off the beaten trackn namibia Spring 2012 72 tlmnthe travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk n Namib desert Namibia Tourism - www.fotoseeker.com/Lisa Young tlmnthe travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk 73 n Ghost town Kolmanskop n Crossing the Tropic of Capricorn n Cheetah at AfriCat's is being engulfed by the Namib Desert Okinjima sanctuary Tucan Travel
T he bowling alley is knee-deep in sand. Rather than the bilious clatter of skittle on wood, the only sound is that of the wind whipping up the peach-coloured sands as the shimmering heat of a late afternoon subsides and the shadows of the ghost town of Kolmanskop grow longer. The scene of one of the last century’s greatest diamond mining booms, Kolmanskop’s heyday, when the town’s bars and skittle alley were crammed with hustlers, shaman and opportunists, all seeking their fortune from the rhombus that washed up on the shores of the Skele- ton Coast, has long gone. Since its abandonment at the end of 1950s, the clapboard houses and rotting verandas have been getting slowly reclaimed by the mighty Namib Desert, vast dunes burying some of the old homes up to their chimneys. Visiting Namibia, I quickly realised that, whether it be the verdant tropical lushness of the north of the coun- try or the arid desert wastelands of the south – where Kolmanskop is slowly disappearing, this is a land where nothing moves quickly and where nature is given the space to breathe and evolve entirely on its own terms. Larger than Spain and Portugal combined, yet with a population of barely two million, Namibia is one of the emptiest, and one of the newest, nations on the planet. With a murky colonial past where it was one of Germany’s few African outposts (explaining why much of the white population in coastal towns such as Swakopmund are tri-lingual in German, English and Afrikaans) and decades as part of apartheid South Africa, Namibia finally achieved independence in 1990. Now its stark, otherworldly beauty, for so long known only to diamond workers and indigenous Bushmen, is beginning to be discovered. 72 tlm n the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk Spring 2012 off the beaten track n namibia Cool for cats did you know? l The world’s largest underground lake, Dragon’s Breath Lake, is in the Otavi Mountains in north-east Namibia. Discovered in 1986, its surface area is about five acres. l The Namib is the world’s oldest desert, at about 80 million years old, and has the world’s highest sand dunes. It is sometimes called the “Living Desert” due to the wide range of its fauna. l The fossil plant, Welwitschia Mirabilis, grows in the Namib Desert and has a lifespan of up to 2,000 years. l Namibia has the largest free-roaming cheetah population in the world, estimated at 2,500. l Namibia is the largest producer of diamonds in the world. l Scores of shipwrecks litter the beaches of the Skeleton Coast – caused by dense fog and rough surf. Bleached whale and seal bones are a reminder of Namibia’s whaling industry. With vast, empty expanses of desert, a coastline of soaring sand dunes, wildlife-rich African bush, diamond rush ghost towns and a German colonial heritage still evident today, Namibia is a land of stark contrasts that tourists are just beginning to discover. Rob Crossan savours some close encounters of the furred kind as he explores n Namib desert Namibia Tourism - www.fotoseeker.com/Lisa Young
Transcript
The bowling alley is knee-deep in sand. Ratherthan the bilious clatter of skittle on wood, theonly sound is that of the wind whipping upthe peach-coloured sands as the shimmeringheat of a late afternoon subsides and theshadows of the ghost town of Kolmanskop
grow longer.The scene of one of the last century’s greatest
diamond mining booms, Kolmanskop’s heyday, when thetown’s bars and skittle alley were crammed with hustlers,shaman and opportunists, all seeking their fortune fromthe rhombus that washed up on the shores of the Skele-ton Coast, has long gone.
Since its abandonment at the end of 1950s, theclapboard houses and rotting verandas have beengetting slowly reclaimed by the mighty Namib Desert,vast dunes burying some of the old homes up to theirchimneys.
Visiting Namibia, I quickly realised that, whether itbe the verdant tropical lushness of the north of the coun-try or the arid desert wastelands of the south – whereKolmanskop is slowly disappearing, this is a land wherenothing moves quickly and where nature is given thespace to breathe and evolve entirely on its own terms.
Larger than Spain and Portugal combined, yet with apopulation of barely two million, Namibia is one of theemptiest, and one of the newest, nations on the planet.
With a murky colonial past where it was one ofGermany’s few African outposts (explaining why muchof the white population in coastal towns such asSwakopmund are tri-lingual in German, English andAfrikaans) and decades as part of apartheid SouthAfrica, Namibia finally achieved independence in 1990.
Now its stark, otherworldly beauty, for so long knownonly to diamond workers and indigenous Bushmen, isbeginning to be discovered.
