News

Take a few strips of high quality raw meat, coat it with vinegar, salt, coriander, black pepper and sugar and hang it in an airy dry space protected from flies. About two weeks later your biltong is ready. The mouths of most Namibians and South Africans water at the mere thought of well-seasoned dried meat. It’s hardly surprising that Windhoek’s annual Biltong Festival held in July attracts thousands of visitors each year. 

When one sees the local Rundu inhabitants wading through the Okavango on foot, it is clear: Unfortunately, boat trips for guests at Hakusembe River Lodge have been stopped temporarily. This is due to the low water levels in the river. The Chobe River might also be affected and with it the activities at the Chobe River Camp.

Did you know that Namibia has the largest known intact meteorite in the world! The Hoba Meteorite was declared a national monument in 1955. Today, it can be visited on the Hoba West farm between Tsumeb and Grootfontein in the Otjozondjupa Region; a rare opportunity to touch a shooting star.

The first of November marks a new beginning for the Gondwana Collection, when all of its 821 employees become shareholders. This milestone in the history of the company is part of the recent restructuring of the Gondwana Group with Gondwana Holding Limited now acting as the group’s holding company.

Several Namibian Regions received the first good rainfall at the end of October, while the meteorological authority predicts a normal to just below normal rainfall this rainy season. Petrol and diesel prices remained unchanged this month. The Bank of Namibia kept its repo rate unchanged at 6.75 percent in October. Inflation for September increased slightly to 5.6 percent.

The Gondwana Collection’s newest lodge, the Zambezi Mubala Lodge in the far east of the Zambezi Region, is excitedly awaiting the arrival of the first guests on 1 November. Guests are ferried to the lodge by boat. The boat trip gives guests an idyllic first impression of the spectacular water world of the Zambezi and the spacious lodge along its banks. Zambezi Mubala Lodge offers eighteen luxurious and spacious double rooms, and two family cabins with en-suite bathrooms and stunning views of the river landscape. 

On 21 October 2017, the diamond mining town of Oranjemund will open its doors to visitors for the first time. Up until now, the small town, hidden in the Namib Desert close to the Orange River mouth, has been a restricted mining area. From then onwards, anyone will be able to enter, or drive over the impressive Sir Ernest Oppenheimer Bridge to Alexander Bay on the South African side. This opens huge economic prospects for this hidden gem in the Namibian Desert, including tourism.