilities to 221 countries
GSM agreements with 150 countries / 80 networks
0.4182 medical doctor per 1,000 people privately run hospitals in Windhoek with intensive-care units
4
Medical practitioners (world standard) 24-hour medical emergency services
2.6 million DENSITY: 3 per km²
461 000 inhabitants in Windhoek (15% of total)
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS: over 1,900 schools, various vocational and tertiary institutions
FOREIGN
More than 50 countries have Namibian consular or embassy representation in Windhoek.
The wind rustles outside my hotel room overlooking Second Lagoon in Lüdertiz. No surprise there… The wind is a truth of this southern gem as much as the sun rises in the east and you’ll get sand in your shoes during a holiday in Namibia. Yet, despite it or maybe because of it, Lüderitz’s wind has never bothered me much. It is a small toll paid for the privilege of experiencing the extraordinary views, rugged landscape and friendliest of people this intriguing town on Namibia’s southern coastline offers. Things are happening here in Lüderitz. The town abuzz with a sense of vigour and excitement. At Kolmanskop, the ancient buildings will soon be home to new experiences. But I’ll tell you more about that in a future issue.
This tangible excitement and spirit of adventure seems to be everywhere as we head into this Winter season in Namibia. Everywhere I go, everyone I chat with is busy and buzzing about. Everyone’s out-of-office reply lets me know they’re currently on an adventure, and that’s wonderful to see. At Venture Media, the team has been out of the office more often than not. While our content maestros, Le Roux and Charene, were traversing the wilds of Damaraland and spending days crisscrossing Etosha National Park, I was on my first visit to Onguma and our team videographer Sky was missioning around the central north. Along the ways, we were capturing moments, people and places. The common thread I find in the aftermath of these adventures (ie, the camera rolls and stories sent off to editors) is a sense of true authenticity. Real experiences and real people met along the way. Moments captured to be sent to Lightroom that reflect the spirit of Namibia and her people. And this, more than anything else, bolsters that sense of excitement I feel as we head towards another peak season in Namibia. The sense of excitement that jumps off the page when you read about Dr Morgan Hauptfleisch’s research into the animal movements of Etosha National Park. Kirsty’s conversations with him could have filled the magazine in its entirety. Authenticity shines bright when stories of Namibia are told with passion and love for the cause and the destination. And isn’t that what we as travellers, adventurers, are after? That truly authentic experience. To be submerged in a place, moulded by it, and not just taken along for a ride.
This year sparks with a sense of ‘onwards and upwards’. By the time this issue returns from the printers, we will have hosted the 2024 Travel Namibia Festival in partnership with HAN (the Hospitality Association of Namibia) and TASA (the Tour and Safari Association of Namibia), under the theme of ‘Conscious Tourism’. The goal of the full-day trade and industry event is to strategically and thoughtfully map out a future for our industry built on the foundation of travelling consciously and designing authentic traveller experiences that are aware of their impacts. Namibia has always been a destination for those who understand the nuances and importance of the wild untamed spirit of nature. And it is our responsibility, as those in the industry, and as visitors, to know that what we do, and how we travel, matters.
My wish for you is to fall in love with Namibia. I hope your adventure, whether in truth or via our pages, across this wild land is as life-altering as Kim’s was in this issue’s Reader’s Story. I hope you appreciate the wild, rough and unpolished moments, people and places in the spirit of genuineness we all strive for in our lives. I hope you do not come across a single fabricated moment, put-on show or artificial performance. I hope you’re as excited as we are. So tread lightly and be conscious along the way. My wish is for you to find originality and truth across our wild spaces.
With love from Namibia, Elzanne McCulloch
ON THE COVER
Take photos, but remember to put the camera down and immerse yourself in the moment - it won't last forever.
Image: Le Roux van Schalkwyk FOLLOW US ON
A PHOTO ESSAY OF ETOSHA p12
From East to West
UNRAVELLING THE RHYTHMS OF THE WILD p30
Exploring Animal Movements
ROCKING DAMARALAND p36
A Journey Through Namibia's Geological Wonders
READER'S STORY |
What were you thinking?
We can’t take credit for the views... They were here before we got here.
Castle since 1914. Hotel since 1994.
Imagine a flat tire in the middle of the Namibian bush, while a young elephant bull is approaching…and that was only the beginning of three exciting days at Etosha Heights, a private game reserve, bordering the famous Etosha National Park.
We joined students and researchers from the Namibian University of Science and Technology in releasing two cheetahs into the wild, searching for GPS-collared elephants and witnessed the passion of our Namibian youth for conservation. And we kept the microphones rolling throughout to bring you another story about our favorite topic: Namibia!
The land of vast spaces, of contrasting landscapes, of desertadapted elephants, Omajova mushrooms and glorious sunsets. The land of stories galore.
In our podcast ‘Namibia hören’ we take a look behind the scenes
of the most exciting places. And we meet people who care deeply about this country. Discover Namibia with us and share our love for this beautiful land.
We showcase our unique natural environment and tell you about Namibia’s conservation. We find out how charcoal or beer made in Namibia finds its way to foreign markets. Or what makes Kapana or Zambezi bream so special? And what role sports, music and politics play here. In short, we take you on a journey through Namibia.
Want to join the world of Namibian wonders and beauties? Simply tune in to Hitradio Namibia’s podcast ‘Namibia hören’.
No need to worry about missing out because of language restraints – the podcast is a mix of German and English.
10 BUSH TELEGRAPH News from the tourism industry
22 NEED-TO-KNOWS before your safari in Etosha
24 ONGUMA GAME RESERVE Whispered luxuries and wild encounters
44 SURICATES Nature’s highly social little guards that are too cute for their own good
49 RHINO GUARDIANSHIP CERTIFICATES The future of sustainable conservation financing
50 THINGS TO DO When travelling across Damaraland
52 TRACKING NAMIBIA'S ENDANGERED BLACK RHINOS A Rugged Journey into Damaraland's Wilderness
56 HONEYMOON CAMPING at Epupa Falls
60 A TERN'S 8,429-KILOMETER ODYSSEY From Swakopmund's sands to Amsterdam's canals
75 EMPOWERING NAMIBIA'S FUTURE Debmarine Namibia's 2024 Bursary Awards Spark Brilliance in Education and Beyond
76 CAPTURING DAMARALAND'S ESSENCE with Ultimate Safaris
The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) has announced upcoming renovations for entrance gates, ablution facilities and picnic areas at both Etosha National Park and Hardap National Park.
At Etosha National Park, three entrance gates – Anderson’s Gate, Von Lindequist Gate and King Nehale Lya Mpingana Gate – are set to undergo a complete upgrade. According to the MEFT, these upgrades will include the transformation of some sanitation facilities into “comfort stops”. These upgraded facilities will feature toilets, picnic areas, information displays, viewing platforms and ample parking, all within safe and enclosed environments. The aim is to encourage visitors travelling within the park to take a break, access information and enjoy the serenity of nature in a secure and inviting setting. The park will also receive eight upgraded sanitation facilities at Olifantsbad, Homob, Thatch Roof, Okerfontein, Andoni, Sprokieswood, Springbokfontein and Sonderkop, with two new comfort stops at Ozonjuitji m’Bari, situated between Okaukuejo and Olifantsrus.
Similarly, Hardap National Park will undergo infrastructural improvements, starting with upgrades to its three existing gates – Main Gate, Fish Route Gate and Game Park Gate. Additionally, two existing ablution facilities and picnic spots will be upgraded, and four new ablution facilities and picnic spots will be constructed.
Expected to be completed by July 2025, the upgrades are financed through the NamParks V Project, a development programme of the government of the Republic of Namibia, executed by the MEFT and co-financed by the Federal Republic of Germany through the KfW Development Bank.
Eagerly awaited by travellers, the one-stop Mamuno/TransKalahari border post between Namibia and Botswana opened in May 2024. This is a strategic initiative aimed at streamlining border operations between Namibia and Botswana.
According to Yarukeekuro Ndorokaze, chief strategic communications and support engagements executive at the Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA), the initiative promises to revolutionise border control operations by significantly reducing congestion and waiting times.
Forensis and Forensic Architecture, in collaboration with Nama and Ovaherero leaders, recently conducted research on the German colonial genocide around Shark Island and released their findings. In their report, they express concern over a proposed development by the Namibian Ports Authority (Namport) to expand the existing port in Lüderitz, scheduled to begin in late 2024.
This expansion aims to support Namibia’s growing energy industry, including a major green hydrogen project backed by the Namibian government, with German company ENERTRAG SE as a key shareholder. The analysis reveals that this expansion will encroach upon and erase archaeological remnants of the historical concentration camp at Shark Island, where prisoners were detained and executed. The report further warns that the port expansion will obliterate nearby unmarked burial sites and likely disturb the remains of those who perished at Shark Island, some of whom were thrown into the water. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) scans indicate the presence of mass graves in at least one of these burial sites.
Forensic Architecture, an independent university-based agency, specialises in media and spatial research on instances of state violence and human rights violations worldwide. Forensis, founded in Berlin, collaborates with individuals and communities affected by state and corporate violence.
The Miombo woodlands are an extensive transnational ecoregion and home to many wild African species of fauna and flora. It is one of the biggest and most vital ecosystems in the world, sustaining the livelihoods of more than 100 million rural Africans and 50 million urban Africans. Although it is still relatively intact and sparsely settled, increasing development is starting to negatively impact this important environment.
As such, the Miombo Initiative has been launched as a joint conservation initiative that seeks to rally international support for the sustainable management of Miombo forests, aiming to deliver tangible benefits for biodiversity conservation, climate resilience and community development.
Speaking at the launch of the initiative, Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, shared that Miombo woodlands are a vital habitat for thousands of animals and plant species and that the Miombo Initiative has been endorsed by ten governments in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) region. Shifeta went on to say that he is pleased to be associated with this regional initiative and endorsed the creation of a funding mechanism to accelerate publicprivate investments for the region.
“We strongly believe this initiative will lead to the sustainable management of the Miombo ecosystem. It is a joint conservation initiative, it will help to fight climate change and ultimately it is meant to improve the living standards of the communities who depend on the forest resources for their existence,” said Shifeta. TN
Text &
Photographs
Le Roux van SchalkwykIt’s difficult to describe Etosha National Park to someone who has never been there before. Of course, you can tell them what types of animals they might see, the kind of vegetation, or even try to explain the sheer vastness of the pan. Yet, it is impossible to convey the feeling you get when you are here — the excitement of watching a large male lion cross the road in the first rays of the morning sun, the sense of sheer desolation while observing a lone gemsbok walk across the dusty pan, or the peacefulness of watching giraffes in a field of purple-flowered wild sesame, pulling the plants, roots and all, from the ground and devouring them mid-air.
At more than 22,000 km², Etosha is a massive park and Namibia’s premier wildlife destination. To give some perspective, if you enter at Galton Gate, the westernmost entrance, you will need to drive around 330 km east to exit at Von Lindequist Gate. The changing landscape holds unlimited potential for awesome sightings.
Deciding to drive from one side of the park to the other in five days, we wanted to showcase what one could experience and how closely one could capture the feeling of Etosha through a series of images.
The grass is still green from the late rain and the veld is full of life. We have a picturesque sighting of an elephant bull resting underneath a camel thorn tree with some beautiful clouds overhead. As the sun is pulled down to the horizon, we drive into a purple field of wild sesame. Apart from the gemsbok and zebra, a dozen giraffes lower their long necks to pull out individual bushes. Raising their necks again, leaves, soil, and purple flowers rain to the ground as they chew.
