Namibia

I get asked all the time, almost daily actually “Where is your favorite adventure?”  My answer is quite often “canned” - “Why, the last place I visited” or, maybe, “the next place I go.”  We all know that these answers serve little purpose.  Folks ask me for advice because, let’s face it, I’m blessed to have seen a big chunk of the world (actually in reality just the tip of the iceberg, but I keep working at it.)  As I get older, I reflect back on my travels and adventures and really try to think of what or where was my favorite adventure?  That answer recently came to me, and everything just seems to make more sense now.  It was just a few weeks ago… Kasey (my lovely daughter) and I were zip lining across the tree tops in the shadow of Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica. We were laughing like kids again.  Actually, she was laughing at me, but the fact is we were indeed laughing.  Next it was off to the beaches of Manual Antonio for a break and a few hours of surf lessons (come to think of it, this is really when the laughing hit an all-time high.)  It was on this recent adventure to across Costa Rica that I came to realize it isn’t so much where I travel, but with whom I travel.

I am convinced the best part of travel is the memories we create, and the best part about these memories is who we create them with.  There is nothing better than to share my passion for travel with someone who I not only love, but whose company I enjoy.  Personally, for me, it gets even better.  I am fortunate enough to work in the adventure travel business. Better yet, I am blessed to work in this great (a bit crazy at times) industry with my wife and children. In the last 12 months I have had the chance to travel across Europe with my wife Carol (talk about memories… who could forget the rug salesmen in Morocco… I know I would like to,) spend 3 weeks on safari in Namibia with my son Andy (making too many new friends to count,) and most recently, as I mentioned, exploring Costa Rica with Kasey my daughter.

So in this case, where is my favorite adventure? Easy, Costa Rica!  Pura Vida (Plenty of Life) as the Costa Ricans say. It is no doubt a beautiful country, with the friendliest and warmest “locals” you can imagine.  The adventures are endless, whether it’s rafting the Pacuare River, kayaking the canals in Tortuguero National Park or just relaxing on the beaches of Manual Antonio, Costa Rica has it all and welcomes travelers like no other country on the planet.  The only question that remains is simple...  who are you bringing with you??

The idea, why…..

The idea of an exchange visit was conceived in a unique open air “board room”, in Namibia’s great Kunene region, Omatendeka conservancy at Otjomumbonde. Otjomumbonde area is the Omatendeka conservancy’s wildlife sanctuary. The area is endowed with much needed natural springs and great vegetation making it well suited for farming; however the conservancy has set it aside for wildlife therefore its attractiveness for tourism development. In this arid area, land use and management plans involve making substantial sacrifices by the communities who are generally described as farmers and not conservationists despite their well-known successes in conservation. These sacrifices are sometimes rewarded with unique tourism developments such as the planned Otjomumbonde lodge. It is a beautiful site in a pristine environment. Serenity combined with sincerity to connect people divided by not only an ocean but also lifestyles and cultures. Despite these divides, their souls connected in a common purpose and similarities in their love, respect and appreciation of nature. More similarities came to the fore, their common fight and plight to conserve and preserve the environment; this is why it was decide to undertake an exchange visit for Namibians to the US for both nations to share in their common journey.
 

The mastermind behind the exchange visit is Dan Austin of Austin-Lehman Adventures; a passionate visionary, an energetic individual who love life and all in it, particularly the stories of people as it relates to their space and history. In Namibia he was inspired by the harmony and balance of people and wildlife and their love for the environment which manifests through their passion for sharing their story and their environment with visitors.

The composition of the invitees covered people from Namibian conservation hotspots and a combination of veteran eco-tourism practitioners both in communal conservancy areas as well as government concession areas. In its entirety the group included representatives of key stakeholders making it appropriately representative of the relationships required and in most cases responsible for the successful implementation of eco-tourism and conservation operations in Namibia.

These relationships are a web network involving the government, conservancies, non-governmental organizations, donor agencies, and private sector tourism investors, to mention but a few. Conservancies’ successes of conservation on their land are very well celebrated in Namibia over the years and continue to be the case. Amongst the selected representatives for the exchange visit is conservancy concessionaires, this is the latest government initiative to further extend natural resources management rights and benefits to conservancies neighboring protected areas. This allocation of concession rights to conservancies has not only increased the conservation foot print of the conservancies but also put at their disposal more resources from which to benefit. Unlike in the past where the concession rights were given to private sector operator, now the private sector operators are contracted only as operators and are only given rights to conduct their operations by entering into an agreement with the conservancies that hold the concession rights.   

The delegation also comprised a fair reflection of the Namibian peoples’ cultural diversity, with representation of people from the far northwest, the central north and far north east as well as people from the central heart land of Namibia giving both a rural and an urban reflection of the issues concerning sustainable utilization of natural resources.

The visit, what we saw…

Zoo Montana visit: A great welcome by the enthusiastic “Zoo Man” who has a voice that cuts through the mumblings of non-attentive visitors in the group, filled with passionate yet educational presentation of information of the various species in the collection of the zoo.

The tour through the zoo began at a well calculated significant stop for foreign visitors to see the Bald Eagle, America’s national bird appropriately welcoming visitors on a tour into the American wildlife kingdom, not only at Zoo Montana but for what was to follow during out tour of many wildlife sightings in the parks. To the delegation, a zoo is a new experience even though in Namibia there are various initiatives that operate with wildlife kept in captivity but in general parallels could be drawn especially regarding how the animals ended up in the zoo as well as their confined future in this captive environment. For majority of the group members, there was a general sense of mixed feelings regarding the freedom of the animals and their adopted constricted behavior. Nonetheless the essence and conclusions drawn are that these animals, despite their sad tales of what happened and what could have ended up in their death, have been offered a second chance at life at the zoo, maybe even a much better chance compared the their wilderness-dwelling families.

 Their new role of Zoo Montana is to serve as ambassadors of their world out there and spread the message of their plight directly to their biggest enemy, the human race. The evening was enjoyed mingling with a high profile team from Billings including the Mayor and several representatives of congress, people entrusted by the masses with championing their prosperity including that of the wildlife and the environment. They are key role players in decisions that should bring justice, equity and a harmonious co-existence of man and beast.

