January 21, 2024

Romantic and authentically grounded at Brigadoon

I love places with history and with people who have grown in it. I found such delights during a recent stay at Brigadoon Boutique Guesthouse in the heart of Swakopmund, Namibia’s coastal holiday metropolis. This well-known boutique guesthouse is now part of Ondili Lodges and Activities, a proudly Namibian company which implements its vision of sustainability and low carbon footprints through its range of low-impact, environmentally friendly establishments.
January 21, 2024

ECO AWARDS NAMIBIA

Eco Awards Namibia is the only certification program for rating sustainability in Namibian tourism establishments. It is an NGO partnership of twelve organisations, representing the private sector, civil society, parastatals, tertiary institutions and the government, including the Namibian Tourism Board.
January 21, 2024

‘Ugly’ is in the eye of the beholder

One of the Marabou Storks’ exceptionally sophisticated habits is to defecate on their legs, giving them a white appearance. Apparently the reason is to cool down by urohidrosis, since they do not spend that much time near water. The other two stork species that share this habit are the Openbill and White Storks.
January 21, 2024

“I will be back”

“Never again!” That seems to be the solemn pledge after a five-day stint of hiking the Fish River Canyon. That’s what Eric McLaren thought to himself upon completing the extraordinarily challenging Fish River for the first time. For me, this was the prevailing thought that occupied my thinking as I attempted to focus on “just one more step and then another”.
January 21, 2024

Dust-stomping playlist

So much of this continent’s cultural identity, from South Africa to Egypt, from Tanzania to Nigeria, is rooted in the practice of dancing. But before Africa could dance, its people made music. You only need to hear a church choir sing gospel, their synchronised swaying helping to keep the tempo, and see two hands move like liquid over the stretched hide of a drum, to begin to understand the influence Africa has had on countless music genres.
January 21, 2024

Namibia’s Biomass Revolution

With 45 million hectares of the country considered “bush encroached”, Namibia finds itself in a unique situation – one which holds the potential to provide revenue and opportunity. And indeed, a dynamic industry is developing around the biomass resource. Here is a summary of what was discussed at the recent Standard Bank Biomass Fair 2023.
January 21, 2024

Grave of John Ludwig

Driving down Willemien Street in Windhoek’s Ludwigsdorf suburb you will notice an old graveyard with an impressive mausoleum that might seem a bit out of place among the high-walled modern houses. The graveyard is the last resting place of John Ludwig, one of the colonial pioneers, after whom this luxury suburb is named.
January 21, 2024

Do blissfully nothing at Ietsiemeer

Beach holidays on our coastline look a little different. The Skeleton Coast did not earn its name for being a sunny swimmers’ haven. It is called that way for being majestically moody and predominantly overcast, with the cold Benguela Current ruling the restless waters. Sure, the sun comes out and the wind takes a break every so often, but loving our coast includes indulging in its almost constant cooler weather. Going for beach walks here means wearing a sweater and sensing how the baby hairs around your face curl from the crisp moisture. It is a different kind of Namibia from the dry interior, a welcome respite and utterly magical in its own right.
March 1, 2024

Making Mindful Moves along coastal shores

Making mindful travel choices helps us to slow down and appreciate the finer details of what is going on around us. This can have a positive effect on our carbon footprint and the environment, whilst supporting local markets and people. We have created a list of a few of the mindful, conscious or environmentally friendly places you can visit on your trip to the coastal town of Swakopmund.
March 2, 2024

Made in Namibia: Where Art and Heart Come Together

An innovative hub for Namibian crafters, artists and innovators – a platform for their work to reach potential buyers – can be found in the coastal town of Swakopmund. The Made in Namibia Collection hosts a variety of locally made products from all over the country. As a collective, it provides a home for small-scale artists and entrepreneurs to sell their work. The range includes established and well-known Namibian brands as well as products by individuals from different ethnic backgrounds simply looking to feed their family with their craft.
March 3, 2024

Unique Stays Across Namibia

Some call this the land of milk and honey, others name it the land of endless horizons. Namibia is also fondly known as the land of the brave, or the smile on the face of Africa. Many titles have been attributed to this country by locals and visitors alike, and as a local myself, I’ll biasedly say they’re all true. But if only one word were available to do justice to this beautiful place, it would have to be “unique”.
March 4, 2024

Slofari: Namibia allows you the time to s-l-o-w down

Slow travel is a mindful approach of taking the time to see less, but experience more. It is about exploring one or two regions rather than sprinting through an entire country merely to tick the boxes. Slow travel is about immersing yourself within a culture to better understand its people and their way of life. It is about partaking in authentic, community-led experiences with those who have the best interests of the environment at heart.
March 5, 2024

Gardens in the desert

On the edge of the Namib Desert, at the gateway to Sossusvlei, lies the village of Maltahöhe. Founded in 1899 and once a hub for tourism, Maltahöhe has been on a steady decline for a number of decades. As it became more dilapidated, this small southern community saw an exodus of businesspeople and a massive spike in unemployment. What had been a welcome stopover was now a place that visitors would rather pass through in a hurry. But this was in the past, and today Maltahöhe is on track to become a thriving desert-based economy thanks to an exciting community revitalisation project called RuralRevive.
March 16, 2024

Namibgrens A sanctuary for the soul

A treasure well-known by Namibians looking for a special getaway or event location, Namibgrens is a generational working farm that boasts superb accommodation options built into giant granite boulders. What many do not know about Namibgrens: this destination is a gastronomic delight, a feature becoming more popular in travel choices considering that what we often remember most after travelling is the food we ate.
March 21, 2024

Namibia’s fascinating world of Scorpions

If you are a Scorpio, you were born between October 24th and November, 22nd. If you want to see the constellation of Scorpius in the clear, possibly moonless night sky in Namibia, the best time is winter. But if you are interested in finding scorpions out there in nature, it should be a dark and warm night in summer.
March 21, 2024

Practice Makes Perfect

This is probably the most fascinating bird that occurs in Namibia, at least as far as their hunting/ fishing methods are concerned. They are skimming the water with accuracy and precision with their flexible orange red bill only 2–5 centimetres below the surface for fish that might have the audacity to come up that close.
March 21, 2024

Road Trip Rules

Many of my fondest childhood memories begin on a Friday afternoon. My self- employed parents would bid the office farewell at lunch time and the next two hours were spent chaotically collecting all the necessities, stuffing my father’s Hilux bakkie to the brim with tents, cooler boxes and bedding. The last stop at the supermarket always had my dad grumbling between drags of a cigarette, as he itched to get out of town and hit the long road.