Travel Namibia Extra 1

May 2010 wwwtravelnamibiamagcom extra Wetlands of Caprivi

Fighting fi re with fi re

Namibiarsquos boxing hero

Instant expert braai

INSIDE

What it takes to surviveWhat it takes to surviveWhat it takes to survivelife

The Extra reachWelcome to the fi rst edition of TRAVEL

NAMIBIA EXTRA a supplementary

publication to our main Travel Namibia

magazine which has proven highly popular

since its launch in November 2007

To build on the success of Travel Namibia

and enable us to reach more readers around

the world more frequently wersquore making

some changes to our traditional format

First wersquore going to publish four times

a year rather than twice There will now

be one bumper issue at the end of each

year and three ldquoExtrardquo editions which will

each focus on a particular subject allowing

us to provide you with more detailed

information and inspiration to help you

plan your Namibian travels

Second wersquore going to distribute all

copies free as digital fl ipbooks Not only will

this allow easier access for readers across

the world it will also enable us to bring

audio and video into a more content-rich

experience in the future

But if you prefer your magazines in

printed format donrsquot worry ndash printed copies

are available on subscription for a nominal

fee to cover print and postage costs

Itrsquos an exciting time and we hope yoursquoll

enjoy your Namibian exploration even

more ndash starting with our desert search for

the little rsquouns in this issue Happy reading

JEANETTE BAKER EDITOR

2 Travel Namibia

MoroNews middot views middot people middot places middot conservation middot community middot wildlife middot culture

Guide postldquoPAWS (People And Wildlife Solutions) is a Volunteer Conservation Project based on Okonjima Lodgersquos 55000 hectare reserve in the heart of the Namibian bush Each morning the volunteers work directly in the reserve or at the AfriCat Foundation and in the afternoons I take the volunteers on a well-deserved game drive ndash which on this occasion turned out to be especially exciting

ldquoI was taking the volunteers leopard tracking and the drive began normally enough as we headed out into Okonjimarsquos 4500-hectare reserve However when I stopped to check spoor a Western barred spitting cobra decided to join the volunteers on their activity and climbed into the Hiluxrsquos wheel hub It then decided to explore the vehicle further and venture into the engine where it could not be found for some time As you can imagine this created a little unease and nervousness amongst the volunteers

ldquoNot knowing the exact location of a Western barred spitting cobra can be a little disconcerting especially when

all you do know is that itrsquos pretty close Luckily for everyone it eventually got bored and slipped away into the bush much to the relief of myself and the volunteers Thankfully the rest of the game drive continued without incidentrdquo Clive Johnson PAWS (wwwpawsnamibiaorg) Okonjima Lodge

The wheel thing A refl ection revealed that the cobra was exploring the wheel hub

What began as a straightforward game drive out into the bush turned into a hair-raising episode of hide-and-seek for PAWS guide Clive Johnson

TRAVEL NAMIBIA EXTRA is published three times a year to complement TRAVEL NAMIBIA magazine published each November All issues of TRAVEL NAMIBIA (and TRAVEL NAMIBIA EXTRA) are available free of charge in digital format or in printed format for a small chargeFor orders or more information visitwwwtravelnamibiamagcomEmail namibiatravelafricamagcom

TRAVEL NAMIBIA is published by Travel Africa Ltd 4 Rycote Lane Farm Milton Common Oxford OX9 2NZ United Kingdom wwwtravelafricamagcomTel +44 (0)1844 278883 Fax +44 (0)1844 278893

Publisher Craig Rix (craigtravelafricamagcom)Editor Jeanette Baker (jeanettetravelafricamagcom)Production Phil Clisby (philtravelafricamagcom)Designer Lisa DukeCover Palmato gecko by Fabian von Poser (Alamycom)

well-deserved game drive ndash which on this occasion turned out to be especially exciting

