March 4, 2022

Wildlife selfies – A conservation crisis

Imagine travelling the lengths of this planet, enduring long layovers, leg cramps and perhaps a chair-kicking child – all worth it for that highly anticipated moment when the wheels of a steel bird touch the tarmac and you are on African soil. A sigh of relief. Your holiday has just begun and you are undoubtedly off to the far corners of Namibia in search of rugged landscapes, natural wonders and untamed wildlife.
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March 4, 2022

FOUR RIVERS – Go slow and experience the depth, wealth and wonder of the northeast

Rièth van Schalkwyk followed the whim of a family member to break the tradition of Christmas at the seaside, packed the camper for two weeks of slow travel and camped on the banks of the Kavango, Zambezi, Chobe and Kwando to discover the magic of looking closer and staying longer.
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March 9, 2022

The story of a dove-hunting black- backed jackal at Chudop

Early one morning at the end of November 2021 at the Chudop waterhole in Etosha National Park, a black-backed jackal bitch appears. Hundreds of Cape Turtle Doves and a few Laughing Doves, now called Palm Doves, come to drink at the water’s edge. In the usual jackal trot the female moves around the waterhole watching the thirsty doves while keeping a distance of two to four metres from the water. The moment a dove starts to drink, with its back turned towards the prowling jackal, the small predator lowers its head and body and tries to sneak up close to the dove. Most potential victims are too wary or warned by nearby doves taking off. Several attacks end with a splash of water and feathers in the mouth while the prey gets away with a big fright and sometimes the loss of a few feathers.
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March 9, 2022

Emboldened conservation beyond boundaries: The Namib Tsaris Nature Reserve

The area bordering the Namib-Naukluft National Park in Namibia’s south, which may seem like a wasteland to some, has become synonymous with conservation. Unsuccessful commercial small livestock farms having given way to large tracts of fencless land allowing for the unhindered movement of desert adapted wildlife.
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March 10, 2022

When conservation becomes a way of life

All of us had to adjust while the pandemic filtered into our day- to-day life, making major lifestyle changes as we went along. For nearly two years of having to find new creative ideas and hoping for the travel industry to recover, conservation continued… education continued… and so did the passion for sustainable tourism. You see, while the world seemingly came to a standstill, nature forced us to keep going. Conservation had to continue. Supporting communities had to continue. Therefore, tourism had to continue. Because conservancies and communities still rely on tourism.
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March 10, 2022

Namibia’s Wettest Wonderland

Cradled by the Kwando and Linyanti rivers at the Zambezi Region’s southernmost point, lies Namibia’s largest conserved wetland area, the 28,500-ha-large Nkasa Rupara National Park. Complex tectonic, climatic and hydrological events have shaped and reshaped the wetlands over countless aeons. The most dramatic change took place millions of years ago when uplift along the Linyanti Fault diverted the Kwando River into a northeasterly direction.
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March 16, 2022

Park of the People: The brilliant and bold Bwabwata

The car is packed, the rooftop tent strapped and you bought more snacks than you should have for the nine or so hour drive to Bwabwata National Park from Windhoek. It’s a long haul north, but now you have hit the sharp right turn, leaving Rundu in your rearview mirror. Each tree is starting to look greener than the one before as you cruise alongside the Okavango River, keeping a keen eye open for the entrance to your accommodation.
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March 20, 2022

On the Frontlines of PANGOLIN PRESERVATION

Across the vast landscapes of central, northern and northeastern Namibia, the plight of the pangolin, an inconspicuous creature, continues. This small mammal plays a major role in the bushland ecosystems of sub-saharan Africa and, as the most trafficked mammal in the world, lives under an ever-present dark cloud of threat. Enter Namibia’s newest concerted effort trained directly at the preservation of this important species - the Namibian Pangolin Working Group.
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March 20, 2022

Living in the land of sand and freedom: So are the days of our lives

Here we go again. Another move. If you have been reading along from the start of our journey, you will know we should be pros at this. I am typing this from a dusty, near-empty house, which has been our home for almost six years. These walls have held us, they have been a place of safety, healing and deep growth.
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March 20, 2022