The Crow Tribe dance: To cap the evening, a journey down the historical footsteps of the Crow Nation/Tribe was undertaken. They passionately shared their heritage and history and brought to life their increasingly threatened rituals and infected everyone with rhythm to join in song and dance.  We witnessed how music transcend boundaries of any kind be it tribe, race or nations from far across the oceans. The motion of dance to melody is a universal language and we full well connected and melted into the Crow’s cultural pot for the evening.  

              
Meeting the Crow Tribe/Apsaalooke Nation who have a reservation “conservancy” in the rural areas of Montana State, a state fully branded by their ancestors through their connection to the land, the names of the main natural  features such as rivers and mountains and grass plains bears names with meanings and cultural significance of the Crow nation. This is a story many a people can relate to and people in the delegation can relate fully. The challenges they face are similar to the challenges many Namibians face.

Yellowstone National Park can only be described as a “Must see”, seeing is believing in the truest sense of the statement. It was a visit in History, not only seeing what can arguably be the oldest park in the world but also getting the best chance or the closest chance to hear, feel, see and experience some of the most fascinating goings into grandmother earth’s belly. The park is a geological living museum, a living laboratory for academia that pursues the challenge of getting to understand the workings beneath the earth’s surface. It is a mind-blowing experience for the ordinary and it will not fail to ignite a curios debate in one’s mind about the forces of nature and the spiritual believe of divine powers of some sort. We experienced the soul healing powers of nature, the realization of how small and insignificantly young we are as humans on planet earth and how at times the forces of nature swallows our self-imposed egos over other species and our selfish dominance and exploitation of the resources of the earth all in the interest of the human species, the most destructive and harmful species to the planet.  

It is encouraging to note that this Park was set aside for conservation more than 100 years ago. Several success stories of game reintroduction in this park are visible such as the Bison and the Wolves, what is also visible is the ever unpredictable bio-diversity-balance/imbalance that in most cases is best left to nature.  The successful reintroduction of the wolves in the park seems to trigger some form of discontent with cattle ranchers neighboring the park, it appears that the wolves’ territories are spilling over on ranches and that the ranchers are experiencing losses of cattle and a reducing population of Elk that migrates seasonally from the park onto neighboring ranches. This migrating Elk onto ranches provides for a popular lucrative hunting season that provides a much needed alternative source of income during the winter period. The phenomenons above serve both as a sign of conservation success as well as in this case maybe a reminder of the possible reasons why the wolves were fiercely hunted to depletion in the first place.  At the moment, around the wolves issue in the Yellowstone Park, there is an urgent need for conservationists, government to engage ranchers more pro-actively and holistically if lessons can be drawn from our Cheetah Conservation Fund model on the fate of the cheetahs in Namibia. Meanwhile it appears that two even bigger threats to both the ranchers and the parks management and maybe to an extend to Montana and neighbouring states these are wild fires and as was explained a volcanic eruption. These are larger than life threats and therefore beyond anyone’s comprehension, hence left to grandmother nature to decide if not to divine power.

Rural Montana is “cowboy/girl” (gender equality) country; it is a culture, a heritage and a way of life of a people but more importantly an industry and its players who brave it out to rear cattle and hay fields to add their bit to feeding the nation. They are a people with character, a sense of profound pride and hospitality on their ranches and small towns. They are a community and a family, they all have “cow” blood in their veins. Yeah right they will defend their cows. Conservation in their vocabulary is grass lands management, rotational grazing methods and grass species restoration on their ranges as well as rooting out any threats to the cattle be it deceases or otherwise; that is conservation in their language. These guys represent everything tough and rough, big trucks, tough terrains, hectic chores and manual operations in stark contrast of the urban jungle life in this developed nation. They follow a history of their forbearers and continue to cherish a heritage for future generations to come. We did horse riding at a ranch and got a window into the reasons why they probably choose to remain rural, one trail “highway” single file procession, one traffic rule “follow the leader, stop when he stops”, simple “controls” to operate, speed limit is controlled by the cowboy in front. Now why would you trade this for the hustle and bustle of city life if you can eke out a living  in this serene space. After all city dwellers work very hard to earn a holiday the ranchers call their office and the activities such as horseback riding their daily chores.   

American football match: Dan Austin’s all time love appears to be football, in the short-time we spend together the word football kept popping up in conversations like some out of control pop up on a computer screen.  He sold the game to the Namibians in record time and worked tirelessly to plant enthusiasm in the group as he knew that making this group understand the game will take the same time it took Namibians to achieve conservation success. Nonetheless he put to good use every second at his disposal and within less than 15 minutes had total strangers at least memorize Andy’s number (his son who plays for the Bobcats) and the color of the Bobcats’ outfits which was necessary for the Namibians for their own safety at the stadium. Needless to say, on top of the above the game was lectured to the group in a typical Dan’s-Lewis-and-Clark version time, which simply means a story of any magnitude compressed to one breath. Determined, excited and motivated the group marched on the stadium with turbo-charged confidence to join the Bobcats’ die hard supporters in cheering the team to victory. The two distinct differences were the Made-in-Namibia chanting which was new on the scene as well as the dancing when the group took to the stage when a band played live music before the match, the Namibians’ rhythmic moves made others seem rhythm-handicapped, the Namibians shook the “stage” and attracted much admiration while at the same time doing their magic to ensure a win for the Bobcats.  As they say the rest is history Bobcats emerged victorious. Something that was must to rescue Dan from a deteriorating change in mood. An elevated Dan expressed as sigh of relieve which was echoed by the group in a typical father-to-children rubbing off energy.