ldquoNot knowing the exact location of a Western barred spitting cobra can be a

org) Okonjima Lodge

Braai Braaihellip isnrsquot that what donkeys do Er no yoursquore thinking of lsquobrayrsquo A braai (pronounced lsquobryrsquo) is a specially constructed place for burning wood Why would you want one of those Because fi re is very much a part of life in Namibia For some it is a matter of staying warm and preparing meals For others lighting the fi re is one of the rituals of companionship hospitality and cooking Ah yes the good old days around the camp fi re How do you do it then In some countries you need special permission to light up This is not the case in Namibia Here if you want to make a fi re you get the matches and light some wood Ok Irsquove got fi re now what If yoursquore going to cook on the braai you will need a braai grid four level stones of about 10cm in height and a fork with long tines Once the wood has burned down to glowing red coals rake them into a fl at square heap Place the stones at the corners of the coals and rest the braai grid on the stones You are now ready to begin cooking So what should I cook You can seldom go wrong with a selection of decent steak but no braai is complete without the long coils of local sausage known as lsquoboereworsrsquo or have a go at some sosaties (kebabs) Anything else I should know After yoursquove fi nished put the fi re out with water Sand is a second option but coals can still cause fi re if the wind blows the sand off the embers so use this method only as a last resort Anything else I should bring Some snacks in case it all goes horribly wrong(With thanks to wwwtourbriefcom for information)

INSTANTEXPERT

Travel Namibia 3

Homegrown talentMeet Daniel Kashela a talented young Namibian boxer who is being sponsored by AfriCat as part of its community outreach programme Daniel has been in the UK to get some advanced coaching at one of Londonrsquos top gyms The Real Fight Club

Date of birth 6 November 1980 From A small town called Endunja in the Ohangwena

region in the north of Namibia Family I have one brother and one sister My parents are not able to support me fi nancially for they donrsquot have any income but whenever I fi ght in the North they always enjoy watching me fi ght On boxing I love boxing so much and have done since I was a small boy Itrsquos my life my passion my talent When I was a child I started with traditional boxing which is called lsquoOnghadekarsquo This traditional

sport is the reason so many young men love boxing You fi ght with no gloves and everyone loves and respects this tradition Mentor Mr Tobias Nashilongo ndash hersquoll coach anyone who loves boxing He does not just focus on the fi tness of the boxer but inspires all to live a healthy life to be disciplined in all aspects and to not fall into the trap of violence and the risks of casual sex He educates all his students about the dangers of HIV and how it can end your career and your life Ambition I want to be great fi ghter who is recognised worldwide The toughest part of being a boxer To always stay fi t and keep training If I wasnrsquot a boxer Irsquod behellip Irsquod love to be a marine biologist

GOING WILD AROUND AND ABOUT FOOTBALL Itrsquos almost here The FIFA World Cup kicks off in South Africa on 11 June and football fever has gripped the continent But itrsquos not just about the footie itself ndash many people are using the tournament as the perfect opportunity to explore Africa In a recent survey the majority of respondents who were attending the World Cup (nearly 73) planned on visiting at least one other African country whilst some 61 were

interested in going on safari And where better than Namibiarsquos extraordinary

attractions like Etosha Damaraland and the Namib Naukfl uft See you there Did you Know you could fi t 70000 FIFA-sanctioned football fi elds into the 37000ha Private reserve of Little Kulala

DID YOU KNOW The faeces of the desert elephants of Kaokaland are virtually devoid of moisture when passed indicating that the maximum water extraction has taken place in the digestive tract

Size isnrsquot everything when it comes to safaris Meet the fascinating lsquoLittle Fiversquo ndash creatures that have adapted to survive in the harsh surroundings of the Namib desert Words amp pics Ann amp Steve Toon