The next morning, having heard lions roar close to the camp in the early morning hours, we are the first to leave camp. Driving in the direction of Dolomietpunt, we find two male lions lazily walking across the road and into trumpet thorn thickets.
At Dolomietpunt, playful zebras kicking up dust keep us entertained and glued to our cameras.
An early morning drive starts quietly as we see a yellow mongoose, loads of plains game, and giraffes feeding on trumpet thorns. Things quickly get exciting when we spot two honey badgers. Unfortunately, they move into the thickets before we can get a decent photo. Not much further on, we are lucky enough to see a pride of lions hiding in and under bushes from the late morning sun. The only one we have a clear view of is a male with a mane that looks permed. I thought the "perm-lion" would be my favourite sighting of the day.
Much later in the day, just before Rietfontein, we spot a white-masked blue wildebeest. Not sure how this happened, but the animal managed to get his entire face and horns caked with white Etosha clay. It gave the appearance of a bleached skull on legs.
Late in the afternoon, we find a male lion lying by a zebra carcass while six or so females are resting under bushes not far away. Just before sunset, 13 hyenas suddenly appear. The lionesses get restless, but unfortunately, we need to get back to camp before the show starts.
A late afternoon drive to Fisher’s Pan gets us close to a secretary bird and a blue wildebeest as there are some soft raindrops. With the sun setting and blanketing the pan in an orange glow, small rain showers can be seen with groups of wildebeest etched out against the white clay.
The next morning, a last stop on the way out at Klein Namutoni waterhole rewards us with a beautiful sunrise scene. Five marabou storks are slowly wading through the water in front of three skittish giraffes trying to drink water while a zebra fight rages between two males in the background. TN
Ondili provides premium lodges and tented camps in Namibia’s stunning regions, along with boutique guesthouses in Windhoek and Swakopmund. Explore our private nature reserves and adjacent national parks for awe-inspiring vistas and remarkable wildlife encounters.
Reservations
Ondili c/o Namibia Travel Consultants
Tel: +264 61 240 020
Mail: reservations@namibiatravelconsultants.com
P.O. Box 23106, Windhoek, Namibia
Head Office | Sales Office Africa
Ondili Lodge Management (Pty) Ltd
Tel: +264 61 447 300 Mail: info@ondili.com
P.O. Box 90819, Windhoek, Namibia
Sales Office Europe
Ondili GmbH
Tel: +49 6103 44041 00 Mail: sales@ondili.com Otto-Hahn-Str. 31-33, 63303 Dreieich, Germany
GETTING IN AND AROUND:
All of Etosha’s border gates open at sunrise and close at sunset. Even if you are staying inside the park, these times must be adhered to as the gates to the lodges themselves open and close accordingly.
At the time of this magazine going to print, the roads in Etosha were in dire condition. Ungraded and forming deep ditches after the rainy season, traversing the roads on our recent visit proved to be quite time consuming. Bring lots of patience along and drive slowly, odds are you’ll spot more animals in the process. We saw two honey badgers as a result of driving more cautiously.
PARK FEES:
• Adults (foreign) is N$ 150-00 per adult per day
• Adults (SADC) is N$ 100-00 per adult per day
• Adults (Namibian) is N$ 50-00 per adult per day
• Children under 16 years are free of charge
• Vehicles with 10 seats or less are N$ 50-00 per vehicle per day
Park fees should be paid upon entering at the NWR offices.
YOU’VE SPOTTED AN ANIMAL, NOW WHAT?
When at an animal sighting, be it a waterhole or in the field, it is considered good etiquette to switch off your car engine while viewing the wildlife. Once you have secured a safe and comfortable distance from the animals, the symphony of nature
should be the only sound we hear. The same goes for loud talking and laughing at sightings.
You are only allowed to disembark your vehicle at designated areas, such as toilets or rest stops. This is for your own safety, and the safeguarding of the park. This includes sitting on the car door with the window open, which risks falling out, or being snatched by a curious elephant trunk. It’s best for all your limbs, besides the occasional hand on your long camera lens, to be inside the car at all times.
Elephant sightings in particular are to be handled with finesse. When a herd of elephants is crossing the road, stop your vehicle at a distance, immediately. Oftentimes, drivers try to get too close to where the elephants are crossing, and doing so, obstruct their path, causing them to get frustrated and uncomfortable. These two moods are highly unfavourable in elephants, the results of which are well documented and tend to go viral for the wrong reasons.
When parking your vehicle at an animal sighting, try to leave enough space on the road for another car to pass. If you happen to be a latecomer to a sighting and there are already a few cars parked, it’s considered good etiquette to park behind the last or in front of the first car. That means no squeezing into a crevice, driving offroad in the process, and disturbing the animals with lots of back and forth manoeuvres.
Just 6.5 km before the southern Anderssons Gate is the Etosha Trading Post, which boasts a few campsites, a fuel station and a well-stocked grocery and curio store. Should you forget any essentials when shopping in Windhoek, Otjiwarongo or Outjo, this shop stocks almost everything you might need. Cold beer, a barbeque grid, snacks or a toothbrush, as well as some fresh takeaway meals and many other goodies, the Etosha Trading Post’s selection certainly impresses.
Leaving Etosha at Namutoni, through the Von Lindequist Gate, our journey back to Windhoek meant a sightseeing stop along the way. 20 km northeast of Tsumeb is the Otjikoto Lake, a weird and wonderful natural phenomenon with a fascinating history. The sinkhole lake, formed by a collapsing karst cave, was declared a national monument in 1972.
In 1915 retreating German troops dumped ammunition in the lake to prevent it from falling into South African possession. A
handful of the discarded weaponry was recovered and can be seen in the Owela Museum in Tsumeb.
Because the lake tapers into a lateral cave system, it is hard to determine its precise depth, adding to the strange mystique of Otjikoto. Legend has it that the German troops also dumped a chest of gold, which some opportunistic treasure hunters had come in search of to no avail. Swimming in the lake is not allowed, as it is said to have deadly, unseen currents.
It might appear to be just a sinkhole lake, but Otjikoto’s magic is your imagination and some informative guides to help colour in the picture. TN
It’s best for all your limbs, besides the occasional hand on your long camera lens, to be inside the car at all times.
As the sun set on the final evening of our visit, our hearts were as warm as the play of colour on the horizon. Under the sprawling canvas of a fading African sky, where hues of crimson and lavender melt into twilight, makalani palms sway to a gentle breeze, accompanied by the silhouettes of a tower of giraffes as they slowly amble along – a puppet show of shadows against the evening glow. As night crept up on the savannah, our search for the elusive lioness, whom we had tracked with bated breath for the last hour, culminated in an unexpected rendezvous. While our eyes were still trained on the far-off treeline from where we expected her to emerge, she appeared, in the dimming light, not five metres from our Land Cruiser. Unbothered by our presence she glided past, her gaze fixed on a distant herd of impala, her evening's quarry. We left her to her twilight hunt, turning our own path toward Camp Kala, where luxury awaited under a starlit dome.
Our adventure had begun two sunsets prior at Onguma Tented Camp, a seamless blend of elegance and wilderness. An introductory game drive on the reserve yielded a completely unexpected delight. I am not sure if it was us or our guide who was most surprised when we spotted a leopard barely ten minutes into our journey. Hiding among the thick bush close to the road, the spotted feline surreptitiously peered at us through thorny branches before darting off towards thicker cover. It had been months since the guides could claim a leopard sighting on a reserve drive. That first night, under the vast sky at the edge of a large clearing, we dined al fresco while Etosha’s white pan glimmered in the distance. Over dinner, the reserve manager shared harrowing tales from the front lines of conservation, where protecting the reserve’s prized rhinos meant constant vigilance and confrontations with poachers – a testament to the fierce, and never-ending, battle between preservation and extinction.
The following morning we trekked through the bush on a guided nature walk, our senses tuned to the subtle wonders of the ecosystem all around. Our knowledgeable guide, Victor, teaches us about the delicate interplay of flora and fauna. The morning’s wild sojourn culminates in breakfast in the bush, accompanied by the cheerful clinking of mimosas – a perfect start to the day.
Our most unforgettable night during our escape into Onguma’s wilds was certainly aboard the Onguma Dreamcruiser. This marvel, a double-story Land Cruiser transformed into a luxurious suite, offered both comfort and an unparalleled connection with nature. Parked beside a private waterhole, our evening unfolded with a parade of wildlife, starting with a cheetah that briefly graced us with its presence. Soon a black rhino took centre stage, chasing the feline off to privately savour its evening drink as we watched in awe from our rooftop bed, hidden behind a mosquito net. Throughout the night, the ballad of the bush played out in surround sound, stirring us from sleep with the thrill of proximity to mysterious creatures. Only a quick torch sweep revealed who our visitors were.
The following morning Victor collected us bright-eyed (from excitement, not rest) from our private sanctuary and our explorations extended beyond the confines of Onguma. A
venture into neighbouring Etosha National Park brought us face-to-face with the park’s wildlife highlights – cheetahs darting through the grass, rhinos lumbering in the dust, elephants splashing in cool waters, and a leopard lounging beneath the thorny brush of an acacia.
Our journey comes full circle upon our return to Camp Kala, a sanctuary of opulence where the Condé Nast Traveler's Hot List accolade of 2023 echoes in its every detail. Only four suites, each a bastion of privacy and comfort, offer a retreat where the wild meets the refined. Here, pampered by our private butler, we indulged in a six-course culinary feast prepared in front of us in the theatre-style display kitchen by new head chef Anthony. We spent our final visiting hours soaking in our deck bath, breathing in the evening air late into the night – the tranquil waterhole laid out before us like a mirror reflecting the stars above.
Onguma reminded me of the power of being surrounded by nature, every moment a dance of wild encounters. The experience is swathed in whispered luxuries, making it not just a destination, but a profound celebration of life's contrasts. TN
For more visit onguma.com
Tented Camp
14. Sun Karros Daan Viljoen
15. Sossus Dune Lodge
16. Sesriem Campsite
17. Naukluft Camp
18. Hardap Resort
19. Duwisib Castle
20. Shark Island Resort
21. Fish River Canyon & Hobas Camp
22. /Ai-/Ais Hotsprings Spa 23. Mile 72 24. Mile 108
25. Jakkalsputz
Can a landscape exhale and inhale with the ebb and flow of life? Do animals adjust their movement patterns in response to shifts in resource availability? These fundamental questions regarding the characteristics of wilderness also extend to fenced areas and national parks. The evidence unequivocally confirms that animals pay little heed to manmade borders, whether they be physical fences or legally designated boundaries.
Expansion is beneficial for a park; breathing is beneficial for a park. In regions where fences have been removed and animals are permitted to roam freely, we observe benefits that extend to the entire ecosystem.
For over three years, a multidisciplinary team comprising students, scientists, economists and conservationists have been investigating animal movements and migratory patterns in and around Etosha National Park. Leveraging cutting-edge technology and deploying satellite trackers on over 70 animals of different species, they are unravelling a research-backed understanding of these animals’ movements and the extent to which they are constrained by boundaries. Astonishingly, their findings reveal that animals are not bound by these barriers. Associate Professor Morgan Hauptfleisch, from the Nature Conservation Department within the Natural Resource Sciences at Namibia University of Science and Technology, elucidates, “In just one month, with cameras along three known movement corridors, we recorded 11,000 movements across fences and boundaries, including through the red, or veterinary, line.”