TIES summit: Eco-tourism, sustainable tourism, pro-poor tourism, community based tourism are but some of the main themes and phrases coined over the years in an attempt to define an environmental friendly sustainable tourism concept that serve as the reason for yet another TIES gathering in Monterey, California. The group joined other delegations from all over the world and participated in sessions at the same level as their counterparts while in some cases it was obvious that many nations can learn a thing or two from Namibia’s conservation success as well as Namibia’s successful unique joint venture eco-tourism concept. The various presentations made where not strange to the Namibian delegation, especially the case studies that involved rural/communal/parks conservation and rural based tourism ventures. What was also evident is that Namibia has a long way to go in its application of environmental friendly practices in urban areas. Lessons on recycling and carbon emission reduction can be drawn from the developed world and maybe Namibia is best placed to do it right first time to be pro-active in order to avoid detrimental development planning. The lessons learnt by developing countries is that we must guard against developing only to end up redeveloping when it comes to making environmentally-friendly decisions, we are best placed in many ways to do it right the first time around and also to learn from the overwhelming examples and adopt systems and technologies of the developed countries proving to be good examples. Namibia has an advantage of having vast tracts of land available as well as an enabling legislation. The challenge we face is inclusive broad consultation on land use plans and prioritization of key sectors with a view to sustainability. Development of the Eco-tourism sector can lead to significant spin-offs that can stimulate a domino effect that will address socio-economic needs in rural areas where it is needed most. In our approach of development in this sector we should adopt a “Design for positive impact and sustainability approach”

Lessons and Recommendations….
•    In comparison to other countries Namibia has a conservation success story to tell of notable magnitude.
•    The importance of stakeholders’ relationships and the role that each play cannot be overemphasized.
•    It is vital for Namibia to be involved and affiliate at international level in conservation and eco-tourism sector
•    There is a need for more involvement and engagement of private sector in policy formation especially regarding tourism concessions
•    There is a need to actively engage academic institutions for both a refined documentation and thorough scrutiny of the conservation success stories and tourism operations in conservancies.
•    Donor’s continue to play a major role in the promotion and creation of needed synergies between key stakeholders for the benefit of sustainable conservation activities
•    There is a need to establish at ground level international mutually beneficial relationships with communities (conservancies), conservancy associations, local councils and regional government; such as signing twinning agreements at this level. E.g {game guard exchanges, committee exchanges and leadership mentorship etc}
    

  List of Delegates:
Ms Aisha Nakibuule (Acting Director), Namibia Development Trust
Ms Hilda Namwnyo (Manager), Sheya shUushona Conservancy
Ms Selma Nangolo (Grants Manager-Tourism), Millenium Challenge Account-Namibia
Mr Usiel Ndjavera (Tourism Business Advisor), WWF
Ms Martha Mulokoshi (Project Officer), WWF
Mr Dusty Rodgers (Investor-Tourism Ventures)
Ms Fabiola Katamila (Chief Warden, Concession Unit), Ministry of Environment and Tourism
Mr Pepe Giampietro Olivetto (Entrepreneur-Eco Lodges building and investments)    
Mr Gustaph Tjiundukamba (Chairman), Omatendeka Conservancy
Mr Rector Mbeha Kawana (Assistant Director) Namibian Association of Community Based CBNRM Support Organisations
Mr Jermain Ketji (Community Liaison Manager) Wilderness Safaris Namibia
Mr Cebens Munanzi (Manager-Tourism and Conservancy Support) Wuparo Conservancy
Mr Alex Ndango (Chairman) Muduva Nyangana Conservancy
Mr Bennet Kahuure (Manager-Tourism and Conservancy Support) Millennium Challenge Account Namibia

Itinerary
Day 1, Sept 6: Montana, Billings: Visit Montana Zoo
Day 2, Sept 7: Billings: Visit Crow Agency
Day 3, Sept 8: Red Lodge, Cooke City
Day 4, Sept 9: Cooke City, Yellowstone National Park
Day 5, Sept 10: The Tetons/ Jackson Lake
Day 6, Sept 11: Jackson Lake/ Grassy Island
Day 7, Sept 12: Yellowstone/ Upper Geyser Basin
Day 8, Sept 13: Lower Geyser Basin/ West Yellowstone/320 Guests Ranch
Day 9, Sept 14: Gallatin Canyon/ Ouzel Falls /Big Sky
Day 10, Sept 15: Bozeman/ MSU Campus
Day 11-16, Sept 16-20: Monterey, TIES Conference
Day 17-18, Sept 21-23 Traveling Back

Acknowledgements and thank you’s
•    Millennium Challenge Account Namibia
•     WWF Namibia
•    Austin-Lehman Adventures
•    NACSO
Ministry of Environment and Tourism

Have you ever had an experience where you knew, at a cellular level, that its very essence would impact you and stay with you for the rest of your life?  My recent experience guiding 14 dignitaries from Namibia, Africa through Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park is one of those special moments that I will carry with me forever.  The name of our adventure was called "No Borders" and the foundation for the visit was to share ideas, through group discussion about sustainable tourism with representatives from our beautiful national parks and the concessions within them.

What is Sustainable Tourism? I learned this week that sustainable tourism is like a three-legged stool; the legs being economics, environmental and cultural preservation. It's the understanding of, and commitment to, the enduring value of conserving wildlife and wild places for the sake of human-wildlife coexistence.  Namibia has dedicated nearly half of its landmass to National Parks, Conservancies and private protected land. Conservation of land is even written into their constitution. So make no mistake about it, Namibians understand and are committed to sustainable tourism. And, they do it well. The "No Borders" adventure covered almost 700 miles in ten days and I had the privilege of spending all those miles hearing and joining in on discussions of Sustainable Tourism and how their model has manifested over the years.  I discovered that our Namibian friends are people of action; they move forward and get things done because they truly care. It is their way of being in the world, I believe, that brings this model to life. They truly care!

Dan Austin said, "They came as friends and left as family". That statement sums it up best. Their warm, caring ways are authentic and infectious, which creates a space of openness and flexibility and we bonded immediately. A special moment that will always be with me is when we all witnessed the Crow Indians perform traditional tribal dances. We all were drawn in by its ancient sound transporting us back to a time when there were "No Borders;" leaving us all a feeling that the tribal dance was coming from a long line of proud ancestors. It was especially inspiring when members of our Namibian family were motivated by The Crow and responded with their own ancient traditional dance.  This was spontaneous and genuine. Little did I know, the entire ten-day adventure would go this was; spontaneous, genuine and inspirational.  You see, at our core, humans have "No Borders," we just need to communicate and be vulnerable enough to share. To me, this tour was a perfect storm of genuine humanity.