THE LIVING DESERT

4 Travel Namibia

Namibia Undiscovered

Namibrsquos little 51 2 3 4 5

Tommy Collard is reading the bushman newspaper

Hersquos crouched half way up the slip face of a dune

peering intently at the fi ne orange sand To us the

dune slope is a blank sheet smooth and apparently

featureless No news today we think Tommy knows

better Hersquos spotted some tiny irregularity in the sand some minor

blemish as if someone had gently fanned the surface with Tommyrsquos

battered bush-hat raising an insignifi cant ripple He starts to dig

with the same intense concentration wersquove seen in a jackal digging

for bee-eater chicks but with much greater sensitivity Then

suddenly he stands up holding something protectively cupped in

his hand He clambers down the dune to where wersquore waiting in

excited anticipation and proffers his treasure

In the palm of his hand sits a palmato gecko its large

unblinking eyes staring back at us Its skin is transparent with ice

cream colours of vanilla and raspberry showing through Tommy

places it carefully on the sand for us to photograph and we can see

how its webbed feet act like miniature snow-shoes in the sand

Tommy produces a mist spray from his truck and gently coats the

gecko in fi ne water droplets The diminutive reptile thirstily licks the

drops from its face with its long tongue Usually it would survive on

condensation from the Namib fog that rolls in over this coastal dune

belt most nights The fog ndash ldquothe heartbeat of the Namibrdquo as Tommy

calls it ndash accompanied us on our short drive out from Swakopmund

earlier but the morning sun has chased it back to the cold Atlantic

and the day is starting to heat up Tommy returns the nocturnal gecko

to its burrow and carefully covers it up with sand

We climb back into the lsquoLiving Desertrsquo tour 4WD a beast of a

vehicle with oversized tyres which Tommy has defl ated to cope with

the soft sand and resume our slow patrol along the foot of the dune

Tommy points an infrared thermometer at the passing slip face ldquoOnly

43 degrees Itrsquos still coolrdquo he announces

The living deserT

Travel namibia 5

Our guide Tommy Collard starts to dig with the same

intense concentration wersquove seen in a jackal digging for

bee-eater chicks

Namibrsquos little 5

The deserTrsquos lsquoLiTTLe Fiversquo FOG-BASKING BEETLE

The fog-basking tenebrionid beetlersquos unique method of collecting water ndash by standing on its head in the early morning and allowing the fog to condense on its back and run down to its mouth ndash is so effective that a single beetle can drink up to 40 per cent of its own body weight in a single morning Namib desert tenebrionids have the highest body temperatures recorded in any cold-blooded animal and come nearer their lethal maximum temperature than most other cold-blooded animals They bury themselves under the sand to avoid the most extreme high temperatures emerging periodically to forage They can also use their long legs to raise their bodies by lsquostiltingrsquo In the right wind conditions a few millimetresrsquo elevation can make all the difference

6 Travel Namibia

2

Wersquore careful to avoid driving on the small gravel

flats between dunes as these are very sensitive

habitats easily damaged and any tyre tracks will take

decades to disappear Joy riders in 4WDs or quad

bikes are a constant threat to the fragile ecosystem

and Tommy is part of a local body working to protect

the area from the irresponsible minority who stray

beyond the designated recreational areas

Within minutes Tommy has spotted the first

of many tenebrionid or lsquotoktokkiersquo beetles foraging

among the windswept plant detritus accumulated at

the foot of the slip face (ldquobeetle mueslirdquo Tommy calls

it) Out comes the mist spray again and we watch the

glossy black fog-basking beetle live up to its name

standing on its head so that the condensed droplets

run down to its mouth

Therersquos more to come Next Tommy shows us

a dancing white lady spider using a stick to point

out its formidable fangs and the spider rears up

threatening with front legs raised It has a painful

venomous bite wersquore told We take a leaf from

Tommyrsquos book and treat it with cautious respect

Back in the vehicle wersquore soon skirting a larger

gravel plain dotted with diminutive dollar bushes

and jackal bushes Tommy talks about his lifelong

passion for wildlife ldquoWhen I was a kid my mum

used to dread bathing me because she never knew

what I would have in my pocketrdquo He set up the

Living Desert tour to share his knowledge and

enthusiasm for the Namibrsquos hidden and harder-

to-see desert-dwelling creatures but itrsquos not just

overseas tourists who benefit from his passion and

expert bushcraft In the past two years alone hersquos

introduced more than one thousand Namibian

school kids to the fascinating fauna and flora of the

desert dunes He doesnrsquot take payment from the

schools but itrsquos clear he gets ample personal reward

ldquoYou see a kid fearful to hold a chameleon at first

and then you see in their eyes that breakthrough

when itrsquos OKrdquo he explains

Stopping the vehicle once again Tommy leaps

out and begins scurrying from bush to straggly

bush barefoot and bowlegged He stops by a jackal

bush then circles it slowly stops again and beckons

us over ldquoThererdquo he says pointing at the sand

The sand here is coarser more granular

multicoloured Therersquos nothing to see ldquoThererdquo

he says again ldquoItrsquos a sidewinderrdquo We step back

involuntarily but still canrsquot see anything Tommy

crouches down and points at the sand grains

Peering hard at the sand again we both suddenly

spot them Two tiny brown jewelled eyes smaller

than the largest grains of sand with black slits

The deserTrsquos lsquoLiTTLe Fiversquo PALmATO GEcKO

The palmato or web-footed gecko gets most of its water requirements from its diet of insects mainly beetles and their larvae termites and crickets But it also supplements this supply by allowing the fog to condense on its large eyes then licking them with its long tongue This also helps keep the eyes clean The gecko is largely nocturnal and has an almost transparent skin through which its blood vessels are visible producing a variety of colours and patterns in different individuals When alarmed the palmato gecko can run at considerable speed holding itself high above the surface of the sand and leaving distinct fig-like imprints from its webbed feet

