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Bird lover and hobby photographer Pompie Burger launched his latest book tonight (20 June) in Windhoek. Chariots of Fire supports the conservation of the Carmine Bee-eater colony close to Zambezi Mubala Lodge which is said to be one of the largest breeding colonies in Africa. It also serves to inform local Namibians as well as tourists about how the delicate balance of the river ecosystem affects Carmine Bee-eaters.

On the 18^th of June 1989 at 18h10, a DC-10 of Zambia Airways from Lusaka landed at the then J.G. Strydom Airport, now Hosea Kutako International Airport, outside Windhoek. On board was among others Hage Geingob, former Director of the United Nations Institute for Namibia in Lusaka, SWAPO´s then director of elections and Namibia’s third president who had been in exile for 27 years.

The largest lichen fields outside the arctic and subarctic regions of the northern hemisphere are found in the Namib Desert of Namibia. Lichens are often not easy to recognise at first glance. But if you leave the road and drive across these seemingly lifeless plains your vehicle will not only destroy countless lichens – the tyre tracks will also leave a very visible ugly scar in the desert landscape, which will remain visible for decades.

Namibia will soon start issuing visas to visitors on arrival as a pilot phase. The Minister of Information and Communication Technology (MICT) Stanley Simataa announced this on Thursday, 13 June 2019. “The Cabinet has approved a submission of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration”, Simataa told reporters at a press conference. The exact date of commencement will be disclosed at a later stage. The pilot phase will start at the Hosea Kutako International Airport.

A 100x150m galloping horse has been set in stone on the plains of Klein-Aus Vista Lodge in south-western Namibia in honour of Namibia’s century-old population of wild horses whose future hangs in the balance. The Wild Horse is the third ‘earth drawing’ or ‘geoglyph’ that siblings Anni Snyman and PC Janse van Rensburg have created with their group of volunteers as part of the Site Specific Collective, a land art project that brings nature and art together in large scale.

Many travel writers rave about the Black Forest gateau at Café Anton in Swakopmund and about the amazing fact that the most German of all cakes is available in Africa, on the edge of the Namib Desert in Namibia. Café Anton, just a few hundred metres from the Atlantic Ocean, is well-known beyond Namibia’s borders, but not only for that particular gateau.

At first glance the gravel plains of the Namib Desert seem deserted and empty. However, countless plants, lichens and animals have adapted to the harsh conditions in the oldest desert on earth. It is amazing how many creatures are out on the gravel plains under cover of darkness. The Braine family unveils these secrets to interested visitors on a two-hour night walk.

Having ridden 2120km on his e-bike, Steve Galloway has reached Epupa Falls on the Kunene River, the halfway point of his journey. Steve’s journey to promote e-powering (e-mobility and e-learning) and to celebrate the country’s impressive conservation status of having 47% of its land under protection began three weeks ago on the Orange River.

The feet of the young dancers in their colourful leather shoes move to the tunes and rhythms of the music. The row of girls in brightly coloured patchwork-style dresses and neatly tied headscarves gently move and turn. The youngsters are beaming pride as they receive their well-deserved applause after performing the traditional ‘Nama stap’ dance. It is a special occasion after all: the opening of the annual Nama festival in the town of Keetmanshoop in southern Namibia.

Less than ten minutes after nature conservation officials have pulled a dead giraffe bull from the man-made waterhole the first black-backed jackal appears at the scene. This little predator cannot bite through the giraffe’s thick skin, so it goes for the tongue of the dead animal. More jackals turn up, soon they are joined by a spotted hyena that is attracted by the stench of the carcass. More and more hyenas emerge from between the green mopane trees.