Their research highlights the fact that fences fragment habitats, alter environments and pose risks of injury and mortality to wildlife, hindering their movement across landscapes. Meanwhile, the breaches in the fence are observed to provide substantial advantages to wildlife, moderating grazing pressure across regions, mitigating ecosystem degradation and enhancing genetic diversity as herds interact with diverse mating partners.
Morgan explains that these movements are vital for the animals’ survival and well-being and that with the added
pressure of climate change, suitable feeding grounds are shifting beyond park boundaries, magnifying the need to move across boundaries. In a dry landscape, the animals constantly seek out water and food to sustain themselves. The concept of demarcating areas to restrict movement is foreign to animals; to them, movement is as intrinsic and instinctual as breathing.
“When the animals breed, their numbers go up and they need more space. In one example we were tracking eland, kudu and springbok. We tracked them over time and would see them hanging out in one small area around a waterhole. Then
they would suddenly move with purpose, migrating up to 100 kilometres in three days and what we found was that, without exception, the spots they would move to offered them grazing with 30% more energy than where they had been before. They instinctively know exactly where to go. What we also found was that they do not just move after rains; it is not a seasonal migration that drives these decisions.”
With an infectious grin, this enthusiastic scientist eagerly shares his data, allowing you to witness the precise routes and tracks of individual animals. Among them are elephants traversing between Etosha National Park and Etosha Heights, one of Namibia’s largest private reserves, which shares a 65-kilometrelong boundary with the park. Morgan reveals that these collared animals exhibit such extensive movement that one might anticipate them using the park’s entrance gate. However, surprisingly, they are not. Instead, they are breaking through fences, performing a mesmerising dance of movement across landscapes and boundaries, as depicted on Morgan’s screen.
With each fence breakage, there is a heightened risk of injury to the animals, necessitating replacement at a cost to
the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism. Morgan emphasises the frequency of these incidents, recounting a recent episode where an elephant bull was entangled in wire, which prompted immediate action. “It happens all the time,” he laments. “Because it’s the red line that gets broken, by law it has to be fixed. It’s a constant cycle of repair due to frequent breaches. Now, on the southern boundary, they’ve established a breathing buffer to mitigate these issues.”
Turning to his computer, Morgan selects a single example, one elephant, to underscore his point. “If you examine the data and quantify the number of fences breached over the course of a year, this particular elephant herd made a staggering 144 breaches between the park and commercial farms, many of them of the veterinary cordon fence.”
The veterinary cordon fence, also known as the red line, is a pest-exclusion fence that serves as a delineation between northern Namibia and the central and southern regions. Originally established as a political demarcation boundary in 1907, the red line carries significant historical weight, deeply intertwined with Namibia’s colonial past. Historically, the northern areas were predominantly subject to indirect colonial rule through traditional authorities. Over time, the line has shifted, with an actual fence eventually erected in the early 1960s to contain outbreaks of foot and mouth disease in the north from spreading to the farms in the south. Today, the red line plays a pivotal role, granting Namibia its unique status to export meat across the European Union.
Morgan is optimistic about the potential of this research to drive change in outdated rules and regulations. “There may be a need for policy change,” he asserts. “Currently, we’re analysing this data from an economic perspective. What is the economic cost benefit of either establishing migration corridors along the red line or removing it altogether? We can leverage this information to advocate for policy reform,” Morgan explains, emphasising the importance of raising awareness among policymakers, particularly within the European Union (EU). “I
have worked with renowned wildlife veterinarian Dr Mark Jago for many years, and he believes that if the EU understood the impact of their policies on wildlife, they may be inclined to revise them.” Morgan adds that the team has already published this information, making it public knowledge. “With our wealth of empirical data and the EU’s stringent environmental regulations, we have the opportunity to demonstrate how their current policies are causing significant environmental harm, prompting them to reconsider which measures are most ideal to control livestock disease while reducing effects on wildlife and conservation.”
In regions characterised by semi-arid climates and erratic rainfall patterns, the migratory behaviour of large herbivores emerges as a vital strategy for survival, allowing them to access resources across vast territories. Namibia boasts vast freeroaming wildlife populations, including the largest free-roaming population of black rhinos in Africa and the world’s largest cheetah population. Perhaps it is time we initiate conversations regarding the migration and movements of animals across this vast landscape.
“Across Africa, the expansion opportunities for elephants are becoming less. We have expansion opportunities. This is what has happened at Etosha Heights – it created a mini Etosha with
this semi-open system. This could be just the beginning. There is a massive opportunity for increasing conservation land with commercial farms by connecting them. In the areas outside of the park you either find a communal conservancy or a private farm. Some have converted to wildlife, but others are still farming cattle in an area where the vegetation and rainfall make commercial farming extremely hard.”
Morgan elaborates on the seasonal breeding patterns of Etosha, highlighting the additional strain it places on the park’s boundaries. “Expansion is beneficial for a park; breathing is beneficial for a park,” he asserts. “In regions where fences have been removed and animals are permitted to roam freely, we observe benefits that extend to the entire ecosystem.”
As ecosystems breathe, they thrive. In the rhythmic dance of migration, ecosystems pulse with vitality, nurturing the interconnected web of existence. Just like the lungs of the planet, they expand and contract, responding to the natural rhythms of life. By allowing wildlife the freedom to move, ecosystems flourish, fostering biodiversity, resilience and harmony. What we are beginning to realise, is that this breath underscores the ebb and flow of movement that lies at the heart of all life on Earth. TN
This research is made possible by the GIZ, the German Ministry of Education and Research as well as Etosha Heights.
Text Charene Labuschagne | Photographs Le Roux van Schalkwyk
Vrede
Twyfelfontein
I love rock formations. Perhaps inherited from or spurred on by my mother, who would pick up pebbles and stones wherever we went on family trips through Namibia. From an early age, I was encouraged to peer tentatively at the ground or marvel at mountains. High school geography wasn't all it cracked up to be, I didn’t become a geologist. Every road would have led me to this eventuality, writing a love letter to Damaraland and her rocks.
But you don’t have to be a rock person to love Damaraland. The rocks grow on you, whether you like it or not.
Long before you see the first mopane tree - the most abundant source of green in this landscape - Damaraland begins to unfold. Driving northwest from Omaruru, the escarpment gradually drops. Through dips and turns, cascading hills and a meandering road through them, the snug valleys eventually give way to a rewarding expanse, dotted with granite mountains in the distance and mopane savannah all around. If it weren’t for the beautiful stretch of road, and a village at the base of the mountain, you could easily mistake it for a dystopian sci-fi movie set. It’s precisely the opposite. A very real utopia.
Frantically, I grab my phone and try to capture this cinematic masterpiece. It was at this moment, at the very beginning of our trip, that I realised the pictures might not do this place justice. It beckons, with a luring gesture, to be felt and lived.
Our sojourn for the next few days, Twyfelfontein Adventure Camp, lies at the base of a monolithic granite mountain. The raised platform tents are positioned, facing another nearby mass of rock, looking like a big chunk of ginger snap cookie, with crumbs scattered around. As we clamber up the camp’s staircase to the sunset spot, I’m forced to hold on to the railing for balance. My head tilted back, from side to side, just admiring the rocks. How aeons of heat and cold, wind and dust chip layers and boulders off the old block, forming smoothlooking edges and concaves. Yet you graze a naked elbow against them, and it’s rough as sandpaper. Specks of rock, clustered together. And then you look up, over the lookout, where Damaraland’s flat top mountains create a play of gradients on the horizon and two mountain zebras frolic on the plain, kicking up dust in the golden hour light. Gin and tonic in hand, with the strong southwesterly wind breezing, I’m buckled up for lots more of this.
Damaraland's biggest drawcard for visitors is the Twyfelfontein rock engravings, the largest accumulation of ancient engravings on the African continent, and Namibia’s first World Heritage Site. Situated at the foot of yet another granite mountain, a short walk with a local guide takes us to its base. Along the way, we stop at the derelict homestead of David Levin, who bought the land in 1948 and attempted to farm livestock.
My mind painted pictures of the Levin family and their home on the doorstep of an estimated 5000 rock engravings. Imagine the children playing in this ancient, spiritual place, where shamanistic rituals are said to have taken place centuries ago. Sympathising with his wife, as she was surely just as doubtful of the viability of the nearby spring, as David. Giving it its name Twyfelfontein - doubtful fountain.
While their farming efforts could not withstand the harsh climate and scarce water, the majestic engravings must have kept them here longer than anticipated, as if the Levins knew they struck metaphorical gold. The land was just never supposed to be used for farming.
The local Damara people had long kept their distance from the site, considering it to be a wildly spiritual place, likened to a grave. And spiritual it is, even centuries later, on a guided tour. Etched into the granite are seemingly endless depictions of wildlife, what is assumed to be a map to waterholes in the broader area, and a few unexpected animals in between, including a seal and other abstract engravings of multipleheaded giraffe and a lion with a hand at the end of its tail.
When touring the Twyfelfontein rock engravings, perhaps the best part of the adventure, besides getting to be in the midst of ancient ritual land, is peering beyond the tour trails. When you look around, as I do, marvelling at the rocks themselves, evermore engravings unveil themselves. A lone rhino etched into a flat, sloping boulder, with the mountain filling in the background, a giraffe here and a zebra there.
After our tour, we take some time to read the history and significance of the site in the visitors centre. The San bushmen shamans are said to have created the engravings, slowly chipping tiny parts of the rock, forming braille textured artworks. This process of repetitive tapping and intense concentration would then spiral into a shamanistic, lucid dream, where they connected with the spirit of the land and its animals, most often in an attempt to conjure rain or other favourable conditions.
With this in mind, viewing these engravings becomes meditative too, considering every sharp tool’s hammer hit against the granite and imagining San bushmen travelling incredible distances, coming across this library in the rocks.
After paying our dues, the guide on duty gestures towards a small canyon, explaining the way to the Organ Pipes. This would be a self-guided tour, we figured. Down the gently sloping river bank, we approached the organ pipes from downstream, upwards. I like to think this is the best route, as the geological phenomenon unfolds slowly, then all at once. Again, the photos that preclude this visit only sufficed in making me wonder why it's an attraction. You just have to be there.
Initially leaning sideways, these tiers of rectangular rock splinters gradually stand upright, as you come around a bend in the canyon. Surrounded on both sides by walls of intricately placed, or periodically chopped cascades of dark rust rock, this unassuming sight, which takes only a quick stop to visit, caught me off guard. I could easily have a picnic under the nearby mopane tree and spend the afternoon amongst these brutalist mini cathedrals.
The result of the intrusion of liquid lava into a slate rock formation, these columnar basalts which resemble the long and symmetrical look of organ pipes were formed about 150 million years ago. Gradually exposed to erosion, one can only imagine what still lies hidden under the soil of this ancient land.
As the name suggests, Twyfelfontein Adventure Camp had an expedition up their sleeves. And considering that Damaraland is ephemeral river territory, this adventure would take us up the Abahuab in search of the desert-adapted elephants.
Now, I am no stranger to elephants and their shenanigans. Across the country, if you don’t happen to spot the large mammal, their markings in the bushveld - trees shredded to smithereens or completely uprooted - indicate their presence. Fascinating about their desert-adapted cousins, besides the ability to venture long distances with very little water, is the fact that they refrain from damaging the flora.
What a curious juxtaposition, these giants treading softly in thick river sand, so gently going about picking greenery from trees. They say an elephant never forgets. It appears the desert-adapted ones make this sacrosanct, preserving their habitat for the next time they venture along this route. There isn’t much to go around in this desolate place, and so, the large wrinkly-skinned animals, who seem so out of place here, are one of Damaraland’s great custodians for forestation and sustainability.