1

Travel Namibia 7

The deserTrsquos lsquoLiTTLe Fiversquo DANCING WHITE LADY SPIDER

One of the two species of dancing white lady spider endemic to the Namib escapes parasitic wasps and predators such as geckos by rolling into a ball and cartwheeling down dunes at high speed It hunts at night patrolling the dune slip face for insects and rests up in a burrow made out of silk and sealed with a silk trap door Itrsquos been estimated that a spider will shift up to 80000 times its own body weight of sand when excavating a burrow Itrsquos during this process that the spider is most vulnerable to attack by pompilid wasps which will sting and paralyse the spider before laying their eggs in its body

3

Tommy places the palmato gecko carefully on the sand and we can see how its webbed feet act like miniature snow-shoes

EXPERIENCE THE LIVING DESERT

8 Travel Namibia

Tommy Collard runs Living Desert tours daily from Swakopmund The cost of N$550 per person (children under 12 are half-price) includes pick-up at your accommodation at around 8am and soft drinks Tours last around fi ve hours

For full details visit wwwtommysiwayna A similar tour is run by Chris Nel under the

name Living Desert Adventures visit wwwlivingdesertnamibiacom for details

for pupils are staring straight up at us ldquoItrsquos only a

babyrdquo says Tommy How on earth did he see it

Gently he pushes at the sand near the

Peringueyrsquos adder with his stick and the snake

wriggles to the surface Itrsquos no more than 15 cm long

half-grown and thinner than a pencil covered with

tiny sand-coloured scales ndash perfect camoufl age A

miniature forked-tongue tastes the air and then

to our delight it sidewinds with a graceful and

surprisingly rapid sinuous movement But it doesnrsquot

move far just a metre or so then settles back into

the sand wriggling down until once again only its

tiny eyes are visible Even when we know where it is

we can barely make out the disturbance in the sand

where it wriggled the telltale evidence that alerted

our expert tracker to its presence Tommy tells us

that the sidewinder may stay around that same jackal

bush for as long as three months and might eat only

once in that time

Back to the truck again and we drive to a

spot where Tommyrsquos recently seen a Namaqua

chameleon It doesnrsquot take him long to locate it

sunbathing on a dollar bush surveying the world

like some swivel-eyed Buddha Its skin is dark nearly

black soaking up the morning sun As the day gets

hotter it will turn lighter to refl ect the heat

Namaqua chameleons are unfussy eaters ndash living

THE DESERTrsquoS lsquoLITTLE FIVErsquo PERINGUEYrsquoS ADDER

( OR SIDEWINDER) The Peringueyrsquos adder or sidewinder is one of the smallest adders in the world reaching no more than 32cm long The adderrsquos characteristic sidewinding movement allows it to keep the bulk of its body off hot sand at any given moment to avoid overheating The Peringueyrsquos adder has eyes on the top of its fl attened head which allows it to burrow into the sand leaving only the eyes and occasionally the tip of the tail above ground Some have black-tipped tails which they fl ick to lure unsuspecting lizards to within striking range

He clambers down the dune to where wersquore waiting in excited anticipation and proffers his treasure

4

in the desert you take what you can fi nd ndash and this

fellow would happily consume any or all of the other

critters wersquove seen so far But it doesnrsquot have to go

hunting today Tommy produces a huge dune cricket

from his pocket and tempts the chameleon into the

open It stalks the insect slowly then darts forward

with an unexpected turn of speed and fi res its massive

sticky tongue at the unfortunate prey The grasshopper

doesnrsquot stand a chance and wersquod swear the chameleon

is smiling as it crunches on its free breakfast

Satisfi ed the chameleon crawls back to its bush

and itrsquos time for us too to head for home But therersquos

one last surprise On our way back Tommy takes

us high up on a dune from where we survey the

endless sea of sand stretching to the horizon Wersquore

only a few miles inland from the eccentric Bavaria-

by-the-Sea that is Swakopmund but this feels like

another planet We race the 4WD up to the

crest of a dune stop briefl y at the top poised

just like a roller-coaster car before its descent

then suddenly slide down the sheer slip face

The sand roars beneath us Itrsquos as if the desert

is talking to us We look back at the dunes

In just a few short hours they have

been transformed for us from a beautiful

but barren wasteland to a rich and

amazingly diverse ecosystem

The deserTrsquos lsquoLiTTLe Fiversquo NAMAQUA CHAMELEON

Namaqua chameleons grow large ndash up to 30cm long ndash and are among the fastest-moving of their kind Their eyes move independently allowing them to see in both directions at the same time when hunting insects When they spot prey both eyes fix on the target allowing them accurately to judge the distance to fire out their long tongue The chameleonrsquos body colour changes according to its mood as well as to regulate its body temperature by reflecting or absorbing heat So sophisticated is this adaptation that an individual will sometimes have one side of its body black and the other pale grey When angry or nervous the chameleon turns black all over Namaqua chameleons will also regulate their body temperature by digging holes in the sand to shelter in

