News

In some years good rainfalls in the south bring about a rare and dazzling display of nature. Then a huge field of flowering lilies draws many visitors to Sandhof farm, some 40 km north of Maltahöhe, who spontaneously visit the usually dry clay pan.

In 2015, the then 27 year old Namibian Götz Neef, a qualified botanist and entomologist, joined the research team of the Okavango Wilderness Project thanks to his professor. During their first expedition they travelled 2414 kilometres from the source of the Cuito in the Central Angolan Highlands, through Namibia, to the end of the waterway, south of the world-famous Okavango Delta in Botswana. 

Giant eagle owls, also known as Verreaux's eagle-owl or the milky eagle owl, not only use the old nests of secretary birds or eagles for breeding, but also the top of sociable weaver and hamerkop nests. They raise one chick, sometimes two of them, which stay with their parents until the next breeding season the following year. This owl species is the second-largest in the country.

Waterbird counts are conducted twice a year at various wetland sites on Namibia’s coast and in the interior as part of the International Waterbird Census (IWC). The numbers gathered during a count ultimately end up on the desk of Holger Kolberg, a nature conservation official with the research department of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, who is also Namibia’s IWC coordinator. The IWC is based in the Netherlands and operates in more than 100 countries.

Namibia´s entire coastline is a protected conservation area. Four National Parks border each other to protect the flora and fauna, as well as the unique desert landscape from the high tide mark on the beach, up to 100 kilometres inland.

Namib Desert Lodge has set new standards with its excellent results at the Eco Awards, the leading seal of quality for environmental sustainability in Namibia. This year’s awards were presented yesterday (24 November 2017) at a gala dinner hosted by the Hospitality Association of Namibia.  

Although the first good rains occurred in the central and northern parts of Namibia in the last few weeks, the only rivers that have been flowing were in the northwest of Namibia. No inflow has been reported into the major dams in the central part of the country. The water in the three dams, which supply drinking water for Windhoek and the surrounding area, is currently nearly 50 percent of the full capacity. Windhoek´s residents are supposed to save at least 5% of their normal consumption.

Elephant expert Tommy Hall is currently sharing his vast experience with guides at our Namushasha River Lodge. In the morning he shares his theoretical knowledge with the attendees and in the afternoon practical training takes place in the Bwabwata National Park. 

Foot patrols are scouring the dry bush of Etosha National Park day after day. The patrols are looking for poachers. Rhinos, though threatened with extinction, are the main target of poachers who operate in the world-famous park. Now the members of the patrols have a place right there in the bush where they can rest for a few days, take a shower and replenish their provisions.