In low-range gear, kicking up dust as we drive through the river, its high basalt banks form steep, rock shoulders to the Aba-huab. Around a densely shrubbed bend, and there they are. Roughly 16 elephants browsing, with two little ones bringing extra entertainment value. As they venture further downstream, our guide maintains a safe following distance, and we periodically stop as the giants in our company go for a dust bath, and the babies comedically try to keep up while learning the limits of their limbs.
This year’s rainy season has been less fruitful than hoped for. The few drops that fell have formed small ponds along the banks of the Abahuab. Here, at the swampy water’s edge, we spotted Grey Heron, Hammerkop and Abdim's Stork, the latter two being my first sighting of the birds. We had found the elephants and gotten so much more than bargained for, with a delightful tick of the twitcher’s list.
At the nape of a picturesque pass that ventures further to the Palmwag area, a steep jeep track climbs the Grootberg mountainside.
Our rendezvous through Damaraland took us back in the direction of Khorixas, where another delightfully meandering road weaves through the burnt orange landscape. Soon every second kilometre had a roadside, DIY sign exclaiming “PETRIFIED FOREST AND WELWITSCHIAS!” Himba and Damara craft stalls also dot the roadside. Sometimes it might not look like anybody is there, but pull over your vehicle and a friendly face will pop up to help. While we were tempted to check out one of the unofficial petrified forests, it being my first time, we decided to stick with the official one.
My mind played many tricks on me when picturing the petrified forest. This brings me back to the time my German exchange student stood stunned in the Quiver Tree Forest, eventually daring to ask where said forest was. While the Petrified Forest is a large accumulation of pine trees turned to rock, coming from a European country with traditional pine or oak forests, it’s best that you do not imagine a forest at all.
Arriving in the area over 260 million years ago by a great flood, these large tree trunks lay half exposed by millennia of erosion. Buried under the sand, the wood was deprived of oxygen and silicic acids broke down the particles. Quartz particles replaced that of the wood, forming incredibly preserved growing rings, nodes and bark that turned to stone. The largest single trunk is a whopping 45 metres long and satiated my appetite for mindboggling rock formations.
Leaving the red hues of Twyfelfontein and its surrounds in our dust, the Damaraland expedition ventured a little further inland. Flat-top mountains are the hallmark of this area, I think as we approach Grootberg. Through the mopane savannah, the monolithic mass emerges. At the nape of a picturesque pass that ventures further to the Palmwag area, a steep jeep track climbs the Grootberg mountainside. Once on the plateau, it’s hard to believe this is a mountain. As far as the eye can see in all directions, Grootberg stretches out wide to a blood-curdling drop beyond view. An entire ecosystem exists on top of this great expanse.
I like to think Namibians have certain je ne sais quoi for picking the best spots. Whether driving an endless dirt road and knowing just which tree to stop at for a sandwich and coffee, venturing up a river and locating the perfect rock overhang for
a campsite, but especially when it comes to positioning lodges. Grootberg Lodge is a testament to that.
Walking through the reception corridor, a sneak peek of the view gestures you towards the deck where the main landing of Grootberg Lodge sits perched on the edge of a magnificent valley. Grootberg, as the name suggests, is a big mountain, and its namesake lodge is located at one of its funnels. From here, ever more flat-top mountains colour the horizon, and the breathtaking valley below, its massive scale and meandering water table tributaries leave me wondering how much life exists here, that we cannot see with the naked eye.
A sunset drive takes us across the plateau, where springbok and zebra graze unbothered as saturated rain clouds billow above. I notice the rocks, of course, which lie scattered next to the game-viewing vehicle. Solid, tan-coloured clusters with a multitude of tiny holes withered away. Our guide’s response to my inquiry on the natural phenomenon puts a smile on my face. “That’s just nature,” he says. And this is the gaze from which any non-geologist can appreciate rocks. It’s fascinating how they might be formed. As in the case of these hollowed rocks, a softer matter was wedged into the mix, eroding at a quicker pace than the hard sediment around it. But “it’s just nature” is often clarifying enough.
The drive concludes at a scenic lookout point, where a gin and tonic is poured and savoured as the sun sets behind a distant mist bank. Never have I felt so compelled to yell with childlike excitement “I’m on top of the world!” With another steep descent down Grootberg’s edge at our feet, the Torra conservancy cascades before us with ridged mountains and great expanses, in the picturesque light of sunset and the added tonality of rain clouds.
Another meandering road leads through this landscape, down the Grootberg Pass and into the hinterland. Tomorrow we will take this road that demands to be driven at a leisurely pace. For the moment, all the woes of a fast-paced life reach a screeching halt. All that matters are the rock formations that insist on being marvelled at. The gin and tonics insist on being ice cold. And the views - be they a small mountain lookout like at Twyfelfontein Adventure Camp, or one of grand scale like at Grootberg - that insist on leaving your soul stirred and humbled by the majesty of nature. TN
Text & Photographs Dirk Heinrich
Standing on its hind legs, keeping balance with the help of its tail, and holding its front legs together against its chest and stomach, the little mammal scans the open grassland and the blue sky. Suddenly its eyes are fixed on something high above. It takes me some time to spot the small black silhouette high up in the sky, which turns out to be a vulture gliding across the firmament. Yet no alarm call sends the other members of the group scrambling for safety. The little guard seems to know that this silhouette does not mean danger.
Suricates are known in Namibia as “stoksterte” (Afrikaans for “sticktails”) because they hold their thin tails straight up when danger lurks or when they dash together as a group to or from their burrows. They sleep and give birth to their young in underground holes and tunnels, but during the day they forage in the adjacent landscape. At sunrise, they appear at the entrances and sit in the first sun rays to wake and warm up. Suricates live in groups of around 30 members; some of which will always be on guard duty. They take turns to watch the surrounding area and the sky for danger, warning the others by sounding different alarm calls if a predator is sighted. The alarm call for aerial danger, such as an eagle or a hawk, is different to the alarm call for terrestrial danger, such as a jackal, leopard or snake.
Suricates are a southern African mongoose species only found in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia and might also occur in a very small area in the southwestern corner of Angola. The carnivore atlas also shows an absence in the coastal areas of
southern Namibia. According to the late Mike Griffin, who was the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism’s expert on small mammals, reptiles and amphibians for 32 years, there were six groups of suricates that even live on and close to the beach in the Dorob National Park. I once saw a group on the beach just north of Wlotzkasbaken.
Their sharp and curved foreclaws are adapted for digging. They feed on beetles, eggs, frogs, arthropods, reptiles, birds, plants and seeds. Suricates are known to also feed on scorpions, to whose venom they seem to be immune. The body of these little mammals is between 24 and 35 cm long and they weigh less than a kilogram. They dig their own burrows but also take over the burrows of ground squirrels and yellow mongooses. Often they are neighbours and I have seen a family of suricates live together with ground squirrels and yellow mongooses. Above ground, they kept their distance from each other and there was no aggression between the species. How they avoided each other below ground and who was where at night is anyone’s guess.
Because humans regard them as cute, they have become an attraction in many zoos across the world. They are not threatened in their desert and arid habitats and are listed as “least concern” on the IUCN Red List. People like to keep them as pets, which is illegal in Namibia, except with a permit from the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism. Nobody is allowed to remove an animal from the wild without a permit. Suricates are highly social animals and keeping single individuals is like keeping somebody in solitary confinement. Suricates kept as pets can be very aggressive towards humans and can inflict serious bites.
In a group, only the dominant pair breeds and the entire group cares for the offspring. Brothers and sisters never mate and need to move off to find a partner to start a new group. If one partner of the dominant pair is killed or dies, the remaining partner needs to find a new partner from outside to mate again.
When two groups meet each other at the boundaries of their territories, there will be a show of strength and if the opponents are not impressed, fierce fighting with injuries and even death could be the result.
Individuals who have lost their group have difficulty being accepted by another group. It takes time and perseverance to eventually become a member of the new family. Within a group, everybody cares for one another. Everybody babysits, does guard duty and keeps close contact with the other members – especially during the early morning and late afternoon at the burrow. Scent marking is very important, not only to mark the territory but to ensure that each member of the group carries a common odour.
When foraging in the vicinity of their burrow, there is constant vocal contact between the group members who are either on guard or foraging too. Once the youngsters are old enough to join the group outside the burrows, each has a babysitter who teaches the youngster how to find food, handle the prey and react to alarm calls. Food items are generally not shared, except by babysitters looking after the youngsters. TN
1. This is the irresistible face that unfortunately has people taking suricates away from their mothers and the rest of the group to raise them as pets. This is illegal and the worst thing that can happen to such a little creature.
2. In the early morning, suricates sit or stand at their burrow facing the sun to warm up before getting ready to start the day and go foraging.
3. About three weeks after birth the youngsters come out of the burrow for the first time and start to investigate the surrounding area under the watchful eyes of their babysitters.
4. The young of the dominant pair are looked after by all members of the group. These are often their older siblings.
5. There is a lot of playing and quarrelling going on within the group when they are at the burrow before or after foraging.
6. Dominant males and females can be aggressive towards intruders, other animals and possible danger.
7. The dominant female of the group is lying on her back, suckling her four babies. While she cares for the young, she is off duty from any other group activities.
8. One group member is working while three are on guard (or, one is working and three are watching). They move a lot of material at the burrow, but when looking for food they do not dig very deep.
9. Suricates seem to be immune to scorpion venom and chew off the scorpion’s tail first. Once they have killed their prey, they turn their back to the others to finish off the meal without sharing. Sometimes a member tries to steal a piece but is chased away vocally and pushed aside.
10. All members of a group stick together and on cold winter mornings or evenings, they cuddle together at the burrow entrances before either foraging or going underground for the night.
11. The joys of motherhood - The dominant female, the only one in the group which gives birth, is relaxing near an entrance to the burrow and suckling her young. The rest of the group is nearby, some on guard duty while others are foraging.
n a pioneering move for conservation and sustainable finance, Namibia has introduced its first Nature Positive certificate through a collaborative effort between Save the Rhino Trust Namibia (SRT) and the innovative technology firm Wadappt. This groundbreaking initiative utilises blockchain technology to verify conservation efforts, marking a significant advancement in the fight against wildlife crime
Launched in April 2024, the Rhino Guardianship Certificate ensures that funds raised directly contribute to rhino conservation efforts on the ground. The certification process, meticulously tracked and validated using the aforementioned blockchain technology, requires specific targets for kilometres patrolled and rhino sightings to be met by rhino rangers on the ground, ensuring that the certificates represent verified conservation achievements and helping
The launch event, held in Windhoek, was attended by enthusiastic supporters, partners and key stakeholders from SRT, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, and corporate representatives who discussed the importance of these certificates in demonstrating tangible conservation
Each certificate supports Save the Rhino Trust’s rangers and contributes to Sustainable Development Goals (15, 8, 1), enhancing the local and global impact of each investment. Purchasers of the Rhino Guardianship Certificate buy a digital asset that represents real conservation work, with 90% of the purchase price directly funding the efforts on the ground.
These rangers, hailing from local communities, are at the forefront of protecting the world’s largest free-roaming
population of black rhinos. Wadappt’s platform not only helps preserve these magnificent creatures but also fosters economic growth without compromising the integrity of our natural resources, connecting global capital markets to real-world conservation projects.