72 tlm n the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk Spring 2012
off the beaten track n namibia
Cool for cats
did you know?l The world’s largest underground lake, Dragon’s Breath Lake, is in the Otavi
Mountains in north-east Namibia. Discovered in 1986, its surface area is aboutfive acres.
l The Namib is the world’s oldest desert, at about 80 million years old, and hasthe world’s highest sand dunes. It is sometimes called the “Living Desert” due tothe wide range of its fauna.
l The fossil plant, Welwitschia Mirabilis, grows in the Namib Desert and has alifespan of up to 2,000 years.
l Namibia has the largest free-roaming cheetah population in the world, estimatedat 2,500.
l Namibia is the largest producer of diamonds in the world.l Scores of shipwrecks litter the beaches of the Skeleton Coast – caused by
dense fog and rough surf. Bleached whale and seal bones are a reminder ofNamibia’s whaling industry.
With vast, empty expanses of desert, a coastline of soaring sand dunes, wildlife-rich African bush,diamond rush ghost towns and a German colonial heritage still evident today, Namibia is a land ofstark contrasts that tourists are just beginning to discover. Rob Crossan savours some closeencounters of the furred kind as he explores
deserted roadsCheaper than Botswana, less-well traversed than SouthAfrica and with infinitely better infrastructure thanZambia or Malawi, Namibia is perfect road-trip country,where the thin ribbon of asphalt is so deserted that slow-ing down the car to chat to any passing motorist isconsidered almost de rigour.
The desecration of fauna in so much of sub-SaharanAfrica is a threat taken seriously in Namibia, nowheremore so than at Okinjima – a vast park in the centre ofthe country, about three hours drive from Windhoek andhome to the AfriCat Foundation.
Set up 19 years ago as a refuge for cheetahs that hadbeen shot and injured by farmers in the wild, the parknow operates as a kind of Priory Clinic for big cats beingrehabilitated after suffering physical or mental traumathrough a farmer’s gun or through being orphaned bytheir parents being shot.
Slowly being released into bigger and bigger sectionsof the park until they are able to fend for themselves – atwhich point they are fully released – it’s a fascinatingprocess with luxury thatched-roof, dome-shaped individ-ual cabins (called rondavels) for guests to stay in, whereeach morning the canopy walls are rolled up to leavenothing between you and the wild African bush.
My guide, Jacques, a typically-burly and amiablewhite Namibian bedecked in khaki shirt and shorts, tookme on an early morning drive through the park to meetthe resident celebrities. “Brad Pitt and Angelina Joliehave stayed here”, he told me as our Land Roverbounced across the dirt tracks in the searing heat.
“But they’ll never be as famous around here asHercules.”
Too old and tame to ever be released back into the wild,Hercules and four of his friends, all sable fur-colouredcheetahs with soulful eyes and purrs as loud as helicopters,came to greet us. Barely four feet from my hands, Herculeshimself looked slightly bemused at my agog expression.Herding his friends to the middle of the dirt track we’d justdriven down, the four of them lay down, seemingly want-ing to pose for photos amid the scrub.
relaxed paceFor over an hour, Jacques and I sat there observingclose-up these titans of the African bush which, even inthe comfortable “retirement” home section of Okinjima,instantly project an aura of cool and refined, albeitsomnambulant, strength.
Using radio detectors we set off again, this time onfoot, to find Paddington, a hyena donated to AfriCat by afarmer who had been keeping him as a pet. SpottingPaddington’s dinner first, a young baby kudu he had just
74 tlm n the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk Spring 2012
off the beaten track n namibia
wildlife thrills parkand rideThe poster girl for Namibia, Etosha is thelargest park in the country, with nearly 9,000square miles of woodland, scrub and blinding-white saltpans. You may have to look a littleharder here than in South Africa’s Krugerpark to see the Big Five – but the lack ofhonking coaches and Land Cruisers is initself a vital attraction. Patience will almost always be rewarded witha sighting of a lion, cheetah or leopard butthere’s just as much of a thrill in seeingspringboks bounce over the earth, kicking upplumes of red dust, or in spying for vulturesand kudus from the veranda of lodges suchas Onkoshi, located within the park. My own personal favourite moment? Parkingup by a waterhole at sunset to see a greyinglioness idle out of the bush for a solitaryevening drink – her expression, as she turnedher huge skull towards us, one of utterly-indolent contentment.
“This is aland wherenothingmovesquickly andwhere natureis given thespace tobreathe”
Spring 2012 tlm � the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk 75
Omantravel is fullyATOL bonded forcomplete peace of
mind
Explore the heritage, culture and diverse landscapes ofthis welcoming and fascinating country – or just take
time to relax in one of our comfortable hotels. From theexcitement of driving into the stunning Empty Quarter tovisiting camel races in theWahibas, from observing thenesting turtles in Ras al Jinz to simply chilling out in one
of Muscat's fabulous hotels. We have no standardholidays. We plan your holiday to take in what you wantto do – at a price you can afford! We are the only travelcompany in the UK with Oman as its sole destination – so
to find out howwe can help you plan your perfectholiday in Oman please call us on
Discover the ‘real’ Oman with our friendly and experienced Omani partners
075TLMspring 2/4/12 10:14 Page 1
killed, in the depths of a vast spread of terminalia trees,we finally spotted the beast.