Travel Namibia 9

5

10 Travel Namibia

T he English word lsquodesertrsquo derives from

the Latin for lsquoabandonedrsquo but the notion

that deserts are devoid of life is simply

wrong Plants insects and animals have all

become finely-tuned to desert environments over the

centuries sometimes in astonishing ways evolving

strategies that allow them to survive in places where

other creatures would simply perish

The Namib is a relatively narrow strip of land

more than 2000km long but only a few hundred wide

consisting of some hardpan and huge amounts of

sand including the worldrsquos highest dunes It hardly

ever rains here but as a coastal desert alongside a cold

ocean current it is fog-prone and many living things

have evolved to capture that moisture from the air

At the Gobabeb Research Institute in the Namib

scientists have for years been cataloguing and studying

the wildlife They talk with a proselytising zeal about

the dazzling array of creatures they have found and

their idiosyncratic adaptations to the extreme heat

and dryness They showed me a tiny scarab beetle that

had learned to irrigate its lsquolandholdingsrsquo excavating

tiny furrows at a constant gradient to channel

condensation Other marvels include the lizard that

hops from foot to foot to diffuse heat absorption

a beetle that curls into a ball to roll down dunes to

conserve energy and a spider that spins a small cone-

shaped web to attract and condense dew

Plants too are perfectly attuned to desert life One

of Namibrsquos shrubs has learned to exude salt which

then extracts moisture from the air and feeds it back

to the plant Namibiarsquos national plant the Welwitschia

mirabilis thought to be linked genetically to pine trees

and ancient enough to share some of the characteristics

of primitive mosses can live with miniscule amounts

of water Individual plants can grow to two metres but

they never have more than two leaves per plant Even in

the absence of moisture the leaves just keep on growing

albeit at a glacial pace Moderate-sized welwitschias have

been carbon-dated to about 1000 years old some of the

larger ones are probably much older When the rare rains

come a welwitschia can grow almost as rapidly as grass

One of the most resilient desert plants is the acacia

which has evolved both tap and lateral root systems to

maximise its search for water The tap root descends to

extraordinary depths The thorny mimosa shrub has

similarly deep roots as does the prolific tamarisk prized

for the shade of its dense foliage

Most of the desertrsquos creatures are small with dull

colours and moderate water requirements They live in

burrows and holes emerging only at night The Namibrsquos

snakes have evolved devious ploys for catching prey The

Cape cobra has learned to feign death lying in the open

sun looking thoroughly desiccated until an unwary

rodent crosses its path

The most exhilarating of all desert animals perhaps

because of their scarcity and natural grace are

the antelopes Many species inhabit the fringes

of the Namib including gemsbok eland and

springbok proving that all kinds of life can thrive

in this seemingly inhospitable landscape

Marq De Villiers sifts the sands in search of other examples of Namibiarsquos tenacious desert life

survivorsDesert life

Travel Namibia 11

The unmistakable Welwitschia mirabilis which can live on miniscule amounts of water

12 Travel Namibia

The harsh hot and cold extremes of the Namib desertrsquos dune fi elds and gravel plains have resulted in an extraordinary range of adaptations among its ingenious and tenacious inhabitants

HIGH TEMP GEMSBOK

These large oryx are able to survive longer without drinking water than probably any other wildlife species The gemsbok can withstand a rise in its body temperature to 45degC enough to kill other mammals A maze of blood vessels protects the animalrsquos brain acting like a car radiator to ensure that warm blood pumped from the heart is cooled by exchanging heat with blood in surrounding vessels which has been cooled by evaporation in the gemsbokrsquos nose This cooling method also reduces the animalrsquos need to sweat preserving water Gemsbok mostly graze at night when the moisture content of plants is higher During the hottest time of day if

there is no shade they stand with

their smallest profi le turned towards the

sun and their large sides catching the

breeze The gemsbokrsquos white belly refl ects

radiation from the hot red sand

Buried to the eyeballs in sand the Horned adder looks pretty harmless but those horns are a give-away for the devil inside him His venom is mildly poisonous and will cause swelling pain and necrosis if he bites The horned adder feeds mainly on small lizards although rodents and amphibians are also eaten and these are caught by ambush It is thought prey may be attracted into the snakersquos range when it waves the black tip of its tail Being active at dusk it prefers to protect itself from the heat during the middle of the day It will either lie in the shade of small scrub or will shuffl e down into the sand

