I am excited to soon participate in a game count sponsored by IRDNC (Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation) in the Zambezi Region of Northeast Namibia. We’ll be conducting an annual wildlife census in the bush and it will give me a chance to see another part of this beautiful country. The links below describe important aspects of Namibia’s leading role in wildlife conservation, including one of its heroes, IRDNC co-founder Garth Owen-Smith. Continue reading “Namibia’s wildlife conservation”
Category: Recreation
Pertaining to non-work-related activities.
Backpacking the Naukluft 8-Day Trail
I was treated to a very special visit by my son, Tyler, who spent several weeks in Namibia during March and April. A highlight of his visit was backpacking together along the remote, 125km-long Naukluft 8-Day Trail with 9 other American volunteers (from Peace Corps and World Teach). As always in wide open expanses of land, the photos never do justice, but I hope just the same that you enjoy the photos taken by Tyler, PCV Sheridan and me.
Continue reading “Backpacking the Naukluft 8-Day Trail”
Sharing this beautiful land…
My love made it to southern Africa over the holiday break in December, when I was able to show her why I love it here in Namibia. We started with a few days in South Africa, then flew to Namibia where we saw many of the iconic cultural and natural aspects that one should see on a first visit: wild animals (large and small), the dunes and the sea.
I hope you enjoy some of the photos we collectively took.
Off the grid in Namibia’s wild, wild West
Longtime best friend David recently visited Namibia, so we hired a 4×4 with a roof-mounted tent to explore a corner of the country that has attracted me since my arrival: Damaraland and Kaokoland. Lying mostly in Kunene Region, it is considered one of the most remote places on Earth and besides its fascinating scenery, flora and free-ranging wildlife, it is the traditional homeland of the Damara and Himba tribes.
Continue reading “Off the grid in Namibia’s wild, wild West”
Kolmanskop – a relatively new ghost town
During my visit to Lüderitz, recounted in last week’s post, I also visited the nearby ghost town of Kolmanskop (or Kolmannskuppe in the old German). First established in the late 19th Century as a diamond mining town, the last resident departed in the mid-1950s. Since then, it has been subject to the slow but steady encroachment of the Namib Desert sand. It’s a photographer’s Mecca, particularly during the early and late hours of the day, and I did the best I could during the middle of the day. Continue reading “Kolmanskop – a relatively new ghost town”
10th Annual Crayfish Festival in Lüderitz
I recently visited the remote Southern town of Lüderitz for its 10th Annual Crayfish Festival. Located on the Atlantic Coast, this quaint German town comes alive once a year to celebrate its seafood industry. Crayfish (aka “lobster”) are a major export from Namibia (particularly to Asia), but they kept more than enough for the locals and the tourists to enjoy at Festival time. Enjoy the photos!
Continue reading “10th Annual Crayfish Festival in Lüderitz”
A project completed (and I have the blisters to prove it!)
When I first visited Goanikontes-Oasis back in October, I started to think about a return trip to that relaxing retreat by hiking from Arandis across the desert and down a number of dry river canyons. While I had painful memories of the reconnaissance mission to remind me of the challenges, it was still a project I looked forward to accomplishing once summer was over and the temperatures were more tolerable.
Continue reading “A project completed (and I have the blisters to prove it!)”
365 Days in…
Tomorrow will be the first anniversary of my arrival in Namibia with my fellow PCVs from Group 43. I will mark the occasion by completing the “project” I conceived back in October: to backpack from home over the desert and down the Khan and Swakop River canyons to Goanikontes-Oasis Rest Camp.
Back on the trail: Rössing Mountain
It’s been awhile, but I finally got out in the desert again recently, climbing the peaks of Rössingberge, 20km from Arandis. It’s the tallest range in the area, viewable from my front porch, and has been a target of mine since I arrived last June. Fellow PCV Eric visited from nearby Karibib and we hitchhiked to the access road off the main B2 Highway. There were trails to two of the peaks but we found ourselves scrambling up scree slopes and along ridges of loose rocks to the others.
The new year started with a lot of wildlife!
Greetings from Namibia! Sorry – I didn’t mean to be away for so long!
My intention was to take a few weeks off from the blog, during which time I camped in three of Namibia’s game reserves. The break was wonderful but only served to put me behind at work so I extended my “blog pause.” I hope to make up for my absence with this, my longest post yet. Fear not – it’s mostly photographs and one little short video.
I hope you enjoy it!
Continue reading “The new year started with a lot of wildlife!”