Background
Travel tips, background stories and tales from Africa – by our guides and travel experts.
Monogamy in the animal kingdom: Africa's faithful ones
A partner for life is rare among animals: only three to five percent of all mammals live monogamously. Among birds it is more common. While researchers are still divided over the motives for eternal fidelity, we already know that it is interpreted differently across the animal kingdom.
World Wildlife Day: good news for Africa too
On 3 March the United Nations and animal conservationists all over the world celebrate World Wildlife Day, the day of wild fauna and flora. On this day they want to draw attention to the situation of wildlife around the world.
Africa's "Little Five"
For many travellers the "Big Five" are the stars of the savannah. Those who are out in the bush for the first time as safari newcomers look out above all for elephant, buffalo, leopard, lion and rhino. But those who have seen the big ones many times have the calm to go in search of the small ones.
Icons of the savannah: giraffes are threatened with extinction
On safari in East or Southern Africa they cross your path so often that at first you can hardly believe the news: the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has put giraffes on the "Red List of Threatened Species" and classified them as "vulnerable".
International Mountain Day: a visit to Mount Kilimanjaro
On International Mountain Day we look towards Mount Kilimanjaro. You will find Africa's highest mountain in Tanzania, on the border with Kenya.
A look behind the scenes: new Sprinters for South Africa
It sounds so simple: two new vehicles are needed to show our guests on our "Fascination South Africa" round trip the most beautiful corners of the country safely and comfortably.
Sustainable tourism in South Africa's Drakensberg
Andrew is proud of what he does. He could make life easier for himself, but he is convinced that the path he and his wife Conny are taking is the right one. Conny and Andrew are the owners and managers of Antbear Lodge, an eco-lodge in the Drakensberg in eastern South Africa.
Born to be killed
With this headline one might think of chickens, cattle, sheep or pigs – farm animals, whose meat, milk or eggs have nourished humankind for centuries. Hardly anyone would book a safari in Africa for their sake. What thrills holidaymakers here are wild animals such as giraffes, zebras, elephants, rhinos and so many more.
Psst … water crisis
"Well, Juan, you know what tourists are like," a hotel owner in Windhoek recently told me when I was talking to her about Namibia's worrying water problem. "When they arrive here in the morning after their long flight, many of them jump straight into the shower.
At the Tropic of Capricorn – the Tropic of Capricorn in Namibia
Anyone who hears "Tropic of Capricorn" probably thinks straight away of Henry Miller's novel of the same name: a ruthless exposure of the American way of life in 1920s New York. Others may picture it more figuratively, such as how the high altitudes of the Alps affect the realm of the ibex that lives there.
Fascination football – Elefant-Tours supports the non-governmental organisation "Oasis"
For the majority of Black and Coloured South Africans, football and enthusiasm for the sport are as much a part of South Africa as the impressive landscapes, the sun, the friendly people and the wild animals.
Mopane – the tree with angel wings
Some people interested in Africa may have heard of mopane and thought of the mopane worm rather than a tree. But tree and caterpillar are closely linked, as the mopane caterpillar is a real fan of the tree's leaves.
The marula tree and the fairy tale of the drunken elephant
It is not for nothing that the marula tree is also called the elephant tree. The pachyderms love the plum-sized, golden-yellow fruits of the tree. Whatever is not harvested wild and made into Amarula liqueur or eaten directly as fruit all too gladly ends up in the huge mouths of the tonne-heavy four-legged giants.
Of travel agents who set out to get to know Namibia
Every year it is the same: travel agencies send their sales staff and product managers out into the world to acquire the necessary knowledge about destinations, hotels and sights on info trips.
And the Oscar goes to … Namibia
It was once again a night of stars: gorgeous dresses, cool suits, interesting women, sexy men. Hollywood's most important event of the year brought them together: the Oscar ceremony.
Malaria – and the stinging goes on
Christmas time is holiday time! Once again many holidaymakers travel to tropical and subtropical regions where bloodthirsty mosquitoes feast on fresh human blood. The females of the Anopheles mosquito spread the most terror; dependent on protein, they mercilessly suck the red juice from their victims' veins.
School project in Tanzania
When headmaster Amini took over "Nkoanekoli Secondary School" near Arusha in 2013, he faced just 3 empty rooms – and a great deal of work. To enable his pupils to get a good education, Amini puts all his heart and soul into this school.
Heroes' Day is Herero Day
On 26 August last week Namibia celebrated its annual Heroes' Day. It goes back to the struggle against apartheid and against the South African government, which colonised Namibia, then still called South West Africa, between 1915 (officially from 1919) and 1989.