By the second day, I was adopted by Hilda ( the manager of Sheya shu Shona Conservancy) and called her mom for the rest of the adventure. Gustaph ( chairman of Omatendeka Conservancy) was referred to as "Pastor" as he blessed all of our meals. As I recall all of our Namibian family members, I realize I have a unique bond with each and every one of them. Trust me, I will never forget them and hope to one day share more special moments with them.

As important as it is for the details of Sustainable Tourism to be discussed amongst all involved , I believe it is equally important to point out that deeply caring  about each other and the willingness to compromise is the platform  that our three-legged model of sustainable tourism truly rests upon. 

I wish my new family well and was honored to be a part of something bigger than any individual;  helping to create a part of the world that knows " No Borders."

After an amazing ten days spent guiding and exploring the expansive regions between Billings, MT and Jackson, WY with fourteen wonderful new friends from Namibia, I felt the need to write about a few learnings I took away from this remarkable opportunity of a trip. As a short background, my father, Dan Austin, took a trip to Namibia (his favorite place in the whole world) back in May. After lively and meaningful conversations amongst the group he was traveling with, he ended up extending an invitation to his friendly Namibian acquaintances to come and explore the Yellowstone and Grand Teton regions of the United States. Little did he know, that this welcoming invite would open up doors to these people who wanted to see the world. Read on to discover my three “take-aways” from this trip that has been deemed in our office as “The Nam Fam”.

1. These Namibians are one of a kind….

From the moment we picked our crew up from the airport, I could tell it was going to be a special week. The kindness these people show is like none other that I’ve seen in my travels around the world. We had quite the variety of Namibians in our group – village leaders, government officials, lodge contractors, WWF members, and conservancy workers were just some of the titles represented amongst these people. Their willingness and desire to learn about the geology, history, flora/fauna, and culture of the area made me see the lands I grew up in with a fresh perspective. Along our way, we met with numerous representatives of Montana and Wyoming – Cooke City’s historian, Yellowstone and Grand Teton’s sustainability directors, local World Wildlife Fund reps, wildlife biologists, ranchers, Native Americans and more. I couldn’t believe the amount of interaction and learning that took place within our “on-the-road classrooms.” All in all, the educational factor in this adventure was beneficial for each member (including myself) that was involved, and I believe that the Namibians’ excitement to learn made the whole experience that much more fun!

2. We experienced a whole lot of “firsts”!

Going into this adventure and not knowing the background of each of the Namibian members, left us planning this trip for fourteen people without knowing just how exciting a lot of our activities would be. Little did we know that many of our friends had never been on a plane before, and this was just the first of all of the “Wow’s” we would hear along the way. Visiting the Crow Reservation near Billings allowed our Namibians to make comparisons between the Crow tribe and the Namibian people such as the San and the Himba, a first time for them since they had never seen an American Indian reservation before. At the top of the Beartooth Pass (near 11,000 feet), many of our guests saw snow for the first time and of course we had our first snowball fight! Since none of our Namibians had been to North America before, each wildlife sighting was a first for them too – coyotes, wolves, black bears, moose, elk, and bison were just a few of the animals we saw (although we did hear a lot about the animals we needed to come and see back in Namibia!) Kayaking Jackson Lake was also a first in that many of our friends had never ridden in a boat of any kind, let alone a small two person kayak floating so close to the water. (There were many nervous questions about what could possibly eat you in a lake so large – I made sure everyone knew that alligators and hippos did not exist in the Tetons!) The last first I will mention is the American college football game that we attended on our last day together in Bozeman, Montana – the Bobcats versus the Lumberjacks. What an experience this was – from tailgating before the game to cheering the Cats on to victory, the excitement at this event was incomparable to any football game I’d ever been to before. Each and every first time activity left me grinning ear to ear – how neat to be able to share with these eager people America’s finest gems – it truly was a pleasure!

3. Sustainable tourism – walking the walk

When it comes to sustainable tourism, there are a lot of people and companies that talk the talk, but how many are really out there that walk the walk? Sustainable tourism is defined as tourism that can efficiently and effectively occur over the long term that benefits the environments, cultures, and economies of where it takes place. As a company dedicated to sustainable tourism (as Austin-Lehman’s efforts in our nonprofit organization Wheels of Change shows), we felt that this fam trip definitely took a step in the direction of sustainable tourism in providing our fellow Namibians with connections, practices, ideas, and learnings to bring home to their people and businesses. Not only did we share America’s practices, but we compared our uses of sustainable tourism with the Namibians’ conservancy model. In a nutshell, Namibians use a conservancy to set aside land to protect natural resources (such as the local wildlife, a watershed, or a historic area) while employing almost all local people, therefore improving the economic livelihoods of those benefitting from the conservancies (the locals!). We discussed many times how the idea of a conservancy could be used in America, especially on our Native American reservations. All in all, the discussions regarding sustainable tourism in our lands near and far brought about interesting conversations and ideas that could lead to better sustainable practices both in Namibia and America.

Overall, this trip opened my eyes to the Namibian culture and way of life. These special people really are gems in this world we live in, and to get to know one (let alone fourteen of them)  is like inviting a brother or sister into your life. The fascination with our national parks and Native American reservations was evident in the questions asked throughout the trip. I couldn’t believe the number of “first times” we had for each activity we completed as a group, and just one of these experiences was extraordinary for these people let alone a whole list of them – I feel so lucky to have “relived” these firsts through fresh sets of eyes. Last of all, the ideas shared and connections made regarding sustainable tourism are sure to bring up some interesting questions and conversations that will last far beyond our time spent together in Montana and Wyoming. I can’t wait to see where this trip has led to when I visit Namibia for my very first time in 2013!!

One of the most memorable experiences I had in Namibia was sea kayaking in a seal colony. While there were boat tours also in the area we were right in the mix. The seal pups came pouring into the water from the beaches by the hundreds to come greet us. I've sea kayaked amongst seal pups before, but never any this friendly. If you put your hand in the water they would come play with it, taking nibbles but careful not to cause any harm. I was traveling with a GoPro camera and had a blast sticking it into the water to capture their playfulness. Well enough talk, I'll let the short video I made speak for itself!