HORNED ADDER

In Namibia where temperatures can range between 15˚C at night and the mid-40s˚C during the day one creature builds an apartment complex with natural air conditioning that modifi es these fl uctuations and maintains bearable internal temperatures This enables the residents to enjoy a comfortable siesta during the heat of the day It looks like a haystack in a tree Sometimes the whole tree top is a thatched edifi ce Inside this communal home may be up to 300 individual chambers little baskets all knitted together with entrance tunnels from the bottom The residents are sociable weavers close relatives of the European sparrow Sociable they certainly are they even lsquorentrsquo to other species such as pygmy falcons and Rosyfaced lovebirds But they donrsquot weave Building and repairs simply involve pushing pieces of straw into the mass which is held together by its own weight

The harsh hot and cold extremes of the Namib desertrsquos dune fi elds and gravel plains have resulted in an extraordinary range of adaptations among its ingenious

In Namibia where temperatures can range between 15˚C at night and the mid-40s˚C during the day

SOCIABLE WEAVERS

SURVIVEAdapting to

The ostrichrsquos scientific name Struthio camelus hints at its desert-adaptation Like the camel the ostrich is unusual among vertebrates in exhaling air that isnrsquot saturated retaining some of the moisture that would be lost if it were Most of the ostrichrsquos water is obtained from its food though it will drink when surface water is available The species regulates its body temperature by drooping its wings to shade its body from the sun and allows heat to escape through the lightly feathered skin under its wings It also fluffs up its back feathers to allow the breeze to cool its skin When air temperatures get really high the ostrich pants rapidly and pulses its oesophagus known as lsquogular flutteringrsquo This allows the bird to lower its body temperature by evaporative cooling although it comes at the cost of losing moisture as sweat

THE NAMIB CAMEL

Travel Namibia 13

SHOVEL-SNOUTED LIZARD

The shovel-snouted lizard (Aporosaura anchietae) is a remarkable sand-diving denizen of the dunes in Namibiarsquos moist coastal desert When foraging on dune surfaces during the heat of the day it resorts to a curious thermoregulatory dance to cool off Walking high over the sand as if on stilts it alternately raises opposite front and hind legs into the air using the base of its tail as support On cool days it remains above the surface for most of the day while on hot days especially when dry winds are blowing it might not appear at all

As with other reptiles the body temperature of Aporosaura assumes the temperature of its surroundings To increase its body heat it emerges during the day when the surface of the sand has been sufficiently warmed by the sun When the surface becomes too hot it either dives back into the cooler sand below with a rapid corkscrewing movement races up to the crest to cool off in the breeze or resorts to its thermoregulatory foot-lifting dance It is thought that its pineal gland (or third eye) plays an important role as a sensory organ in its adjustment to variations in temperature

WATER-BEARING BIRDS

The sight and sound of hundreds even thousands of sandgrouse flying in to waterholes in the morning is one of the quintessential wildlife experiences of the Namib desert Namaqua sandgrouse eat only dry seeds so they need to drink regularly as do their chicks But bringing up baby chicks close to busy waterholes is a recipe for high infant mortality

Instead the male adult sandgrouse will fly up to 50km from his family to fresh water where he lands briefly to drink and soak his breast feathers These specially adapted feathers act like a sponge allowing him to retain the water all the way back to where his thirsty chicks are waiting to drink Chicks can fend for themselves food-wise but are dependent on the adult male for at least six weeks before they can fly to water

These specially adapted feathers act like a sponge retaining the water all the way back to where his thirsty chicks are waiting to drink

The ostrich regulates its body temperature by drooping its wings to shade its body from the sun

Namib Naukluft NP

Namib Rand NR

Sossusvlei(dunes)