This initiative represents a new paradigm in environmental financing. It goes beyond traditional funding methods like philanthropy or green bonds, offering a direct impact nature market that is a sustainable model which other conservation efforts around the globe could emulate.
For more information, or to contribute to this vital cause, interested parties are encouraged to visit wadappt.io or contact Save the Rhino Trust directly. This initiative stands as a beacon of hope, demonstrating that with the right tools and collaborative effort, we can ensure the survival of our planet’s most precious assets and foster a thriving, balanced relationship between humanity and nature. TN
How to Buy a Rhino Guardianship Certificate:
1. Visit the platform at wadappt.io
2. Browse through the available Rhino Guardianship Certificates and select one
3. Complete the purchase process online
4. Once purchased, the certificate is added to your digital asset wallet, providing proof of your contribution
Cost: All children under 7 are free
International visitors
N$ 270 per person 18 years and older
N$ 220 per person under 18
SADC nationals
N$ 100 per person 18 years and older
N$ 80 per person under 18
Our favourite crafts are stocked at the Pulling Elephant Craft Shop at the intersection of the D2612 and D3254 to Twyfelfontein. Compared to the rest, they are a curated selection. The shop features two moving structures, resembling an elephant and a lion, something truly unique. Operated from behind a bush, Herson pulls a cord that makes the elephant trunk go up and down, and the lion to move as well. The shop’s array of animal figurines, authentic jewellery, unique bottle openers and Himba dolls is lovingly crafted by Ferdrika. The mother and son duo behind this craft shop are the friendliest people, and their innovative ideas for drawing passersby are remarkable.
The Petrified Forest craft shop offers a wide selection of curios, handmade by women in the area. Should stopping by at roadside stalls feel too daunting, we recommend this shop as a one-stop destination for every craft Damaraland offers.
While negotiating the price of items is always possible, we encourage you to think twice. Bear in mind that this is rural Namibia, resources are very limited and locals are just trying to get by.
Namibians
N$ 80 per person 18 years and older
N$ 60 per person under 18
In a previous edition of Travel Namibia, we featured Eddy and Letty who run a small coffee shop just 20 km outside Khorixas. Returning to the area for the first time since we dropped off a few printed copies of the magazine. Eddy, Letty and their grandchildren welcomed us with open arms and insisted we stay for a chat over coffee.
Raving about the feature, poring over the magazine, and laughing about all the calls they got after publication, we were reminded of the impact that a seemingly small gesture can have on rural communities. “Even my enemies called to congratulate me,” Eddy said with a snicker.
In the meantime, they have started construction of two overnight rooms for guests, intended to be completed within the year, with a further two rooms following in the foreseeable future. Spurred on by requests from stop-over guests, Eddy and Letty are excited to begin cooking authentic Damara dishes, giving visitors a more cultural experience.
These two individuals are a delight to meet, and once again, we encourage our readers to pay them a visit en route to Twyfelfontein and its surroundings. The Petrified Forest Coffee Shop is 20 km west of Khorixas on the C19 road.
This small town has two supermarkets – Choppies and OK Foods. Basic non-perishables like coffee, pasta, rice, canned food and packaged snacks are available at both. Fresh produce, however, is more limited to root vegetables and fruit.
The town has two fuel stations, Namcor and Engen, each near the supermarkets.
The Namcor fuel station sells homemade pies and freshly brewed coffee and has picnic benches to stop for a break and eat something before venturing on.
For a hearty meal and rest, we suggest the Namibia Wildlife Resorts’ Khorixas Restcamp. A short 5-minute drive north of the town, it offers some great homemade pizzas and ice-cold beer. TN
Text Charene Labuschagne | Photographs Le Roux van Schalkwyk
It’s a cloudy and crisp morning, still dark. The proverbial rooster has yet to crow. On an open game viewer we go slow and steady down Grootberg mountain. Just as the first light of dawn appears, a soft rain breaks. That is not ideal for rhino tracking but we remain optimistic, and soon enough the rising sun dries up the fine droplets, marking the start of a rugged journey into the habitat of Namibia’s endangered black rhino.
And rugged it is. Damaraland, and the Grootberg area in particular, is one bumpy ride. Part of the pleasures of this landscape’s surreal rock formations go hand in hand with incredibly rocky terrain. It’s an adventure, and we take every hiccup and to-andfro sway as such!
Venturing deeper and deeper into the valley landscape with its undulating hills and rivers, we first disembark at a spring. The tracking has begun long since, as the rhino trackers in our midst peer out of the game viewer, zoning in on every detail that the ground might reveal. This spring shows a few tracks of a rhino mother and calf. Our guides indicate that they might be from more than a day ago and not fresh enough to continue the expedition on foot, just yet.
Over another hill and around another bend, through the boulders and large mopane trees, we arrive at another spring. This time, the tracks are fresh. There should be at least three rhinos in the vicinity, and now the adrenaline kicks in. A large mammal with an incredible sense of smell and hearing, but poor eyesight, stands in this unfenced wilderness and we are in its domain, at its mercy. Onwards, the cruiser pulls up out of the valley. From this vantage point, within seconds of us stopping there, the trackers identify a large male rhino, snug in the mopane bushveld, on top of the next hill.
Our guide grabs a fistful of soil and opens his hand. The dust drops at an angle, indicating the wind direction. We are upwind from the rhino. One whiff of our human scent will send him scurrying into the bush, ending the sighting. With the trackers continuing on foot in search of the mother and calf
who left their tracks at the first spring, the rest of our group quickly gets onto the vehicles, hoping the male had not yet noticed our presence.
A fast manoeuvre brings us to the next hill. Engines are instantly switched off. The guides speak in a whisper and, instinctively, so do we, disembarking and following in single file. Dry grass and soil soften every step, nothing else besides the breeze makes the slightest sound.
Our group takes position at the edge of this high ground, binoculars in hand and with hearts racing, while merely 40 metres away and safely upwind, the silent giant stands sentinel. There is much to be said for witnessing wildlife in their natural habitat. It is every bit as frightening as it is aweinspiring, a moment to reflect on the plight of these intensely poached animals, and how they thrive in a forlorn landscape such as Damaraland, and the men patrolling this environment on foot, bent on protecting them. Without a fence or manmade waterhole in sight the reward feels greater, considering the lengthy time it took to track this rhino. The sighting was never guaranteed, as nature has a way of humbling us. We spend a good 20 minutes, reminded of where we are by the deafening silence, the burnt apricot-coloured landscape that increases in colour saturation with every passing minute, as the sun rises into the sky.
A successful rhino-tracking expedition is marked by a handful of variables. The very first order is whether or not the animal knows of your presence. Staying silent, approaching from downwind and maintaining a safe distance are the hallmarks of this. If a calf is present at the sighting, your guide will be extra alert, reading the demeanour of its mother. Should she grow weary and show signs of discomfort like looking around consistently, and guarding her calf with bombastic moves,
A shining example of the possibilities of community collaboration, Grootberg Lodge is owned by the local conservancy and managed by Journeys Namibia. The result is warm hospitality and pride in the services provided by the local Damara community, who have a vested interest in the success of this special place. The staff at Grootberg, from the front desk to the guides and waiters, strive to share their homeland with visitors through impeccable service and a personalised touch.
Perched on a fold of Grootberg mountain, a cascading valley is spread out at the doorstep of the lodge. Every room, built from natural materials and making for a cosy sojourn, features a lookout deck. Lying in bed with the curtains drawn, this rolling landscape, where the valley gives way to flat-top mountains in the hazy distance, goes on for countless kilometres beyond the foot end of your bed. Perhaps one of the few places in the country where remaining at the lodge, lounging by the pool or taking a short walk along the mountain ridge, is precisely what you ought to do. Besides a rhino tracking expedition and a sundowner scenic drive, this view is the number one attraction at Grootberg Lodge and should be savoured for as long as humanly possible.
For more visit journeysnamibia.com
the sighting should be ended. Some guides might want to get their guests as close as possible to the rhino. But however great the photos might be, risking your life and subsequently that of the animal, is certainly not worth it. Keeping in mind that we intrude into a domain where these beacons of conservation roam freely, a safe distance is always better. By no means are the goals of rhino tracking, anywhere in the world, to replicate a zoo setting. Being here, on foot in the rugged Damaraland landscape, in close proximity to a fiercely wild animal is worth far more than taking any risks might be.
Taking in the final moments with this magnificent black rhino bull, a heartfelt gratitude sinks in. It is a sobering thought that these mammals, so deeply misunderstood and endangered, can live freely, guarded by the Save the Rhino Trust trackers and conservancy rangers. This is where they truly belong, and so we tread softly back to the game viewers, feeling deeply responsible for their continued conservation and protection. TN
I always had a stereotypical notion of the perfect honeymoon: sandy beaches, scuba diving adventures, perhaps jetting off to somewhere exotic like Zanzibar. It never occurred to me that travelling locally, that camping or even gravel trails could make for a dream honeymoon. For my husband, the latter defined perfection, and so that was what we did. Providently.
We set our sights on the Epupa Falls, in remote northwestern Namibia, during the sweltering month of December. Departing from Windhoek, our bakkie was loaded to the brim, much to my husband's frustration at having so much to pack for a mere 10-day journey. He made the executive decision to forgo mattresses to accommodate essentials: beer, gin and other chilled beverages. Fortunately, a slim hiking mattress managed to squeeze its way into the jam-packed vehicle. With everything secured, we finally embarked on our journey.
We made a detour through Wilhelmstal for some biltong padkos before hitting the gravel road. A brief stop in Omaruru allowed us to pay a visit to the in-laws, after which our adventure officially commenced. Continuing north, we made a pit stop at a bakery in Outjo – a must for any traveller passing through. Kaoko Bush Camp, our halfway point near Kamanjab, was reached early. After setting up camp we sought relief from the day's heat with a refreshing swim and a cold beer beside the pool, where we were entertained by the antics of rock agamas (lizards) on the surrounding rocks. As we returned to our camp, ominous clouds gathered overhead. Despite the impending rain, we opted for a braaivleis dinner, relishing the cool evening air and catching glimpses of rainbows in the distance. The gentle patter of raindrops on our tent lulled us into a peaceful slumber.
The following morning I couldn't resist teasing my husband about how thin our hiking mattress was, although aside from a few stiff muscles we had managed to have a good night's sleep. After packing up camp we set off toward our primary destination. Along the way north, as we found ourselves skirting the western edge of Etosha National Park, a magnificent giraffe ambled into view, captivating us with its sheer size and grace. Passing through Opuwo we reached the end of the paved road. We had been warned about potentially treacherous water puddles left by recent rainfall in the area. While most would continue with caution, my husband's excitement only grew. The landscape unfolded with unexpected lushness, reminiscent of Limpopo in South Africa. It was my inaugural visit to this corner of Namibia, and with its green hills Kaokoland in the Kunene Region surpassed all my expectations.
Setting up camp at our destination – Omarunga Lodge at Epupa Falls – proved to be a humbling experience, particularly for my husband: we erected our modest secondhand rooftop tent next to our neighbours' impressive airconditioned, two-bedroom rooftop setups, complete with solar-powered electricity. With a bit of ingenuity and the assistance of our makeshift "hammer", a rock, we reinforced our tent with additional steel support and improvised a solution for extending our ladder, which was too short.
Despite its quirks, I found that our tent had character. It was perfect in its own way.
After the exertion of preparing our sleeping quarters we reclined in our camping chairs in the shade of the makalani palm trees along the swiftly flowing river. We spotted a water monitor climbing out of the water and walking along the river bank. Eager to explore, we made our way to the Epupa Falls, marvelling at the sheer volume of water cascading down between imposing cliffs. The sight of baobab trees nestled amidst the rushing streams added to the enchanting vista.