Enjoy! 

Andy Austin

Photographer

Well, I have been in Botswana for a few days now, and I can’t tell you how many camps I have seen, and fell in love with!  From Abu we moved to a place called Xigera (key-ja-ra) Mokoro Camp.  To get there we launch into the Delta on the Mokoro’s (dugout canoes) and spent 2 lovely hours floating along the waterways!  The water is so clean you can see the lily pad roots all the way down to the sandy delta bottom!  We spent a while trying to find the painted reed frogs, which are about the size of my thumb nail!  The guides of course spotted them easily as can be and help the rest of us!

Camp was awesome, a true African Bush experience; Just what I was for on an adventure vacation.  I had my own tent, with 2 comfortable cots and a private bathroom, well there was a drop toilet and a bucket shower, but it was mine. We spent our time enjoying the camp fire and telling stories of other camp experiences.  Dinner was an amazing collection of cooked-over- the-fire items like chicken curry and all kinds of vegetables… so good!

From there we moved through several of Wilderness Safari’s lodges!  They are all unique, beautifully appointed, and each offered something special that made you want to stay!  I won’t kill you with details, but I will point out a few of my favorite things!  Kings Pool had these amazing semi-circular lounges that we congregated in to look over into Namibia; they also set up our dinner on the deck and provided hooded blankets in case we were cold.  I was treated to an outside bath in a beautiful copper tub at Jacana Camp. We also had a hippo walking through camp when we arrived one afternoon.  Vumbra North had the most amazing common area I have ever seen! It was modern design that flowed perfectly with the surroundings!  I kept joking that they should send me this swing that hands in the ‘living room’; it was a floating braided seat that was so comfy! Joa looked like it had grown completely organically in the trees, and the spa…. Oh the spa…. I wish I could have stayed and enjoyed a treatment!

(Vumbra North)

Needless to say I am very excited about the camps, and Wilderness Safaris as a company.  I am proud that we are partnering with them, and I can’t wait to share all of these places with others on African Safaris!

Come back soon for more on the game viewing in Botswana, which is second to none!

Your Friendly Travel Expert,

Mindy Vanderhoof

A question on everybody's mind when traveling to Africa is, "is it safe?". And I could tell you from personal experience that I feel safer in Namibia than I do in a lot of the United States. A recent experience only strengthened my view of the good natured Namibian people. On my recent trip to Namibia I lost my wallet while out in the bush. I thought the wallet was long gone after numerous hotels searched for me and nothing turned up. But upon my return the United States I got an email that my wallet was found and they were determined to get it back to me. At that point the wallet had already changed hands countless times as it was found by a cleaning crew and handed off time and time again to try and find the rightful owner. 

I sit here now, wallet in hand. And not a dime of the $200 is missing, nor the small handful of credit and debit cards. I have a hard time believing that such lengths would be gone to people elsewhere in the world. My hat's off to the people of Namibia and them proving time and time again how good hearted and kind these people are. It's something you must experience to understand, so head out to Namibia and see for yourself!

Andy Austin

When someone mentions Africa often the first thing brought to mind is the vast amount of wildlife. And don't get me wrong, the wildlife is incredible. But it's often the people that leave the greatest impression after returning to Africa. The people of Namibia are the friendliest I've met in all of my travels, always with a smile and wave to complete strangers. They always welcome travelers with open arms (and usually a cold beverage). On my recent journey I met people that have changed the way I look at life and I will never forget them. The constant success stories of how tourism has positively benefitted the people really opened my eyes to the impact tourism has on the local villages.

This post is the first in a short series highlighting my favorite pictures from my recent trip to Namibia. This particular one is devoted to the smiling faces of the Namibia people as well as our interactions with the locals.

The full gallery with all 137 pictures can be viewed here: ALA Flickr- People of Namibia. 

Andy Austin

Photographer

Peakphotography.org

Just thought this was a “cool share”…

We tracked this endangered Black Rhino with a team from the World Wildlife Foundation and the Save the Rhino Trust…. A great way to get your heart going at sunrise…..  this is a free range Black Rhino,  once we found him (from a distance) we worked with the Save the Rhino folks to document his size and details. They record and track hundreds of Rhinos,  Namibia is the only place on the planet where this beast is thriving. They don’t release numbers (fear of poaching) but they hope to be in the 2000 range by 2030.  The horns can be worth over 100,000 US….   They (Namibia) are actually exporting Rhinos back onto public land, it is estimated that upwards of 2 Black Rhino are killed a day in South Africa (numbers are slowing due to scarcity of the animal).. its been two years since one has been killed in Namibia.  This is a direct benefit of the good work the Conservancies are doing, empowering the locals to protect wildlife to enhance tourism.

Just think this is pretty dang cool….  And in case you are wondering, yes the rumors are true and Black (compared to white) Rhinos are deadly and very aggressive… 

Dan Austin

The last day in the field was a bit uneventful by Namibia standards, but still epic none the less. 

The morning kicked off with a sunrise game drive just outside Etosha National Park.  The game refuge holds just about every species one would hope to see on an African Safari, all but the elephant. With Etosha National Park so close and it being the prime elephant habitat it is hard to keep them on site. 

This morning we were treated, as we have been every morning, to a spectacular African sunrise.  Returning back to the lodge, we enjoyed breakfast overlooking the local watering hole and its frequent visitors.  As Etosha is 6 hours on a "tar road" north of Windhoek, we knew we had to head out.

Tonight we celebrated with our new friends at "Joes" a local favorite steak house with about every species of game on the menu. Conversations were lively and camaraderie ran deep.  We started planning our next get together before dessert hit the table.  Ideas were plenty, but I will save the details for another day. Hugs, more hugs and a few more hugs wrapped up the evening.  Andy and I said our good byes and headed to our guest house to pack. 

I am pecking this out on my Blackberry at 35000 feet as we head back to Johannesburg. There really isn't a lot more to say. Namibia, will steal your heart.  Great people, good times and adventures aplenty await.

