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

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.
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.
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 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

The Odyssey discovering special stops alongside the road

The traveller, the seeker, the journeyer. These are travellers who are curious. They go slow, stopping every so often to take in the views. Those who are interested in what they might find along the way. The ones who believe in the odyssey, the eventful or adventurous journey.
March 21, 2024

A Love Story Gone Wrong

When I visited Mahango Game Park in January this year, I witnessed this intriguing courtship feeding process. Apart from the fact that feeding chicks is not part of the cuckoo family’s habits, I was amazed by the sheer efficacy and speed at which the courtship feeding took place. My initial thought was that the male was actually taking over the function of raising their young, but then I realised that the “chick” was an adult female Diederik Cuckoo.