Climbing down toward a majestically big baobab we were awestruck by its immense size and age. We sat down among the rocks below and soaked up the panoramic view of the water masses coursing between Angola and Namibia, spotting dassies (rock hyrax) basking in the sun on the river's large boulders. As we climbed back up, I caught sight of a lizard on a nearby rock, only to discover a snake moments later resting atop the very rock I had touched. Hastily retreating and alerting my husband, we watched in fascination as the snake seized a passing lizard for dinner, unperturbed by our presence.
After this unexpected encounter we continued our exploration and eventually made our way to dinner at the lodge’s restaurant. It was only later, with the benefit of hindsight, that we realised we had seen a black mamba. The momentous encounter added an extra layer of excitement to our already memorable day.
Our three days at Epupa Falls were idyllic, spent lounging by the pool, seeking shade under the makalani palms and exploring the tranquil pools above the falls. One evening we joined a sundowner drive onto a nearby mountain top, where we were treated to breathtaking vistas of the falls as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm glow on the landscape. We found ourselves captivated, lingering for hours, mesmerised by the beauty before us.
As night fell, the air grew humid. Thankfully we had purchased a portable fan, which we ingeniously fastened to the top of our tent for some much-needed relief. Every now and then we would be serenaded by the makalani palm trees rustling overhead, their nuts cascading down in the breeze, adding to the enchantment of our nights beneath the Namibian sky.
We made several camping stops on our journey back home, each offering its own unique charm. At Opuwo Country Lodge we enjoyed the luxury of an infinity pool and drank in the breathtaking vistas of the surrounding landscape. Then, at Oppi-Koppi in Kamanjab, an accommodation voucher entitled us to the blissful comfort of an air-conditioned room and a plush mattress, providing much-needed respite from our travels.
As we departed from Kamanjab the longing for home began to tug at our hearts, but we still had one final stop on our itinerary: camping at Sophienhof Lodge outside of Outjo. Nestled amidst green lawns, the campgrounds offered a serene setting. Relaxing in the shade of the trees, we savoured the tranquillity. An ostrich strolled across the grass and hornbills darted through the foliage in search of insects. A peaceful nap on the lawn was interrupted by the gentle presence of nyala grazing nearby, their graceful bodies adding to the natural beauty of the surroundings. While cooling off in the pool we watched antelope quench their thirst at a nearby waterhole – a reminder of the wild wonders around us.
Back home in Windhoek I reflected on our journey and realised that ultimately a honeymoon is about spending time with your beloved. Namibia's enchanting destinations have given us a romantic and extraordinary adventure, filled with sights, sounds and wonders that will be etched into our memories forever. While camping in these stunning locations was an unforgettable experience, I cannot help but advise future travellers to prioritise comfort when packing, perhaps choosing a good mattress over an abundance of beer. TN
A Tern's 8,429-kilometer Odyssey
Ihave been out at night at the Swakopmund Salt Works together with Mark Boorman on almost twenty occasions to ring terns between February 2006 and January 2014. During this period, I ringed 326 Common Terns and fitted one of them, an immature bird, with ring 4H39662 on 23 March 2007. This individual was then sighted in the Netherlands at Vooroever 1, 1671 SG Medemblik (N 52° 46´ 15” E 05° 07´00”) on 12 and 18 August 2023 – 16 years, 5 months and 2 days later and 8,429 kilometres (straight-line distance) from Swakopmund Salt Works! The sighting was reported to the Arnhem Scheme in the Netherlands, which reported it to SAFRING in Cape Town, South Africa, which in turn informed me.
There have been other notable records involving ringed Common Terns. On 26 November 2001, I found a dead ringed Common Tern on the beach opposite the saltworks. The bird had been ringed nine days before by Mark Boorman, a Swakopmund resident. On another occasion, a Common
Tern I had ringed on 1 January 2011 was found dead in Norway on 15 April 2017. The birds depart from Namibia in April every year and fly up the African coastline to Europe and Scandinavia where they breed. On their way north, two Common Terns ringed by me, one on 24 March 2007 and another on 28 December 2011, were recaptured and released by a French bird ringer on 3 and 7 April 2013 respectively at Lagune de la Somone, 47 km southeast of Dakar in Senegal. The birds were on their way to their breeding grounds in Europe and Scandinavia.
In September every year, these terns travel from the Northern Hemisphere down south to spend the summer in southern Africa. They travel far more than the 8,500 km straight line between the points of capture and recapture because they follow the coastline and search for food along the way. This means that they travel around 20,000 km each year between the Southern and Northern Hemisphere.
was most probably the
time
This Common Tern is in near-complete breeding plumage with a black-tipped red bill and black forehead, crown and nape. Terns like to rest in shallow waters with small elevations where they can rest and are safe.
When on the beach or in dry pans close to the sea, Common Terns roost in large numbers, facing the wind and readily taking to the air the moment one bird alerts the rest. Here some
1. An adult Common Tern halfway in breeding plumage in as early as March. This bird is not blind but blinking. Fortunately, birds have evolved a structure for protecting their eyes. Like humans, they have upper and lower outer eyelids, but beneath the outer eyelids lies an extra eyelid, called the nictitating membrane. Nictitating, for all its alliterative syllables, simply means “blinking”. This extra eyelid is hinged at the inner side of the eye and sweeps horizontally across the cornea. The nictitating membrane is largely transparent, and it helps keep the eye moist and clean while guarding it from wind, dust and injuries.
2. This Common Tern is in non-breeding plumage with dark legs and a black bill.
3. A local ring (left) was attached to a Common Tern which first was ringed as a chick in Sweden and then recaptured at the Swakopmund Salt Works. Common Terns spend the northern winter in the Southern Hemisphere before migrating back in our winter to breed in Europe and Scandinavia.
4. This Common Tern ringed in Denmark (top ring) received a local (SAFRING) ring to make sure we are informed if the bird is recaptured or recovered anywhere in the world. In this way the Danish and Southern African ringing centres have to be informed and need to inform the ringers and those reporting the rings.
5. An adult Common Tern in non-breeding plumage north of Swakopmund at the saltworks, a popular roost for terns. The bird had been ringed and measured a few minutes earlier and took some time to compose itself before flying off into the darkness. The red legs indicate that the bird is about to change into breeding plumage.
6. The map shows the 8,429-km-long straight line between the point of ringing in Namibia and the point of resighting in the Netherlands.
That’s our mantra at Venture Media. Sharing stories, information and inspiration to an audience that understand and value why certain things matter. Why conservation, tourism, people & communities, businesses and ethics matter. How these elements interrelate and how we can bring about change, contribute to the world and support each other. Whether for an entire nation, an industry, a community, or even just an individual. We find, explore, discover, teach, showcase and share stories that matter.
That’s our mantra at Venture Media. Sharing stories, information and inspiration to an audience that understand and value why certain things matter. Why conservation, tourism, people & communities, businesses and ethics matter. How these elements interrelate and how we can bring about change, contribute to the world and support each other. Whether for an entire nation, an industry, a community, or even just an individual. We find, explore, discover, teach, showcase and share stories that matter.
We create comprehensive and personalised creative concepts and curate campaigns based on your needs and goals. From inception and idea to creation, production and dissemination.
We create comprehensive and personalised creative concepts and curate campaigns based on your needs and goals. From inception and idea to creation, production and dissemination.
We create and curate creative content development, strategise multi-media content dissemination and ensure that your content effectively tells your brand story and reaches your audience.
We create and curate creative content development, strategise multi-media content dissemination and ensure that your content effectively tells your brand story and reaches your audience.
Our in-house photographers provide professional, high-quality photography enticing viewers to engage and positively experience your business, lodge, and brand from the start.
Our in-house photographers provide professional, high-quality photography enticing viewers to engage and positively experience your business, lodge, and brand from the start.
Video production and short films are key marketing and campaign tools that can deliver messages visually and effectively. Our team of professionally trained filmmakers will help you capture your stories in the best light.
Video production and short films are key marketing and campaign tools that can deliver messages visually and effectively. Our team of professionally trained filmmakers will help you capture your stories in the best light.
CREATIVE DESIGN
We offer high quality graphic design for online campaigns, print, advertising, and branding collateral. Style, creativity and skill combine to create powerful messaging which is key in driving action for your brand.
We offer high quality graphic design for online campaigns, print, advertising, and branding collateral. Style, creativity and skill combine to create powerful messaging which is key in driving action for your brand.
Social Media has changed the way people connect, discover and learn about new things, showcase their ideas and creativity and share information. We use socials as platforms to share your story with audiences far and wide.
Social Media has changed the way people connect, discover and learn about new things, showcase their ideas and creativity and share information. We use socials as platforms to share your story with audiences far and wide.
... they travel around 20,000 km each year between the Southern and Northern Hemisphere.
One Common Tern found dead at Langstrand between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay many years ago had been ringed as a two-year-old bird on an island off the coast of Germany. The bird was 26 years old when it died and had travelled more than 520,000 km in its life! This is a tremendous effort by a bird 31 to 35 cm in length, weighing between 95 and 160 grams and with a wingspan of 72 to 82 cm.
I have captured a few Common Terns at the Swakopmund Salt Works that were ringed in Finland (6), Belgium (3) and Denmark (3) and one that was ringed in Sweden. Mark Boorman has recaptured many more and from more countries. We have added our own rings to these individuals
to make sure that we are informed if these birds are recaptured or recovered elsewhere.
The Swakopmund Salt Works are an important roost for Common Terns and many more seabirds. Unfortunately ringing efforts at the saltworks have been abandoned because of light pollution from the Vineta and Mile 4 developments. The entire Namibian coastline is an important international feeding ground with numerous roosts for migratory seabirds. The Walvis Bay Lagoon, Sandwich Harbour and Orange River Mouth are Ramsar sites, which means they are wetlands of international importance. Namibia has five Ramsar sites, the other two being Etosha Pan and the Bwabwata-Okavango Ramsar site at Divundu. TN
After a hard day’s entertainment, which you probably started by partaking in OYSTER BOX GUESTHOUSE hearty breakfast, you can unwind on our open deck, watch the African sunset over the vast Atlantic Ocean or have the customary ‘sundowner’ in our sheltered lounge and bar where you might just meet somebody interesting from the side of the world, from Sweden or Chile, from Japan or Costa Rica.
Whatever your needs may be, our friendly staff will assist you and will do their best to ensure that you have a fabulous time at OYSTER BOX GUESTHOUSE!
Guesthouse: +264 (0)64 202 247 | Reservations: +264 (0)61 249 597 oysterboxguesthouse@oysterboxguesthouse.com | www.oysterboxguesthouse.com
Visit us at Ghaub Nature Reserve:
Track Rhino, Eland and other game
Explore the limestone cave
Discover exceptional rock engravings
Enjoy the historic ambience (Mission Station 1895)
Contact us:
+264 (0) 61 217110
www.ghaub-namibia.com
info@ghaub-namibia com
+264 (0) 61 217110
www.waterberg-wilderness.com
info@waterberg-wilderness com
Your rhino experience at Ghaub & Waterberg
Visit us at Waterberg Wilderness:
Rub shoulders with Rhinos
Conquer the Waterberg plateau (guided hiking tours)
Enjoy nature (spring, botanic garden)
Exceptional mountain panorama
Text & Photographs Kim Skov-Nielsen
Like being on the ocean, there are huge, ever-changing big-sky vistas to get your head around. Your ears take on a new sensitivity in the beckoning silence, though even in the desert the birdlife is astonishing. The body adapts to the Namib massage – local shorthand for the unending corrugated road surfaces which shake both vehicles and people to pieces. And then there is that most elusive of Namib sensations: the “singing” dunes, vibrating with soo-oop-wa . “The sand shrieks beneath your feet”, wrote John Marsh who first described the Skeleton Coast in his 1944 book.