I am looking forward to next time. Perhaps you can join me?

Namaste,

Dan Austin, Director

As I get set for today's update I realize I probably under sold last night’s camp at Otjibumbunde.   We camped at the future site of a JV Lodge.   Our hosts were the owner of the lodge, leaders from the conservancy and the builder.   We enjoyed roast lamb and fine wines well into the night. 

A more spectacular setting would be hard to picture.  A spring in the vast valley below keeps things green.  From our vantage point we could see uninterrupted wilderness beauty for miles and miles.  Wildlife were unaware (or at least seemed to be) of our presence. 

Over breakfast we reviewed the blueprints for the project and then heard a heartwarming presentation (translated from Himba) about just how much this project means to the local villages.  The prospect of jobs and opportunities has all beaming with pride. 

We sat and "chatted" for a few hours and even that seemed short.  With more hugs and pictures we reluctantly had to say good bye and continue our adventure. 

What is becoming increasingly clearer to me is the magnitude of the positive impact these JV's within the conservancies have. As we continue north, I am already thinking how I can get more involved and help support such a great sustainable program, even further thinking ahead how to expand the footprint. 

So we continue North to the region commonly just referred to as "Etosha".   Etosha National Park, (huge saline desert) first gained conservation status in 1907 and has been proclaimed a game reserve by the German Governor Lindequist.   Depending on the season there can be large quantities of wildlife that congregate at the many watering holes.  It is not uncommon to see a half dozen species, encroaching on a head count into the hundreds at one hole. 

We arrived at Ongava Lodge situated on the park boundaries and on its own private game reserve to the "buzz" of a Lion spotting.  Festus our Herrera guide suggested we "check in later" and get right after them.  We needed no convincing, we all quickly jumped into the open game drive vehicles and headed out.  We didn't stop at the giraffes or wildebeest; we were on a mission.  It didn't take long with Festus listening to a little chatter to find our lions.  A pride of 6 young (a little over a year) were just ahead playfully lounging in the setting sun and finishing the evening meal provided by mom.   We watch and snap a thousand photos and it is well past dark before we return to the lodge. 

The Lodge is a beautiful property in heart of the true African wilderness (or at least on the edge). We are quickly shown to our secluded room just feet from a watering hole.  We receive a safety briefing (no sitting on porch after dark and wait for armed escorts to and from dinner).  By day all is good, by night extra caution is encouraged. I am fine with that, Andy would make a fine meal for a pride of lions or leopard and I promised to bring him back in tact. 

We dined on an open patio overlooking a "lit" water hole.  We struggled with keeping our attention on the meal and more conversation as rhinos, giraffes, oryx, hyenas and others all stopped by for a night cap. 

We have one more day to go and then the trek home.  I am already missing my new friends and traveling companions.  But most of all I am missing Namibia and all is rugged beauty (people and landscapes) and as I said we still have a day to go. 

Namaste,

Dan Austin

Set out this morning deeper into the bush.  Elephants, Giraffe are becoming common place. Today we are focused more on learning about the conservancies, its product and people. We visit a camp owned by locals (wait until you see the pictures) and continue west.  In a lot of ways this area looks a lot like the American Southwest, except bigger (and with a few elephants) arid, plateaus, valleys and springs.  You can drive the dirt trails from dawn to dusk without seeing another vehicle or any sign of civilization.

This afternoon, we loaded up on rice and sugar and drove a dozen rough KM to a traditional Himba village along a spring in a little slice of paradise.  We were greeted warmly (note to self when shaking hands with Himba women, be prepared to get the red okra die on everything). Kids of course are the same around the world; take pictures, share pictures, laugh, and repeat. 

After learning a bit from our guide and translator, we were entertained with impromptu dance and song.  Yes I even managed to dance with the Himb a ladies (I think I may now have a 2nd wife).

We said our goodbyes to the Himba's and headed further into the bush.  Tonight, camping African style high on a hill overlooking a beautiful spring valley.   Dinner is served with white linen settings, an amazing chef and more new friends.  

Life in Africa is a strange and wide sweep of diversity.  In a village of sod huts one minute, then a cold beverage served up on a silver platter as the sun sets shortly down the road.

Camp was set up on the site of a future conservancy JV Lodge.  The owner and builder were our hosts for dinner. Lamb over a fire for hours, makes for a great dining experience.   Leaders from the local Conservancy joined us well into the night. 

I have mentioned how much I love Namibia??  I am already planning my next trip and I am excited to learn how to get more involved with the conservancies.

Namaste,

Dan Austin

When you wake up each day with a game drive (ok smiling faces and good coffee first) is pretty tough to have a bad day. Today was no exception.  After a few days In Africa you start getting into a rhythm, perhaps its the same rhythm the locals are blessed with.

We eagerly headed out early this morning.  Our goal, the endangered  Black Rhino.  Our
trackers headed out first and we had one more cup and followed closely behind.

It took all of 30 minutes to come upon one of the WWF tracking team patiently waiting in the road.  Still sun barely peeking above the horizon, he points 500 yards away to 2 more trackers and Jeff slightly above the springs.   "He is there" he proclaims.    5 minute safety and rules talk and we head out.  15 minutes later all you could here is snapping shutters.

Our trackers took notes and taking pictures and logging details.  They whisper details, they know this fellow "Don't worry" and estimated at 30 years old.  We have a 15 minute time limit as to not disturb him.

Namibia seems to have Rhino poaching on the run, there has only been one confirmed kill in the last few years, as opposed to upwards of 2 a day in South Africa.

We press on, endless wildlife sights, each on special.  We stop at "v zyl's gat ", (picture small spring in SW canyon) a true oasis in this arid land.  A dip for all and then we continue on towards the distant plateaus.

Early afternoon we arrive at Grootberg Lodge perched on the rim of the Etendeka Plateau over looking the Klip River Valley. 12 rock and thatch huts will be home.

Quickly freshening up we head out "on top" for another game drive.  The plains game on top were a abundant.   The light amazing and the conversations stimulating.