NaukluftMountains

Otavi Mountains

Central NamibianHighliands

Fish RiverCanyon

SkeletonCoast

EtoshaNP

Kaudom

Mahango NPMudumu NP

HardapDam

NauteDam

WaterbergPlateauN

am

i b D

es

er t

SOUTH ATLANTIC OCEAN

Opuwa

Oshakati Ondangwa

Rundu

Tsumkwe

Tsumeb

GrootfonteinOtavi

Outjo

Sesfontein

Kamanjab

Omaruru

Terrace Bay

KhorixasOtjiwarongo

Okonjima

Usakos

Henties Bay

Katima Mulilo

KaribibOkahandja

Windhoek Gobabis

Aranos

MarientalMaltahohe

Swakopmund

Walvis Bay

Luumlderitz

Rehboth

KeetmanshoopAus

Gruumlnau

Karasburg

Oranjemund

AroundnAmibiA

Olweendo

14 Travel namibia

Catch up with the latest conservation and wildlife news from across the country

nAmibiA FACTFiLE

n LAnguAgE English (official) Afrikaans German and several ethnic languagesn TimE zonE GMT+2n inT diALLing CodE +264n VisAs Not required for UK and Ireland passport holdersn monEy Namibian dollar (N$) currently tied to the South African rand which is widely accepted for cash payments Banks are capable and efficient Travellerrsquos cheques in UKpound and US$ are both accepted Most hotels restaurants and shops accept credit cards petrol stations require cash ATM machines (BOB tills) will accept foreign cards you must select lsquocredit card accountrsquo regardless of actual account typen gETTing ThErE Air Namibia (wwwairnamibiacomna) flies to Windhoek from Frankfurt British Airways (wwwbacom) and South African Airways (wwwflysaacom) fly from London Heathrow to Johannesburg and offer good connections to Windhoekn inTErnAL FLighTs Air Namibia operates a limited service Small reliable privately-run 4-6 seater light aircraft link lodges and bush airstrips all over the country Flying is the only way to access the northern Skeleton Coastn sELF-driVE Roads are excellent the traffic lights and signposting clear making driving a pleasure The trunk roads are very good tarmac but most others are smooth gravel stick to 80kph on these as going faster frequently leads to accidents A 2WD is adequate unless visiting in the rains or heading to off-beat areas like Bushmanland or Caprivi

n PLACEs To sTAy Hotels are generally clean and safe Private guest farms welcome visitors nationwide Stylish lodges and bush camps are the norm in the wilds Good clean campsites are nearly everywheren sAFETy Namibia is generally a very safe countryn hEALTh Malaria occurs in the northeast and central Namibia ndash principally in Caprivi Kavango Owambo and Northern Kunene It does not occur in all these areas throughout the year and itrsquos best to consult a travel clinic for the appropriate precautions a few weeks before you leave Your tetanus hepatitis A polio and diphtheria jabs should be up to date wwwfitfortravelscotnhsuk is a good source of information n PEoPLE The Himba are probably the best-known ethnic group in Namibia but the tribe make up just 1 of Namibiarsquos culturally diverse population A large proportion of the population are Owambo with smaller numbers of Kavango Damara Herero San Bushmen Topnaar and Tswana Around 125 are white Namibians or mixed-race mostly of Afrikaner or German descent n gEogrAPhy Namibia is essentially a desert country but it also has some widely contrasting landscapes including the thorn bush savannah and rugged mountains of the Central Plateau the open plains of Etosha Pan and the lush flood plains of Caprivi n Find ouT morE Namibia Tourist Board wwwnamibiatourismcomna

1 The Wetlands of the Caprivi wildlife census monitoringThe Caprivi is defined by its wetlands the large tropical river systems of the Okavango Kwandu-Linyanti and Zambezi-Chobe Because of its higher rainfall and diversity of ecosystems the Caprivi has a higher carrying capacity for wildlife with more species of plants mammals birds reptiles frogs and fresh water fish than elsewhere in Namibia But exactly how many Namibiarsquos CBNRMConservancy policy has created strong incentives for rural communities to protect their wildlife and natural resources and to get a clear picture of whether these were working it was decided to monitor wildlife numbers Different methods were used including fixed foot patrols boat patrols and aerial surveys A complete count of all the wetland areas of the Caprivi has now been carried out on three occasions and they reveal encouraging information on wildlife trends

The great news is that wildlife numbers are stable or increasing dramatically as in the case of buffalo impala and waterbuck Of concern are the floodplain ungulates specifically lechwe and reedbuck which occurred in vast numbers in the Caprivi in the past Their present recovery is slow and therefore special monitoring and protection is needed for these species

species 2004 2007 2009

buffalo 3262 5951 9633

Elephant 860 3062 3450

hippopotamus 1387 1269 1291

impala 742 1361 1457

Kudu 98 234 171

Lechwe 738 767 777

reedbuck 76 162 105

sitatunga 2 7 19

Waterbuck 60 30 130

Wildebeest 6 35 64

zebra 1084 1653 1689

Lion 4 10 24

Wattled Crane 8 24 41

ISLAN

DS IN

AFRICA WW

WIS

LAND

SIN

AFRICACO

M

Namib Naukluft NP

Namib Rand NR

Sossusvlei(dunes)

