September 26, 2017

A quick walking tour through Swakopmund

There aren't many towns that offer quite as much to the traveller on foot as Swakopmund. The historic town is located where the desert hugs the Atlantic Ocean, north of Walvis, and was the original settlement of German colonists. Swakopmund has a distinctly quirky style that managed to survive even with its growth in size. A walk along its roads reveals little treasures that are easily overlooked otherwise. Make a trip of it and take our walking tour to get the most out of Swakopmund.
October 16, 2017

10 Best Places to do Breakfast in Namibia’s Capital City

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_masonry_media_grid element_width=”3″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1512544326873-8ad7ae80-f235-3″ include=”49957,49968,49967,49965,49963,49958,49960,49959″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Words and main photograph: Nina van Schalkwyk Everyone has their favourite breakfast place. I know I do. Sunday mornings, sleeping late before […]
October 30, 2017

Top 4 View Points in Windhoek

How about taking a couple of minutes to escape from your screen and busy schedule? Finish the year with the same energy you started. I have compiled a list of tiny escapes right here in Windhoek with beautiful views. Beauty is everywhere, whether you appreciate it today, on Christmas day or only next year January until the “New Year, new me” motion has passed. There is poetry in each sunset, a spiritual element in every scenic view. Few things are as liberating as watching a sunset from your favourite spot with a good friend.
January 30, 2018

This is my Namibia – Spring 2017

I stood atop a rock overlooking the Hartmann’s Valley in Namibia ’s north-western Kaokoland Region. Breathless. Speechless. A tear quickly wiped away. Clichés, I know, but often words fall short. It wasn’t just the view, but a culmination of factors so intricate that I could scarcely explain it to myself, let alone anyone else. I didn’t take out my camera. I had previously tried to capture moments such as these elsewhere in the country: the view from a dune at Wolwedans, the sunset over the Okavango. Each time I was disappointed with the result. Sometimes the magnitude of the moment just can’t be captured. Or maybe I’m just not good enough a photographer…
July 4, 2018

The Camping Files

The camping bug bites the most respectable members of our community. Deputy Judge President Hosea Angula started exploring Namibia with fellow supreme court judge Dave Smuts and the late photographer Tony Figueira in the early 80’s. And even though work seems to be getting in the way of his hobby, we do believe that once a camper, always a camper. Here Judge Angula shares his thoughts on the best camping cars, scaling the Brandberg and why you should never leave your shoes outside the tent.
July 4, 2018

A sense of Home and Hope: Landscape-Level Conservation

From towering sand dunes and ragged mountaintops to canyons carved deep into the earth and underground lakes, lush tropical vegetation to searing deserts, dry riverbeds to oases in the truest sense of the word. From the cold Atlantic Ocean to perennial rivers and floodplains, thundering waterfalls to the silence of the savannah grasslands. The landscapes of Namibia have inspired many who have had the privilege to set foot on this land. A source of life and livelihood, it is the land of immense diversity. Where you will find incomparable sunsets and space for the soul to breathe. It is the place we call home.
July 13, 2018

Ovambo – Life in the Slow Lane

April is a reflection. A reflection of a good rainy season. A reflection of tall, slender makalani palm trees in the crystal-clear surfaces of oshanas (meaning pans in Oshiwambo) brimming with fresh rainwater and lined with lilies. This year is no exception. And the Owambo Region in the north becomes one of the most scenic and inviting parts of the country. It beckons you to delve into its colours, flavours and vibrant liveliness. Immerse yourself in a heart-warming culture with which about half of Namibia’s population identifies. Linger off the beaten track by linking your Etosha trip with Owambo and make the most of the last days of summer.
July 13, 2018

Starlings not that Common

If there were a lion behind every second bush, or a leopard in every tree, would they be so special? Would photographers want to shoot them (to protect them), would photographers drive off-road or into a no-entry road to get a better angle on their million dollar picture? I have in fact seen people drive all over each other to get a closer look at a lion, to get to the front of the scene of the crime. Imagine, for a lion! Luckily no photographer will ever do that. The point I want to make about starlings is that they are too common. Most of the starlings have a metallic sheen flashing back when the sun touches their feathers, but unfortunately they are not so special because they are just too common. This might be where this terrible word is coming from: ‘common’, like too many seen too often. Possibly it is also because they are robust and gregarious. Let’s rather call them plebeian.
July 17, 2018

Joining Forces and Uniting Conservationists

Conservationists and biologists are usually, through the nature of their work, people who work in isolation – especially those that are field based. Communications between individuals or even organisations may be limited to formal information exchanged via publications, workshops or social media. Events that unite multiple people, structures and organisations in a personal and interactive manner, a sort of one-on-one interaction in the desert, swamp, ocean, savannah or wherever they might be working, are rare. 
July 17, 2018

Mika Shapwanale and the Strength of the Human Spirit

I had the good fortune to meet one such person. Mika Shapwanale, manager of the Mushara Collection east of Etosha.  On a recent visit to Mushara, Mika and I sat down in the shade of the trees and chatted about his journey in tourism. But it wasn't merely an exchange of the usual what do you do's. Mika is an exceptional person.
July 17, 2018

Neuras – Wine and Wildlife Estate

Bright green vineyards are set against a harsh desert backdrop. Neuras Wine and Wildlife Estate mainly consists of stony desert or savannah grassland but nevertheless, it is an oasis in every sense of the word. Because the estate sits on a geological fault that creates a near-perfect terroir for cultivating grapes. Five springs provide pure water, while the mountains shield the earth from the unforgiving desert wind and the alkaline soil is just right for vines.