We returned to the lodge for yet another fine meal and then were treated with guests and conversation for hours regarding the "pros and cons" of the conservancy program.  Grootberg Lodge we learn was the first JV lodge/ community project and I had the true pleasure of dining and chatting with it's champion Maxi (NACSO Executive Director).

After dinner we had a robust conversation to what "we" can do to help (why we are here),  but first we need to heart the challenges.   In a nut shell #1 of course and as always is unfortunately funding as it often is with any project.  Then we drill down to things like compensating farmers for elephants damaging crops and lions eating goats, things we don't often consider.

One thing struck me as a parallel, many of the issues are quite similar to our re introduction of wolves in Yellowstone and the ongoing conflict with local ranchers, so maybe we are not all that different after all.

Just an FYI, we calculated we are in the 5000 photo arena, with 4 days to go!!

Tonight we are headed in to the bush for a night of camping.

More to come.  I have I mentioned how much I love and respect Namibia and its people?

Namaste,

Dan Austin

So I sent off my "daily report" a bit early last night.  I left off the best part, dinner African style!  As we rallied for dinner our local guide Allen asked us to join him for a short walk under the stars to "look for scorpions". a little odd, but we were all game.  Apparently "scorpion" is code for a walk to a traditional African fireside dinner,  complete with a choir from the local village.  The village elders joined us and shared eagerly how working with the conservancies has so positively impacted all in the village, what a great way to spend and evening.

Wake up call at 5:00 AM for a walk to a nearby hill and catch the sunrise.  Little did we expect to crest the hill and first hear the singing (African welcome song) and then right on top of the hill was a fabulous breakfast spread. Coffee, baked goods and a little bacon and eggs,  breakfast has never tasted so good!   We leave as we came to beautiful African song and continued our hike to a local village.  Judging by the number of goats, cows and chickens, this was an affluent village of huts and shacks.

Ben our host for the visit was a sharp looking man and a wealth of local knowledge. He literally beamed as he introduced is to he extensive family. We arrived at Rhino Camp deep in the conservancy in time for sun downers around the fire.  Rob from Wilderness and Jeff from Save the Rhino Trust joined us and shared stories of the success of the program.  Namibia continues to set the bar for wildlife conservancy, in fact is only place on the planet with growing numbers of endangered Black Rhino.  The decline in numbers are staggering, from hundreds of thousands in the late 80's to an estimated 2500 world wide. We are in the heart of Rhino Country and couldn't be more pleased.

Back to the fire after dinner and more stories (funny how a fire brings that out in all).  Festus our local guide asked us to step away from the fire to enjoy the night skies.  Once again we learned more about how special Namibia is at some many levels. Namibia is reported to have the best star gazing in the southern hemisphere and I sure wouldn't dispute this.

Off to bed, 5:00 AM comes early and the infamous Black Rhino await.   The trackers head out before us to "cut the tracks" and a grand day awaits.   Sleep comes easy in the camps, long days and only the Sounds of the Savanna make sleep deep and pleasant. 

Typing this on my Blackberry over good coffee and a rising sun.  Everyone is excited and anxious, we are about to head out to see an endangered species the vast majority in the world will never get the opportunity to see.

Got to go, got the "load up call"

Dan Austin

Arrived back in Windhoek early evening, just in time to catch up with our new traveling companions for the week.

It was actually quite a treat to put faces to "emails".  Some of these folks I have known for many years and actually never met.  A fascinating group, Representatives from World Wildlife Foundation (both Namibia based and stateside), an old friend from Natural Habitat (a premier tour operator), Investment bankers, looking to learn a bit more about the conservancies  and of course our new friends from Wilderness Safaris.

After introductions and dinner we returned to the comfort of Maison Ambre Guest House.

Seems like the sun shines bright every morning in Namibia and today was no exception. Shortly after breakfast we all left for a 1.5 flight to Damaraland in a Cessna Caravan.

Going to be an amazing 6 days. This group of like minded travelers were all hand picked to add a wide range of skill sets and contacts to the mix.  Our goal as I understand it (we know more as the story unfolds) is to bring fresh new light to not only Namibia, but the good work the country is doing with local conservancy groups.  This is truly an "educational" tour for me!

As I learn more, I will break down what exactly is a conservancy and how they directly benefit the "locals". For now, its sit back and enjoy the flight, northwest over the Erongo Mountains. We land at the Damaraland air strip and shuttle to the lodge for lunch.

Leeana our host (and camp manager) joined us for lunch and shared with great pride her 17 years of working at the lodge.  The Damaraland Conservancy was one of the first in Namibia.  She went on to explain the partnership with Wilderness Safaris and how she and the locals look at the lodge as their own.   How in partnership they work to Train and Educate the staff and support all in the village.  She boasted of having a pension and medical benefits. In return the village leases the land for the lodge and enforces the game laws to insure wildlife for all to enjoy.

In short a conservancy is a partnership between, in this case Wilderness Safaris and the village.  Wilderness builds the lodge, trains the villagers, manages the camp in a 60/40 partnership.   The community puts up the land. The land is leased to the conservancy in 10 year leases. She clearly understands at articulates well the symbiotic relationship between the lodge and village.  She laughs when she explains her now 8 year daughter has the bed she did not.  She shared she did not get shoes until she was in her teens, but now smiles and states her children will always have shoes.

She reminisces as a teen barefoot and hearding goats and all she really wanted was a job. A dream realized when 17 years ago she joined Wilderness.

She beams as she tells the stories of "climbing the ranks" and laughs as she proclaims "I will never have to heard goats again".  "Now we can afford to hire a goat herder".

She goes on to point out she was the first black manager since independence.  She tells us of an exchange program where she was invited to US to work in a Ramada Inn.

Proceeds from the lodge (the Conservancy)  supports many aspects of the community. Including game guards, vehicles, schools, pensions for the elderly, health care and so much more.  Leanna expects Wilderness will turn the entire lodge over to the community within the next 20 years. She held our attention well into the afternoon.

But in addition to learning about conservancies, we are here to see game and  Its early afternoon and the game awaits... We headed down to the river bottom, the perfect habitat for the desert elephant. In route we saw plenty of planes game:oryx, springbuck to name a few.