NaukluftMountains

Otavi Mountains

Fish RiverCanyon

SkeletonCoast

EtoshaNP

Kaudom

Mahango NPMudumu NP

HardapDam

NauteDam

WaterbergPlateauN

am

i b D

es

er t

Opuwa

Oshakati Ondangwa

Rundu

Tsumkwe

Tsumeb

GrootfonteinOtavi

Outjo

Sesfontein

Kamanjab

Omaruru

Terrace Bay

KhorixasOtjiwarongo

Okonjima

Usakos

Henties Bay

Katima Mulilo

KaribibOkahandja

Windhoek Gobabis

Aranos

MarientalMaltahohe

Swakopmund

Walvis Bay

Luumlderitz

Rehboth

KeetmanshoopAus

Gruumlnau

Karasburg

Oranjemund

Travel Namibia 15

Go

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2 Swakopmund The Living Desert Snake ParkFor the opportunity to get close to an impressive selection of snakes and reptiles head for the the living desert Snake Park in Swakopmund it contains 25 species of harmless and venomous snakes as well as geckos lizards and scorpions in environments that closely resemble their natural habitats of particular interest travellers can see cobras adders the python and the famed and deadly boomslang optional excursions take travellers for a half day into the namib desert allowing you to see snakes and small creatures such as lizards rodents and insects in their natural habitat the guide accompanies you in your own vehicle so an off-roader with space for the guide is required Tel +264 (0)64 ndash 405 100 Email snakeiwayna

3 Etosha Fighting fire with firewhat do you do when lightning ignites a veld fire that was the question facing the staff at the etosha lodge and Camp late last year thirty staff and three vehicles from the lodge helped to put out a huge fire southeast of okaukuejo which was eating its way to the parkrsquos border a backfire was started at a gravel road to prevent the flames from leaping to the other side a total of 120 men fought the fire under the guidance of nature conservation officials from okaukuejo

altogether 120000 ha of grazing were destroyed by this fire and it wasnrsquot the first ndash in total almost 40 of usable grazing in etosha has gone up in flames Veld fires caused by lightning are a natural phenomenon animals are usually able to flee unless their escape route is barred by fences thankfully the first rains which followed almost immediately after the last fire have already brought forth delicate fresh green

This albino boa is being temporarily cared for at the

Living Desert Snake Park which assists when illegally owned snakes are found in Namibia

ww

wt

ou

rbri

eFC

om

4 Okonjima Cheetahs released back into the wildmay is going to be a big month for okonjima home of the afriCat Foundation their new reserve is about to open which will give them 22000 hectares of protected predator habitat the first group of cheetah ndash 18 cats to begin with ndash is due to be released these cheetah will be hunting naturally-occurring prey tracked daily by afriCat research staff and okonjimarsquos guests For more information wwwafricatorg

aFriCat

1

3

2

4

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16 Travel Namibia

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AFRICAN ART JEWELLERS Inspiring creations from Swakopmundrsquos top jewellerinfoaajewellcomna

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CHEETAH CONSERVATION FUND Get up close and personal with a cheetah with a stay at the Waterberg Plateauwwwcheetahorg middot infocheetahorg

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JAN JONKER HOLIDAY APARTMENTS Self catering apartments within walking distance of Windhoek city centre wwwjan-jonkercom middot infojan-jonkercom

KAPIKA WATERFALL CAMP Feel the freedom of living in nature amongst the Himba peoplewwwkapikafallscom middot ansonetiwayna

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NAMIBIA RESERVATIONS Self-drive and guided tours fl y-in safaris 4x4 rentals adventure activities and morewwwnamibiareservationscom middot namtravnamibiareservationscom

NAMIBIA TOURIST BOARD National tourism authority your gateway to the countryrsquos diverse attractionswwwnamibiatourismcomna

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RESERVATIONS AFRICA Book all your rooms and car hire on the internet with a speedy courteous servicewwwresafricanet middot wwwnamibiahotelsnet middot reservationsnamibiahotelsnet

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Travel Namibia provides creative unique Travel Namibia provides creative unique Travel Namibia

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