FlyNamibia Safaris

Namibia is great for self-drive adventures, and for those who have the time this can be a rewarding experience. But if you truly want to make the most out of your vacation, fly-in safaris are the most effective, and enticing, mode of travel. From the views to the ease with which you can reach far-flung and remote places, seeing Namibia by air is an other-worldly experience. Enter FlyNamibia Safaris.
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March 20, 2022

Breaking the elusive 100

It is a typical November day in Lüderitz. The wind is howling. The type of wind where on the B4 you have to dodge the tiny dunes blown onto the tarmac, or when you dare to get out of your vehicle, better be sure to have a good grip on the door handle. Needless to say, in this weather any sane person stays safely indoors and only ventures outside if it is really necessary. Yet, for a handful of speed windsurfers from around the world, gathered just south of the town at Second Lagoon, these conditions are perfect. High winds have helped to break the 50 knot (92.6 km/h) barrier and present the potential to break the elusive record of 100 km/h or just under 54 knots.
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March 20, 2022

Of teeth and claws: Taking stock of carnivore research in the Greater Etosha Landscape

Etosha National Park has a long history of research with a dedicated research centre, the Etosha Ecological Institute (EEI), located at Okaukuejo since 1967. In partnership with the EEI, the Ongava Research Centre conducted a literature review and search for any form of output from research conducted on carnivores within a buffer of 50 km of Etosha. This included scanning online databases, but also spending several days in dusty archive rooms at the EEI.
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March 20, 2022

Paul van Schalkwyk: A Photographic Collection

The late Paul van Schalkwyk’s body of work, published by his wife Rieth in his honour, is a phenomenon. The collection of photographs feature familiar Namibian destinations such as the Namib Desert, Etosha National Park, the Messum Crater and the Skeleton Coast of Namibia from an aerial perspective, completely reinventing the way that these popular photographic subjects are generally viewed and perceived.
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March 20, 2022

It’s about time, not distance

In Damaraland you don’t measure a trip from here to there in distance; you measure it in time. Forged from an outpouring of lava some 130 million years ago and then exposed to millions of years of erosion, fluvial drainage, sun, wind, temperature extremes and seismic activity, the landscape is so rugged, it ranks as one of the harshest terrains on our planet. In this regard, the extreme terrain acts as its own fortress, a barrier to outsiders and a haven for those that can adapt to live within this land of sun-baked basalt and hardship. The wildlife that has forged a life in Damaraland’s mountains and valleys is unique, not in their physiology, but in their generational knowledge – survival messages passed on from old to young – which enables them to survive the very extremes of life itself.
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March 20, 2022

Birding with Pompie: Lapwings and Plovers

Corgis are highly alert dogs, they react to any sound by barking. They are fearless, aggressive and excellent watch dogs, reacting by sounding the alarm for almost everything. Unfortunately it barks at almost anything, which can get annoying. They also become destructive, chew on furniture or other forbidden things. Separation anxiety can occur when not saying goodbye, and barking all day, getting on everybody's nerves, is a well known trait. Not unlike the Lapwing...
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March 20, 2022

Driving in the bush (bundu-bashing)

If ever there was a person or driver who is not suitable to write about cars, i.e. 4-wheel vehicles, I can claim without any doubt to be that guy (call me a man). I might as well start with my claims to fame with changing my car’s flat tyre and putting back the same flat tyre. If the car stops working, I can check the tyres and fuel and, well, that’s it. I was once unable to open the bonnet because I couldn’t find the catch.
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June 1, 2022

CHEETAH CONSERVATION

When American scientist Dr Laurie Marker launched the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) in 1990, she had no idea where this new adventure would take her. A zoologist from California, she learned about threats to a declining wild population while conducting in situ research in Africa in the late 1970s and through the 1980s. Dr Marker routinely travelled to Namibia and other cheetah-range countries from her positions with Wildlife Safari and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Zoo to study the habits of the world’s fastest feline. But it’s what she learned about human behaviour that shocked her. Habitat loss, loss of prey, and conflict with livestock and game farmers put cheetahs on the fast track to extinction. Livestock and game farmers were shooting, trapping and removing hundreds of cheetahs each year – more because of perceived threats than actual predation. She realised if no one would soon intervene, the cheetah might be lost forever.
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