The Namib is the oldest desert on earth – a 200+ millionyear-old riverbed of volcanic table-top mountains, gravel valleys and sand ergs. The white sands of the coastal Namib mix with the red sands of the Kalahari further south and further inland. Separating the two, running down the middle of the country – from Etosha to the Naukluft – is a hilly spine of perfect cattle country which is also ideal for elephants, lions, leopards and cheetahs.
On my second day in Africa I drove across the Namib from Windhoek to Swakopmund by myself. The C48 started as tarmac but quickly showed its true character – a graded ‘main’ road that essentially is a dirt road across the desert. They warned me about the heat, but to me 34 °C in the shade was quite pleasant. No blowouts, no flat tyres, no problems. Traffic was not an issue – I saw only six vehicles in 356 km as I was introduced to the washboard corrugation that covers most of the road. The choice between this lane or that lane is a choice between bad and worse!
Swakopmund still seems like a German enclave. German flags and Germans abound. Even my credit card purchases came back as having been made in Germany. All foreigners are assumed to be German, even to the point of being spoken to in Black German, or Namboer German – a sort of Germanised Afrikaans but quite distinct from Afrikaans
– with more Ovambo, Damara and Herero words thrown in. Such as pirinawa or pirinao, meaning it’s OK or that’s fine. Hello and thank you are the same word: nawa Another language of Namibia is Khoikhoi, the amazing click language of the San.
From Swakopmund I drove to the middle of the country for a couple of nights in a lodge at Doro Nawas in Damaraland. We tracked game at sunrise and sunset and did the other tourist stuff in between – the rock art at Twyfelfontein, the Burnt Mountain which is a simple yet graphic geology lesson and a Damara village where they danced for me. I also got an education in luxury travel in Namibia – the fly-in tour of lodges. And what lodges! They are truly luxury in the wilderness, with freshwater showers and big soft double beds with clean sheets and a choice of South African wine for dinner. A lodge was not really what I was looking for, but Damaraland is spectacular.
Then the fun started. Picked up by Karibu Expeditions in two 4x4 vehicles with two guides we headed down a C-road to the Springbokwater Gate to Skeleton Coast National Park and at the coast turned northwards towards Angola – 600 km away. At first, we were still on a D-road, i,e. a graded dirt road between two rows of rocks. That soon gave way to tracks in the sand.
The first stop on the Skeleton Coast was bleak and unappealing Torra Bay for a sandwich lunch next to the roaring surf crashing on the rocks. Allegedly a top spot for beach fishing, Torra Bay was deserted. Next we stopped at Terrace Bay, some 50 km further up the coast, for a final top-up with fuel and to fix a leaking tyre on the Land Cruiser in the mechanics' workshop around the back.
On this first day on the Skeleton Coast, between the Hoanib River and Möwe Bay, we came across the tracks of two desert lionesses visiting the coast for a change in diet, some seal perhaps. We followed them for a while until we lost their tracks among a herd of springbok. We would catch up with them later.
Then, for the next 30 km, the dunes are covered in black magnetite dust from the iron-rich valleys in the interior. The prevailing southwesterly wind keeps the dunes moving at about one kilometre per annum across the Namib and into the interior. The coast grows seaward in some places at an astonishing rate, too, with a shipwreck in the south now lying a kilometre inland!
The thrumming of the dunes, the soo-oop-wa, has been theorised to be due to the gradual compression of the sand as it moves. I felt it when I lay down to sleep that night and found the earth was moving under me – my camp bed was vibrating. I put it down, at least partially, to the strong wave action along the coast, just 50 m seaward of my tent.
We woke to thick fog north of Möwe Bay, and hyena tracks near our camp. The brown hyena is very shy and hard to catch a glimpse of. I never did see one, only tracks. We struck camp and continued north – now completely off-road. The road, as it was, ended at the Möwe Bay Ranger Station where we reduced the air pressure in the tyres even further before heading off north on the beach, to Cape Fria.
All along the beach was strewn, littered even, with sawn and cut pieces of wood, from small crates to sections large enough to be a mast or boom on a square rigger. I did find a boom with iron fittings – behind the Kunene camp building!
Many of the wrecks are known but others remain nameless and mysterious. The passengers of the Dunedin Star – when put ashore, wandered off and came across a wrecked wooden fishing boat five kilometres south of their wreck site surrounded by headless corpses. One passenger went off his head, convinced he had seen his fate in the sand. Indeed, just north of the Karimune wreck, I found the remains of another wooden MFV in the sand, unknown and unidentified. But I could make out that the main engine had once been a big 3-cylinder Lister diesel, which makes it early 20th century.
Wrecks don’t last long in the harsh environment of the Skeleton Coast. Today the 1942 wreck of the Dunedin Star is indistinguishable as anything other than some rusty metal. The wreck and the nearby memorial to the two seamen of the tug Charles Elliott, who gave their lives in the rescue effort, are surrounded by jackal tracks.
Permits to the northern part of Skeleton Coast National Park are time-limited and tourist numbers are also limited, and there must be a 10-day gap between each permit to allow the wildlife to recover. Furthermore, the guides practice what they preach – we never camped closer than five kilometres to a waterhole or a location of wild animals. The animals that came to us in our camps did so out of curiosity or hunger. Not because we were in their spot.
Driving on the beach is an adventure in off-road driving. At one point the track across the salt pans was marked only by sticks stuck into the salty water. I asked what was on the other side of the sticks if I got it wrong and was told quicksand ... We stuck to the track! A mud-covered vehicle in the desert is somewhat conspicuous but there was no one around to comment. Namibia has huge underground water resources in aquifers. The ephemeral rivers run underground in the Namib – perhaps hiding their water for future generations.
There are at least 177 known wrecks on the Skeleton Coast. The Portuguese navigators, looking for a route around the Cape, were of course among the first to come to grief on what they called the coast of death – Costa da Morte. In the Herero language, Kaokoveld means the coast of loneliness Still largely uncharted, with shifting sandbanks, submerged volcanic seamounts and the cold Benguela Current which flows northward from Antarctica at a speed of 5 knots and causes daily fog – all these characteristics make for an extremely dangerous landfall. Bartolomeu Dias, the first man to round the Cape, flirted with the coast and replenished his water supplies at Sandwich Harbour – once well-known as a source where freshwater seeped out of the dunes. Now it is silted over and buried beneath mountains of sand. Other navigators of old sought out other freshwater sources on the Namibian coast. In colonial times the Germans believed they could navigate the Zambezi River to the Indian Ocean and exchanged Zanzibar for the Caprivi Strip in a treaty with Britain.
Onwards, ever northwards, four days more driving on the beach, four more days of ship wreckage, seals, cormorants, tons of whale bones, pelicans, jackals, vultures, hyenas, petrels, snakes and the ubiquitous desert magpies; four days of red iron valleys, green copper valleys, agate and amethyst mountains, and abandoned diamond mines – crossing the Hoarusib and the Kumib river deltas – until I stood on the bank of the Kunene River looking into Angola.
Pelicans were enjoying that the rain in the interior had washed nutrients downriver so that the river mouth was awash with fish. They floated out on the brown river flow, scooping up a few fish here and there before lifting off and flying back to the start of the outflow.
For me: a shower, clean underwear, a cold beer at the Kunene River camp, and a night among the dunes with a clear sky full of stars. Then off across the sand sea that defines the northern border of Namibia’s Skeleton Coast.
Across the river in Angola, the land is barren and rocky and still part of the Namib Desert. On the Namibian side we have to cross the dunes to reach the Hartmann Mountains on our way back south. Not blisteringly hot – “only” 34 °C. We even had lunch on a dune as we repaired yet another flat tyre. The dunes may be soft, but underneath are sharp granite ridges that stick up like tyre-puncturing landmines. We also had to dig out the vehicles a couple of times. But no problem.
German geographer Georg Hartmann travelled this far north in a donkey cart on four expeditions in the 1890s looking for a harbour. The only suitable spot, Cape Fria, is still in the running but still deemed unfeasible. The Hartmann Mountains and Hartmann Valley were named in the geographer’s honour and Marienfluss after his wife. We camped in the Hartmann Valley and believed we saw the glint of a leopard’s eyes late at night, checking out our camp from the rocks above.
Whenever we reached a fork in the road I was at times amazed how the guide unerringly chose the correct turn – without maps, without GPS, without even a compass. I had expected to be able to cheat off the guides’ maps, but they didn’t have even one map. It is all in their heads: the tracks and forks and viewpoints and distances in a national park covering an area of 16 845 square kilometres.
The drive south is a mind-numbing, bone-shaking, spinejarring, headache-inducing, vehicle-shattering, tyre-blowing descent through the ‘gravel valleys’, which are corrugated with scientific accuracy to ruin your day. I am not sure who came up with it, but this land has also been called ‘the land God made in anger’. The Hartmann Valley fits that description – bleak,
barren, harsh and yet beautiful. We blew another tyre and had to patch a fourth. Down to zero spares, I could feel the tension in my guide.
The scenery is pure desert erg – gravel and sand mixed expansively across the landscape as we crossed the Marienfluss track at the orange drum. There are four drums –red, orange, green and black – that mark the track from the Kunene mouth to the Marienfluss. Today they are covered in stickers and the names of the latest ‘expedition’ to cross the track. As in the Kunene camp, where the walls are covered with tourists’ names and places of origin. There I chose to name and thank my guides rather than put my name up there.
At the orange drum, after some hours in the gravel valleys, I innocently asked if this was where the road was going to improve. Elago just looked blankly at me and said, “What were you thinking, man? This is still Namibia!”
Arriving beaten and exhausted at Puros on the banks of the Hoarusib River that evening, we were offered a bungalow in the Karibu Puros Camp but all reverted to our tents for being more mozzie-proof. After another shower and a good night’s sleep we continued to the Hoanib Valley which is supposed to be the jewel among the ephemeral river valleys of Namibia. I wasn’t that impressed – the Huab and the Hoarusib and the Kumib also impressed me. But I saw lions in the Hoanib!
One vehicle left to drive to Sesfontein for a new tyre and some patchwork on the others. Jenson and I went down to the Hoanib and saw baboons, elephants, giraffes, gemsbok and springbok. We lunched in the middle of the river, unaware
that there were two lionesses in the vicinity – as close as 400 metres. Maybe they were the two we had tracked on the coast seven days earlier.
We camped in a bleak side valley away from the Hoanib waterholes and were rewarded with a desert fox, or Cape fox, coming right up to our campfire. A sunrise game drive revealed nothing, but after breakfast, in mid-morning, we were rewarded with the sight of the two lionesses in a thicket. Another guide had spotted them and kindly gave way to us so we could get close. About ten metres separated me from two real live lionesses – and they were huge! Enormous! Frighteningly so! Full of that feline arrogance – to just glance at me and then look away as if to say you are nothing.
A kilometre away a bunch of young South Africans had camped right in the middle of the riverbed, which is strictly forbidden, and were now touring the riverbed standing up in the back of their pickups drinking beer whilst being loud and obnoxious. My guide seriously hoped he would read something in the newspapers in the coming days about a young visitor or two being taken by a lioness in the Hoanib.
