Africa through our guides' eyes
Travel tips, background stories and tales from Africa – by our guides and travel experts.
Welwitschia mirabilis
What can you expect from a plant that chooses the Namib Desert of all places as its habitat and, in doing so, even voluntarily exposes itself to conditions of moisture-hostile heat and wrinkle-friendly dryness?
Doctors of a different kind
A holiday in Africa amid exotic National Parks, fascinating deserts, spectacular mountain formations, magnificent coastal landscapes and varied wildlife is as paradisiacal as it sounds. Living here and immersing yourself in the particularities of local lifestyles is no less exciting.
Seals – as far as the eye can see
The route leads from Swakopmund for about 1½ hours along the coast northwards through the Namib Desert. Wlotzkasbaken alone delights the eye – a holiday settlement that, without water and electricity connections but with colourful houses, has grown into the country's most original holiday spot.
Bird delights
How boring I always found our birds in Germany. Monotonous shades of grey, hardly any colour … that is how I remember our birds. And those who liked birds anyway bought some exotics from faraway countries.
After the drive, the accommodation
On every safari – whether in Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Namibia or anywhere else in Africa – the drive is the destination. The wildlife along the way or the fascinating landscapes with their distinctive umbrella acacias make the tour in a 4x4 an unforgettable experience.
On foot in the bush
In all of Africa's National Parks or the private wildlife reserves with lions, leopards, buffalo, elephants and rhinos, it is of course always fascinating to admire the wildlife from a safari vehicle. But I love being able to leave the 4x4 standing and walk through exactly the same areas.
Etosha National Park – an afternoon at the waterhole
There are days in Etosha when I am prepared to drive around with my guests for hours to bring them closer to the national park's rich wildlife. Along the way I stop here and there, tell them interesting facts about the animals and describe striking behaviour.
Camel thorn tree – adapt or die
Besides the animals, it is also plants that fascinate me again and again on tours. These include, for example, the camel thorn tree, which is widespread in Southern Africa and found in Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The tree, however, has little to do with camels.
In the eye of the chameleon
It is not so long ago that on one of my visits to Kruger National Park I almost ran over a chameleon. I saw it swaying along the road in front of me just in time and pulled over to the left, delighted.
Elephants sue humankind
It is the sensational news of the day: at the first World Congress of Elephants in Botswana's Chobe National Park last week, around 400,000 African and about 40,000 Asian elephants from over 35 countries gathered for a 5-day crisis summit.
The Great Migration
One of the greatest natural spectacles of our time in one of the most spectacular open-air theatres in the world is the Great Migration of animals across the plains and rivers of the Serengeti and Masai Mara. The protagonists: around 1.5 million migration-hardy wildebeest accompanied by several hundred thousand zebras, Thomson's gazelles and eland antelopes.
The golden hour – on a photo tour through Namibia
It is something very special to be able to offer your guests such an exquisite photographer as Wolfgang Bauer on a photo tour. Beautiful pictures, interesting subjects and plenty of exchange of experience are guaranteed. And if that is not enough for you, rest assured that little sleep is also among his qualities.
On the roof of Africa: the Kilimanjaro experience
There were moments on the way up to the summit of Kilimanjaro when I cursed my boss for expecting me to take on this challenge so that I could advise our customers better afterwards.
Malva pudding
After a delicious dinner in a cosy lodge I am actually always so full that I would love to order a taxi to get from the dining room to my room.
Ostriches – big eyes, small brain …
… is the reaction of the San, the indigenous people of Southern Africa, when they have once again successfully caught an ostrich. Their trap is as simple as it is ingenious, making use of the ostrich's feeding behaviour.
Happy Anniversary Namibia
It is now 25 years since Namibia first celebrated its independence on 21 March 1990. It was preceded by the year 1989, so special worldwide, when the political climate turned completely and a torrential current of change washed away the walls between East and West.
The poetry of Africa
Mystical curtains of mist in the bays of South Africa's Wild Coast, bathing elephants in Botswana's Chobe River, gently waving grass on reddish Kalahari dunes, the dramatically sloping sides of Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania or endless galaxies in the starry sky over Namibia's deserts – travel can be so romantic!
The mopane worm – nutritious and delicious
Whether "omagungu" in Namibia, "mashonzha" in South Africa, "phane" in Botswana, "macimbi" in Zimbabwe or "finkubala" in Zambia – it is always the mopane worm being talked about, a welcome food supplement in all these countries.