March 3, 2021

It’s time to explore the Zambezi

Explore the hidden charms of Lüderitz, the gateway to Namibia's historic Kolmanskop ghost town. Immerse yourself in rich history, dine at seaside eateries, and discover stunning architecture. From the iconic Felsenkirche to the intriguing Kolmanskop, Lüderitz beckons with tales of the past.
March 10, 2021

The View From Here: An Ode to Camping

It is autumn in Namibia – the best time for camping. It is the season of dramatic rain clouds and unexpected showers, or clear blue skies, crisp early mornings and the most glorious sunsets. They say that when the sun dips in Namibia you can just open a camping chair wherever you are and you will have a perfect setting for a spectacular photo.
November 1, 2021

It gave me nothing I expected, but it gave me everything I needed

How does one describe that moment when you shoulder your backpack with everything you think you need for the next 4 nights and 5 days? And the feeling when taking that first step into the awe-inspiring Fish River Canyon. A step into an unfamiliar world. Is it fear, excitement, anxiety, eagerness, adrenaline, or just blank emotion?
March 16, 2022

Park of the People: The brilliant and bold Bwabwata

The car is packed, the rooftop tent strapped and you bought more snacks than you should have for the nine or so hour drive to Bwabwata National Park from Windhoek. It’s a long haul north, but now you have hit the sharp right turn, leaving Rundu in your rearview mirror. Each tree is starting to look greener than the one before as you cruise alongside the Okavango River, keeping a keen eye open for the entrance to your accommodation.
March 20, 2022

It’s about time, not distance

In Damaraland you don’t measure a trip from here to there in distance; you measure it in time. Forged from an outpouring of lava some 130 million years ago and then exposed to millions of years of erosion, fluvial drainage, sun, wind, temperature extremes and seismic activity, the landscape is so rugged, it ranks as one of the harshest terrains on our planet. In this regard, the extreme terrain acts as its own fortress, a barrier to outsiders and a haven for those that can adapt to live within this land of sun-baked basalt and hardship. The wildlife that has forged a life in Damaraland’s mountains and valleys is unique, not in their physiology, but in their generational knowledge – survival messages passed on from old to young – which enables them to survive the very extremes of life itself.
June 21, 2023

The art of taking it easy: Exploring some of Namibia’s most scenic roads

The saying goes that of all the roads you travel, make sure that some of them are dirt. Only, around here, most of the roads are. Deep in the south of Namibia, gravel roads and jeep tracks run like veins through the desert landscape. These roads connect destinations like Sesriem to Lüderitz or the Fish River Canyon. They are often looked upon as a means to an end instead of being part of the journey.
January 21, 2024

“I will be back”

“Never again!” That seems to be the solemn pledge after a five-day stint of hiking the Fish River Canyon. That’s what Eric McLaren thought to himself upon completing the extraordinarily challenging Fish River for the first time. For me, this was the prevailing thought that occupied my thinking as I attempted to focus on “just one more step and then another”.
March 21, 2024

Practice Makes Perfect

This is probably the most fascinating bird that occurs in Namibia, at least as far as their hunting/ fishing methods are concerned. They are skimming the water with accuracy and precision with their flexible orange red bill only 2–5 centimetres below the surface for fish that might have the audacity to come up that close.
June 5, 2024

Rocking Damaraland: A Journey through Namibia’s Geological Wonders

I love rock formations. Perhaps inherited from or spurred on by my mother, who would pick up pebbles and stones wherever we went on family trips through Namibia. From an early age, I was encouraged to peer tentatively at the ground or marvel at mountains. High school geography wasn't all it cracked up to be, I didn’t become a geologist. Every road would have led me to this eventuality, writing a love letter to Damaraland and her rocks.
June 12, 2024

What were you thinking?

Like being on the ocean, there are huge, ever-changing big-sky vistas to get your head around. Your ears take on a new sensitivity in the beckoning silence, though even in the desert the birdlife is astonishing. The body adapts to the Namib massage – local shorthand for the unending corrugated road surfaces which shake both vehicles and people to pieces. And then there is that most elusive of Namib sensations: the “singing” dunes, vibrating with soo-oop-wa. “The sand shrieks beneath your feet”, wrote John Marsh who first described the Skeleton Coast in his 1944 book.
November 6, 2024

Why Ruacana Waterfall

Ruacana Waterfall is not a destination that tops the “why you should visit Namibia” click-bait lists. In fact, it rarely even makes the list, if I think about it. Why is this natural wonder, situated on the stretch of the Kunene River downstream toward Swartbooisdrift, so often left off itineraries proposed by travel agents? Le Roux van Schalkwyk explores...
March 4, 2025

Discover Southern Namibia

In the cool stillness of the early morning, I stood at the edge of the Fish River Canyon, the world awakening around me in shades of gold and amber. The crisp air carried the faint scent of morning mist, and as the first light stretched across the canyon’s rugged expanse, it was as if the earth itself exhaled, revealing its ancient secrets. Plum and lilac purple hues swathed the landscape before me. Below, the winding river shimmered like a silver thread, its course carved over millennia – a testament to time and the raw power of nature.
March 10, 2025

Discover the Skeleton Coast & Kunene Region

In the cool, salty air of dawn, I stood on the windswept shores of the Skeleton Coast, the Atlantic waves crashing against the jagged remains of an ancient shipwreck. The rusted frame of the vessel stood defiant, a reminder of the treacherous waters that have claimed countless sailors over the centuries. Beyond the beach, the vast Namib Desert stretched into the horizon.