At noon we left the Hoanib and drove up to Sesfontein where a football tournament was in full swing. To see so many people after not seeing any people at all for ten days, together with the noise and excitement of the tournament which had brought out the whole community for a beer or three, was a shock to my senses. I spoke to Mamie, the Commissioner for Football who had given up her career in the Bundesliga to work with young Namibian talent. My group spent that night at a campsite just up the road in Khowarib.
The next day was another long drive south – first to Palmwag for fuel and another puncture repair. Our support vehicle –Jenson and the indestructible, jacked-up, souped-up V6 Toyota Land Cruiser pickup with the solar-powered fridge, the extra fuel and water tanks – split away here to go home while Elago and I continued to Khorixas, Outjo, Otjiwarongo and finally the big cat conservancy at Okonjima. Namibia has Africa’s largest cheetah population and the area around Okonjima is at the centre of this population. The Okonjima lodge is pure luxury. We dined beautifully, and I went to sleep on deliciously crisp cotton sheets listening to the roar of a lion. At sunrise, I was privileged to be taken on a game drive where I listened to a cheetah purr.
Then it was off to the airport – on yet another bone-shaking, spine-numbing, vehicle-splintering, head-pounding, tyreblowing, dusty, un-tarmacked D-road! But with gemsbok, kudu, springbok and baboon for company – on a public road!
We covered 1,895 km in ten days, and only about 150 of that on tarmac. We completely destroyed one tyre in the dunes on a granite spike and had six punctures between the two vehicles (one and five). We also had a shattered windscreen and had the front end almost literally shaken off, subsequently held in place with cable ties and duct tape.
I have heard the lions roar and a cheetah purr, I have crossed the Namib Desert by myself and I have felt the soooop-wa of the Skeleton Coast. I have felt myself to be part of the massive great expanses of the Namib and enjoyed the colours and textures of the desert – I have lived! Thank you, Namibia! TN
www.wildernessdestinations.com
We’ve been creating unrivalled journeys through Africa’s most iconic wild destinations since 1983, and today we operate seven camps in Namibia’s most sought-after wild places. Marvel at desert-adapted elephant and lion, the last freeroaming black rhino, the rare brown hyena, huge colonies of Cape fur seals, and miles and miles of unexplored and majestic, untouched land.
And with our complete tailor-made DMC services, powerful booking tools, a vast library of associated product, our own airstrips and airline, and a private 24-hour emergency service, we create safe and seamless journeys across, and between, each of these destinations.
Go beyond even the wildest desert dreams.
Namibia's
Bursaries are an important component of widening participation in higher education. Debmarine Namibia, through its commitment to education, capacity and skills development, is empowering Namibia’s future leaders. The recipients of the Debmarine Namibia bursaries for the 2024 academic year were recently announced, once again underlining the company’s commitment to fostering education, driving socio-economic development and making life brilliant for all.
A total of 26 deserving students were awarded academic bursaries to pursue fields of knowledge vital to the marine diamond recovery industry, such as Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or Nautical Science. The recipients will embark on their educational journeys at respected institutions of higher learning in Namibia and South Africa.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, Debmarine Namibia’s Human Resource Development and Organisational Development Manager, Elke Hanstein, highlighted the company’s annual investment of approximately N$127 million in learning and development, emphasising its dedication to developing skilled workers for the company and Namibia as a whole.
Debmarine Namibia’s Chief Executive Officer, Willy Mertens, pointed to the significance of investing in education to cultivate a highly skilled workforce capable of driving innovation and excellence in marine diamond recovery.
Debmarine Namibia firmly believes that education is a key driver of socio-economic development and remains dedicated to supporting initiatives that ensure access to education for all. Debmarine Namibia’s bursary scheme aims to attract exceptional talents to the company. Each bursary covers fulltime university studies, including registration and tuition fees, travel, meal and accommodation costs, study materials and relevant additional expenses.
A true testament to the company’s dedication to education as a whole, Debmarine Namibia also extends its support to science scholars as well as teachers. The Diamond Award for Science scholarship – one for scholars and one for teachers – is a full scholarship for tertiary education in the science field at an institution of the recipient’s choice in Namibia or South Africa.
Debmarine Namibia’s commitment to making a meaningful contribution to the development and upliftment of future leaders in Namibia does not stop with academic bursaries. The company also supports vocational students with bursaries to complete their trades after successfully passing job attachments at the company.
Among the current Debmarine Namibia scholarship students are Elizabeth Amunyela, Hannes Itope, Ester Abraham, Amber Alania Coetzee, Jackobina Shikalepo, Hope-Elizabeth Nelongo, Melania Kalimbo, Senanses Au Khui Hansen, Saima Kertu Ndengu, Tseline Kalimbo, Russell Dirkie Uiseb, Junias Imalwa, Rodney Amufufu, Petrus Joseph, Elizabeth Imbamba, Rebeca Angula, Paulus Namweya, Silas Kalumbu, Nafimane Erastus, Frieda Fillemon, Helena Shikongo and Charlton Coetzee.
In recognition of his academic excellence, Ainley Amunyela, a Bachelor student of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Namibia, has been honoured with the 2024 Diamond Award for Science for Scholars.
Toini Velishavo and Lucia Hilarius, both studying for a Bachelor of Education at the University of Namibia, have each been awarded the Diamond Award for Science for Teachers. TN
Explore Damaraland through the lens of Ultimate Safaris, offering an intimate connection to the environment across three distinctive properties.
Damaraland is a place of contrasts - the harshness of the Namib Desert softened by the resilience of life. Desert-adapted elephants roam the dry riverbeds, their wrinkled hides reflecting the sun’s intensity. Gemsbok and springbok move gracefully, their survival strategies honed by generations and seemingly unaffected by the desert climate.
It’s an area that holds mystery and magic that continually draws travellers from all over the world. It has a way of making the visitor fall in love with the overt ruggedness as well as the more subtle nuances that are only unlocked when spending a few nights here. The mysterious beauty of ancient rock engravings that tell stories of animals, hunters, shamans, and spirits, connects us to a distant past. The night sky is ablaze with millions of stars, unobstructed by city lights. The way the Milky Way stretches across the sky like a cosmic river, connecting the earthly realm to the celestial. Or seeing one of the northwest’s most prized creatures, the black rhino, so masterfully adapted to its surroundings. Its resilience, a characteristic that can be applied to all living things that inhabit the vastness of Damaraland.
Using a wealth of experience of well over a decade and being one of the country’s top privately guided safari companies, Ultimate Safaris has found a way to perfectly capture this essence of Damaraland in its three properties. Situated just south of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Twyfelfontein, Onduli Ridge, Onduli Enclave and Camp Doros each with an individualistic style and presence aims to give guests a genuine connection to the surrounding environment while also staying true to their values of responsible and sustainable tourism.
Camp Doros lies close to the Doros Crater and offers an intimate and immersive experience to its guests. The unique blend of comfort and wilderness makes it an ideal escape for adventurous travellers.
Overlooking a dry river bed containing scattered mopane trees, the camp consists of six tents perched on raised platforms providing the perfect spot to enjoy an early morning coffee watching the sunrise.
The camp has intentionally been kept small to align with the company’s dedication to conservation and having a low environmental impact in an ecologically sensitive area. Fully solar-powered, even some of the meals are prepared using the energy of the sun.
Focusing on desert-adapted black rhino encounters, this tented camp invites travellers to explore this rugged landscape in search of these large but elusive creatures. Black rhino tracking is done with the help of a highly experienced team of rhino rangers. After an early morning wake-up call, guests mount a game viewer and drive to where the rhino rangers are busy tracking one of the beasts. This exhilarating experience
takes you per foot to see these incredible creatures in their natural habitat. Being non-invasive, these sightings offer no disturbance to the animals but will ensure one of the most unique sightings of this highly endangered species.
With its impressive panoramic views of Brandberg to the south and Damaraland’s iconic flat-topped mountains to the west, Onduli Ridge offers an unforgettable experience for travellers seeking tranquillity and awe-inspiring landscapes.
The camp’s domed orange-brown roofs imitate the boulders of the granite inselberg on which it is built, allowing Onduli Ridge to blend seamlessly into its surroundings. The spacious rooms, adorned with raw pine finishings, open up to a vast plain. Beds can be pulled onto the deck for an unforgettable night under the stars. The prevailing southwestern breeze acts as a natural air conditioner, providing a comfortable rest after a day of activities.
The partially open-air bathrooms are incorporated into the granite boulders, creating a striking contrast between the ruggedness of the environment and the classic comfort of the suite.
Onduli Ridge aims to encapsulate the holistic luxury safari experience. Whether enjoying a wine tasting of curated South African wines in the cellar or treating yourself to a massage at the newly built spa, every moment is designed for indulgence. Meals are a culinary journey, ranging from tapas-styled lunches to pizza nights made in the specially built wood-fired pizza oven.
Prioritising guests' utmost comfort, the exclusive Onduli Enclave epitomises elegance and refinement taken to the next level. This private villa accommodates six adults and is perfect for small groups or families seeking an intimate, elevated safari experience in the lap of luxury, ensuring utmost privacy.
The spacious, glass-fronted suites are fully climatecontrolled, offering stunning views of a large plain dotted with springbok and gemsbok, with the majestic Brandberg looming in the distance.
Perched high against a sun-kissed granite outcrop, Onduli Enclave combines minimalist elegance with thoughtful comfort. Wood-fired hot tubs beckon from private decks, inviting you to soak under the expansive Namibian sky. A personal butler ensures every need is met, while a private chef crafts culinary masterpieces, blending local flavours with global inspiration.
A private guide ensures bespoke experiences, from exploring ancient rock engravings to tracking desert-adapted elephants and searching for the endangered black rhino. Onduli Enclave is a harmonious oasis where wilderness meets indulgence. TN
For more visit ultimatesafaris.na
Damaraland is a place of contraststhe harshness of the Namib Desert softened by the resilience of life.
Lust auf ... EINZIGARTIGES ? N A M I B I A
... der Extraklasse !
* 30 Jahre Berufserfahrung
* Individuelle Betreuung vor Ort
* Selbstfahrer Touren
* Fahrzeug-Vermietung
* Individuelle geführte Touren
* Deutschsprachige Reiseleitung
...WE PUT YOU IN THE PICTURE
SUBSCRIBE TO TRAVEL NEWS NAMIBIA ON
www.pasjona-safaris.com info@pasjona.com Tel.: +264 61 269434
www.venture.com.nawww.venture.com.na
Finding Space in Namibia’s Vast Deserts Exploring Wildlife in Botswana’s Delta Feeling the power of Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls
swasaf@swasafaris com www swasafaris com
TO TRAVEL NEWS NAMIBIA ON www.venture.com.na SUBSCRIBE TO TRAVEL NEWS NAMIBIA ON www.venture.com.na
Waterfront Restaurant Nature drives Watersports Only 90 km South of Windhoek
Tel: +264 62 522369/70 Mobile/WhatsApp: +264 81 3222175 reservations@oanob.com.na www.oanob.com.na
Etosha Mountain Lodge • Safarihoek • Safari House
Etosha Heights Private Reserve. One of the largest private reserves in Namibia, sharing a 65-kilometre boundary with the famous Etosha National Park. Our camps offer the perfect combination of comfort, exceptional safari guiding and off the charts game viewing opportunities, all in one very private reserve. Visit Safarihoek, Safari House or Etosha Mountain Lodge to enjoy this remarkable Namibia experience.