“Don’t try this at home”, Jacques joked. “Thoughwe’re in no danger from him. He knows who we are andthat we’re not a threat.” I believed Jacques instinctively,though I’m still certain the sweat on my brow wasn’tcaused exclusively by the acrid heat.
Over a dinner of an unctuous springbok steak backat the sumptuous lodge, a fire was lit in the courtyardand I sat with a chilled glass of South African white inone hand, listening to the static hiss of the crickets.“There’s really nowhere else like Namibia,” claimedfellow guest Rueben, a Brit who was at the lodge togain advice about starting up his own reserve in the far
north near the border with Angola.“There’s a huge contradiction to how people feel
about the place. On one level, it’s the emptiest placeyou’ve ever seen. On another, there’s nowhere on earththat’s so full of life.”
Full of life the bush may be, but when you get asclose to nature as I did to Hercules and Paddington, Istill couldn’t help but feel relieved that the relaxed paceof living seems to apply to the animals nearly as much asthe humans.
76 tlm n the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk Spring 2012
off the beaten track n namibia
Rob Crossan first visitedNamibia for a trance partyin the desert nearSwakopmund onMillennium Eve and, whennot writing travel piecesfor publications includingThe Times, regularly visitsthe country to try andremember where he lefthis shoes that night.
namibia factsAt first it seems like theperfect deserthallucination. Tuckedaway on the coast, withsome of the highest sanddunes in the world onone side and the mistyexpanses of the AtlanticOcean on the other,there lies a town thatseems to have beenairlifted in its entiretyfrom late 19th centuryGermany.
An African outpost oftheir colonial empireuntil the end of the FirstWorld War, the briefperiod in whichGermany ruled this landcontinues to beunusually prominent inSwakopmund.
The Teutonic flavour isabsolute, from the TreffPunkt bakery wherematronly German-speaking women serveup gloriously-oversizedcream cakes to the
austere architecture ofthe train station andprison to the main road,which despite beingrenamed recently is stillknown to all as KaiserWilhelm Avenue.
For a brief, and utterlyunexpected, taste of urbanlife before plunging backinto the wilderness, arriveat sundown and take achair on the terrace at the1905 Jetty restaurant forsushi and tapas as thespume of the oceanchurns about you in this,the last vestige of theGermanic world whichcontinues to cling on tothe very edge of Africa.
a taste of old-world Germanywhen to goAvoid December to February, whentemperatures soar past 100ºC. You’ll bemost comfortable from April through toSeptember, although the far north tendsto be humid all year round.
getting thereAir Namibia (www.airnamibia.com.na)offers direct flights from London Heathrow tothe capital, Windhoek. Other services include SouthAfrican Airways (www.flysaa.com) via Johannesburg, and Air Berlin(www.airberlin.com) via Munich.
getting aroundWith few internal flights, a dilapidated train system dogged by accidentsand a poor bus network, Namibia is essential driving country. If you’retravelling independently, hire a 4x4 from Windhoek or Swakopmund,where you’ll find all the major rental companies.
accommodationNamibia’s urban areas have little to recommend in terms ofaccommodation but in the wilderness there’s a huge array of top-classlodges, which include Okonjima (www.okonjima.com), Etosha Aoba(www.etosha-aoba-lodge.com), Ongava (www.ongava.com),Anderssons (www.anderssonscamp.com), Wolwedans Dunes Lodge(www.wolwedans.com), Mowani Mountain Camp (www.mowani.com)and Sossusvlei Lodge (www.sossusvleilodge.com).
tour operatorsTour operators featuring Namibia include Tucan Travel (www.tucantravel.com),Explore (www.explore.co.uk), Cox and Kings (www.coxandkings.co.uk),Wild Frontiers (www.wildfrontiers.co.uk), Jules Verne (www.vjv.com),Audley Travel (www.audleytravel.com), Southern Eagle (www.southern-eagle.com) and Intrepid (www.intrepidtravel.com).
tourist informationFor more information on visiting Namibia, go
to the Namibia Tourism Board website, onwww.travelnamibia.co.uk orwww.namibiatourism.com.na, or call020 7367 0965. For information aboutthe AfriCat Foundation, visitwww.africat.org and the website of
Tusk Trust (www.tusk.org/africat.asp),which raises money for AfriCat’s work