Once at the river bottom it didn't disappoint.  It didn't take long to pick up "sign" in the soft sand.  Then the first two, a small bull and newborn.   Then we "cuit the traoil" of a dozen or so.  We shot ahead and waiting as the herd approached our jeep allowing amazing shots in the setting sun.

Back to "camp", a hearty dinner and good conversation around the campfire awaits.

I should note, the camp is typical in over the top luxury as only Wilderness can pull it off!

Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings,

Dan Austin

Headed back into the dunes, this time looking for "little" critters in
Dorob NP. Namibia's newest National Park, founded  2010.

Our guide Chris is an expert on the reptiles and insects of the region. Chris is blessed with infectious energy, passion and in depth knowledge of the area and its inhabitants.

This part of Namibia saw 3mm of rain last year. A little less then normal, but plenty to "feed" the life on the desert.

We spent hours trekking and trying to keep up as Chris spotted tell tail signs that produced amazing encounters with the "locals"

Chameleon, gecko, perenguays adder (sidewinder), shovel snouted lizard, fitzemans burrowing skink and that's just a few.  Frankly on our own we would have easily missed all.  Further validating why a local guide is key.  Chris and his company Living Desert Adventures is a must do (again).

We wrapped up with a little 4x4 wrangling across the dunes, bringing out the adrenaline junkie in all of us.

Time to head back east, this time overland back to Windhoek (350 km) and meeting up with our group of adventurers to head next North to Damaraland.

But first an overnight in Windhoek and a bit of exploring Namibia's Capital (about 280,000 residents).

Namaste,

Dan Austin

 

I could really get used to waking up by the ocean (not really practical living in Montana).

We left at dawn to shuttle south to Walvis Bay where we met up with Jeannie our kayak guide. On the water early to beat any potential mid day winds was fine with us.

As we drove to our launch site, we just knew we were on track for a great day.  The sun was making what we understand to be a rare appearance along the coast.  We passed lots of birds (all of which Jeannie would tell is all about and the occasional jackal.

As we got closer to our "put in" we started seeing huge seal colonies.  Jeannie assured us, no need to stop for pictures now as we would get right in the middle of them by water.  Since they have no known predators in these parts approaching be sea, it was easy to understand the logic of being able to get close.

What we didn't realize as we paddled up was that to the hundreds of young seal pups, we were a great source of curiosity and amusement.   We quickly found ourselves surround by thousands of playful seals.  They acted like any "pup" and would follow us and "chew" on anything placed in the water.  Including my hand and Andy's GO-Pro camera (Andy should have some great shots)

We literally paddled and played with the seals for hours.  When paddling hard they would take it as a challenge and race the kayak.  When you stopped, they would surround the kayak and bark for attention.  Occasionally one would get comfortable enough for a "belly rub". Yes, they sure reminded us of canine pups, just in mass quantity.

Reluctantly we paddled back to the jeep and headed back to town.

Another "treat" for a Montanan is a beach side grill, today was just going to be a dang good day!!

This PM was again free (something we are not used too) and we took advantage of the time to clean camera gear and just "chill" on the beach.

Today was a good day, experiencing this with my son has made it one of my favorite family adventure vacations I have done so far.

Dan Austin

A short 2 hour flight and we arrive in Windhoek. Capital city of Namibia. As promised Roger our guide is patiently waiting (with the welcome sign I so look forward too) just outside of customs. We load up our classic safari vehicle and head out for our 5 hour drive south (on well maintained gravel road) to "The Dunes". In route, endless antelope, orix, ostrich, wildebeest and a 7ft cobra that had a go at our jeep.

Arriving at "The Dunes" as the sun set, finding our camp was a bit of a challenge, but as day turned to night, it was the light from the fire that caught our eye.  Kulala Adventure Camp would be home next two nights. Only on African safaris can you find a remote wilderness camp, so accommodating and down right luxurious.  I mean really, tents with flush toilets!

Our camp for the next two nights is a cluster of a half dozen "tents" and the main dining mess tent.  All tucked against a small rock out cropping at the edge of the dunes of the Namib Desert. Campfire dinner and off to bed.

Dawn came early as we headed out of camp to reach the dunes at sunrise, spectacular would be an understatement for the view! The worlds largest dunes, rich with color an character.

We made our way to Sossuvlei Pan in the heart of the dunes.  Spent the morning scurrying around and taking lots of pictures. As the morning light faded so did we, as we head back to camp for lunch and a siesta.

This afternoon, a "little" work. When we travel with adventure travel companies, we are indeed working.  We checked out Kuala Lodge and Little Kuala Lodge, the latter being about as luxurious of camp I have seen.  Both strategically located on the edge of the Namib Naukluft National Park (the Dunes).

After afternoon "tea" we headed back to camp, its hard to tire of being met at your vehicle with a cold drink, fresh wash cloth and warm smiles.

After yet another campfire dinner, a bit of star gazing then off to bed.  Tomorrow we head to the coast, I can't wait to see more of this amazing Nambia Safari.

Much more to come....

Dan Austin

It took all of 5 minutes on the ground in South Africa to forget about the 26 hours it took to get here (the last 14 straight Atlanta to Johannesburg). You see it is blatantly obvious from your very first contact with the African people, they welcome you with open arms and a warm heart.  You "glide" through customs and passport control with smiles and welcomes.

With our crazy busy stateside lives we don't notice how "short" and downright rude many have become.  But here in a land where so many have so little, there is an abundance of compassion, kindness and warm, welcoming openness.

At dinner our first night in an airport hotel, our waiter shared with us growing up a Zulu in Mozambique and moving to Johannesburg 12 years ago for work. He taught us how to say thank you in Zulu "Ngiyabonga", but assured us everyone we meet will know and appreciate an "English" thank you and a smile even more.

This morning we continue on to Namibia, seems you can't have a bad day in Africa, the locals just won't have it.  Beautiful people in a beautiful land.  The next few weeks are sure to be sensory overload. Above all else re-charging my appreciation of simple things and reminding me to start each day with a smile.

We feel at home with "Mother Africa"

Dan Austin