Stories – Page 44 – Travel Namibia

July 25, 2016

Scheppmannskirche – the church in the desert

Turning off the airport road between Walvis Bay and Rooikop, after some twenty kilometres, you reach the water-extraction station of Rooibank, where Walvis Bay and Swakopmund obtain their drinking water. About one kilometre before Rooibank, on the top of a hill on the right side of the road, is a small church. What is the story of this church that was built right in the middle of the desert?

July 22, 2016

The incredible Zambezi Region

Travelling through Namibia is like travelling through several different historical epochs, continuously encountering different cultures and experiencing different types of climate and vegetation. The Zambezi Region in Namibia's extreme north east is entirely different to the rest of the country in all these respects, especially as regards its history.

July 21, 2016

Shark Island – reflecting a dramatic historical past

There are few places where Namibian history is as tangible as on Shark Island, the wind-swept and barren rocky promontory protecting Lüderitz harbour. The historical reminders and monuments on Shark Island reflect the last 120 years of Namibia’s dynamic history most vividly, and are as interesting and dramatic as the historical processes that shaped the town of Lüderitz itself.

July 20, 2016

Long live the fairies!

The so-called fairy circles are a prominent and enigmatic feature of the Namib Desert that has puzzled scientists and environmentalists for many years.

July 19, 2016

Namibian owls: Creatures of the night

Once you’re hooked on owl watching, you’ll never look back, unless you’re a pearl spotted owlet with a separate set of ‘eyes’ at the back of your head, or a marsh owl, which always look back over its shoulder after take off. Although owls are relatively common, very few people have ever actually seen one.

July 18, 2016

Leaping lizards

Lizards underfoot, lizards overhead, lizards everywhere. But not to worry, they eat bugs, not humans. So why lizards when your goal is to see lion, elephant and rhino? Because before you’ve laid eyes on your first African elephant, you’ll probably have seen at least three kinds of lizard.

July 14, 2016

The clarity of wide-open spaces

My ten-day safari around Namibia had reached the northern regions and we now veered west to the drier parts of the country. Days of desert dreaming were before us. Strangers from various continents, we had now become a group of travellers on the same wonder-filled adventure.

July 13, 2016

Sossusvlei – red world of sand

The dunes are singing. While sitting amongst them on a windy dawn, an eerie music can be heard vibrating through the sand, like a whale song, or a didgeridoo moan. It’s as if the Universe has plucked a chord on her ancient harp and it is resonating here in this red world of sand.

July 12, 2016

Of fog-basking, metabolic water and milli-osmoles: Animal adaptation

How are some animals able to exist without drinking water? The answer lies in the fact that drinking is not the only way to ingest this magical fluid.

July 11, 2016

The phenomenal Himba – a joy to photograph

Barren. Deserted. From all over the world people flock to Namibia to, well, not see people. The idea of a country about three times the size of England with a population of under two million is simply mind- boggling. And yet, there are some natural inhabitants in Namibia who are as beautiful and mesmerising as the landscape.

July 8, 2016

Skyscrapers of the north – Makalani palms

Are palm trees the epitome of exotic destinations? Palm trees with their slender stems and crown of graceful leaves creating images of faraway places, where peacefulness pushes aside the ballast of everyday life?

July 7, 2016

Herero dresses – the bigger, the better

The enormous crinoline dress styled in Victorian tradition is still strong among the Herero women of Namibia, who are extremely proud to wear this distinctive fashion.

July 6, 2016

CYMOT Ultimate Adventure – Unimog adventure into the Fish River

In an attempt to convince me he sweetened the deal, adding: “Oh and while you are here we will take a 1980 model U1100-416 6×2×2×3 Mercedes Benz Unimog truck into the Fish River Canyon and down Donkerkloof Gorge!” Suddenly, what seemed a very mundane and ordinary trip turned into an amazing adventure. An ultimate Namibian adventure.

July 5, 2016

Roadside birds in Namibia

Roadside birding is obviously about big birds. So contrary to what people say, size does make a difference. Depending on your financial status, you will most probably spend more than 25% of your time in Namibia on the road, keeping in mind that Namibia is vast and distances are extensive. So you might as well enjoy your time on the road and do some serious bird watching.

July 1, 2016

Support the endangered wild dog

The decline of the African wild dog, Lycaon pictus, has been well documented over the past 40 years. Distributed formerly throughout 39 sub-Saharan countries, today there are only about 6 600 animals left, inhabiting perhaps 14 countries. It has been endangered for about 20 years.

June 29, 2016

Recycling in Namibia

Although Namibia is generally regarded as one of Africa's cleanest countries, there are nevertheless many areas, both rural and urban, where a great deal of littering and serious pollution is evident. This is not only unsightly, but poses serious health risks.

June 28, 2016

Namibia Animal Rehabilitation, Research and Education Centre

The Namibia Animal Rehabilitation, Research and Education centre (NARREC) is an organisation based on the outskirts of Windhoek, providing relief to rescued animals that have been injured, orphaned or in some way displaced. Founded by Liz Komen, a qualified veterinary nurse, NARREC has facilities to accommodate a large variety of bird species, especially predators, and to provide hospitalisation and rehabilitation to small mammals.

June 27, 2016

CYMOT Ultimate Adventure – Finding Donkerkloof

One day I heard about a place called Donkerkloof - a magical place that is a gateway to a very exclusive part of the Fish River Canyon. When I say exclusive it may be the wrong word, it is just that few have ever been there due to the hassle of getting there. This is a part of the canyon north of where the Ai-Ais trail enters, therefore, the area remains mostly untouched.

June 24, 2016

Surfing the dunes next to Strand Hotel Swakopmund

Namibia has an abundance of sand, so what better way to utilize it than creating our own version of snowboarding? A few enterprising winter sport enthusiasts realized that it was possible to sled down the sand dunes on thin wooden boards. Sand boarding quickly became a national pastime, and a few years after this discovery someone got the idea that you could strap a snowboard to your feet and go “dune boarding.”

June 22, 2016

Get involved using the Carnivore Tracker App

The members of the Large Carnivore Management Association of Namibia (LCMAN) have created the Carnivore Tracker App. for both Apple and Android phones. Carnivore Tracker is a citizen science driven project which collects presence data for all carnivores across Namibia from the yellow mongoose to leopards and lions.