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It is more than 500 kilometres for the round-trip from the Chobe floodplains in Namibia to Nxai Pan in the Nxai Pan National Park in Botswana. Thanks to satellite tracking devices this migration route of Burchell's zebra, popularly called plains zebra, has been known for several years now. Previously, researchers and conservationists always wondered where the zebra population of up to 3000 animals migrated to in the rainy season, when only a few Burchell's zebra remain on the shallow banks of the Chobe.

The grey ribbon of the tar road carries an endless array of enormous trucks, crowded minibuses, pick-ups packed to capacity, donkey carts, bakkies, fancy limousines and four-wheel drive rental cars from west to east and back again. Nearly 500 kilometres of road are stretched out monotonously in front of the driver. The former Caprivi Strip, now much more appropriately called the Zambezi Region, is home to a wilderness and isolation not found anywhere else in the country.

Mark Boorman from Swakopmund and I ringed a total of 530 Carmine Bee-eaters of the breeding colony between Zambezi Mubala Camp (previously Island View Lodge) and Zambezi Mubala Lodge (former Kalizo Lodge) in September this year. Jim Kairu, a wildlife management lecturer at the campus of the University of Namibia (UNAM) in Katima Mulilo in the Zambezi Region, was also taking part.

Treat yourself to desert elegance and an extra touch of grace! The Gondwana Collection Namibia opens its new lodge The Desert Grace in the endless expanse of the Namib on 1 November 2018. Graceful spaces and gracious hospitality imbue this modern lodge with its elegance of yesteryear, spirited character and refreshingly stylish interior. Sip on a pink gin while appreciating the vast desert scenery from one of the twenty spacious double rooms and four family units, each with its own plunge pool. 

Kub is a small settlement 25 km west of Kalkrand in southern Namibia. At the turn of the 20th century, during German colonial times, Kub was a flourishing little place. Since the Afrikaans families did not want to send their children to the German school in Gibeon but wanted them to be taught in their mother tongue, Frans de Villiers Smeer of Mariental and Hendrik Smit of Swartmodder contacted the Nederlandsch-Zuid-Afrikaansche-Vereniging and secured the services of 30-year-old Dutchman Albertus Kooij.

The midday sun is burning fiercely. The air is vibrating. Nothing but flickering rocks and Fata Morganas are seen on the horizon. Damaraland, an endlessly harsh landscape, huge and untamed. The wheels rumble along a barely visible path. Despite air conditioning in the vehicle, the body feels thirsty ... but the cool box is empty. Rule number one for any safari is to be well informed and prepared. Useful behavioural tips and how to survive in the wild are described in the book The Art of Travel, written by the British adventurer, Francis Galton. The book was however published in 1855 and is now - literally - 163 years old and probably the world's first travel guide.

Have you heard of the unique four man Gondwana Collection team that is gearing up for the Nedbank Desert Dash? The Kaas en Wyn (cheese and wine) team. So, here’s what you do need to know about them and their passion for cycling…

Wood from camel thorn trees leaves the best embers for a braai (barbecue). Fence posts made from camel thorn decades ago still stand firm, because termites and beetles avoid this wood. Camel thorn trees (Acacia erioloba) are found all over the country except for a narrow strip in the Namib Desert close to the coast. These trees thrive in arid as well as humid conditions. They are heat and frost resistant. For man and beast they are an important source of shade. And they offer food and shelter to countless animals.