Namibia: Tsumkwe Lodge

Tsumkwe Lodge is located Tsumkwe, in the north east of Namibia. To get to Tsumkwe, drive northwards from Grootfontein on the B8. After 55 km, you will find the turn-off to Tsumkwe, the C44. This is a gravel road in good condition and you will enter Tsumkwe after about 225 km and 3 hours.

The road can be travelled with any kind of vehicle, but to explore the area, a 4x4 vehicle will be needed. At the moment, fuel is not available in Tsumkwe. There is a very good gravel airfield 5 km outside Tsumkwe.

Tsumkwe is a small settlement in North Eastern Namibia. The area was formerly called Eastern Bushmanland, the former "homeland" of the Ju/'hoansi which means "real people", also referred to as San, Bushmen or !Kung.

The Nyae Nyae Conservancy was formed in 1998 and gives the Ju/'hoansi the right to benefit financially from the wildlife in the area, mostly through receiving income from a hunting concession. It is not a game reserve, but several species of game are found here and conservation of the environment is a priority.

The Ju/'hoansi live throughout the area in closely knitted family groups on what is left of the land of their forefathers. They are the only community in Namibia who are allowed to hunt on government land, albeit only traditionally.

They are increasingly becoming involved in tourism, which provide capital in an area where formal employment is limited. It is possible to camp at these "villages" after obtaining permission and paying a camping fee. There is a conservancy office in Tsumkwe where tourists can obtain information and arrange for a local guide.

The border post at Dobe, 53 km east of Tsumkwe, is now open 7 days a week (7h30 to 16h30 Namibian time) and provides a thoroughfare to Botswana. The 4x4 track to Nokaneng is about 140 km. The average speed one can maintain on this road is 50 km/h. The nearest fuel would be 30km north of Nokaneng at Gumare or at Maun.

At this stage, fuel is not available in Tsumkwe and there are two shops with very basic supplies, a police station, a school, two churches, a clinic, the lodge and some government offices.

The Dutch Reformed Church operates a curio shop in Tsumkwe, which is well worth a visit. The curios are obtained from all the Ju/'hoan communities in the area in exchange for basic food supplies.

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Namibia: Tsumkwe Country Lodge

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Namibia Country Lodges sold Tsumkwe Country Lodge to The University Center For Studies In Namibia (TUCSIN) in 2014.

Their plans were to develop Tsumkwe Lodge into a small Hospitality training center for local San communities in the Tsumkwe area. Due to logistical difficulties, a lack of funding, and COVID, TUCSIN was forced to sell the lodge and the training center. The new owners; Pine and Diekie Pienaar are very passionate about the product. They are both involved with the day to day management and operational affairs of the lodge. Pine is a seasoned building contractor and is active in the building of schools around Tsumkwe & Nyae Nyae Conservancy area. Diekie is a retired school teacher who has taken over the coordination of all training programs facilitated under the stewardship of TUCSIN. They have a classroom with training facilities at the lodge which also hosts many regional meetings and training courses for the development of the area and the upliftment of the community. The lodge has undergone major renovations after COVID. We are happy to say, they are back on track, welcoming guests to this far corner and the remoteness of Bushmanland.

Tsumkwe is situated less than 60 km west of Dobe border post to Botswana, and 256 km east of Grootfontein in the Otjozondjupa Region. This small village is the administrative hub for approximately 600 inhabitants who live in Tsumkwe and the other +/- 3 500 San who live on the outskirts of town and beyond the Nyae Nyae Conservancy.

Nyae Nyae Conservancy; meaning 'place without mountains, but rocky' was registered in 1998 with a view to conserve and protect this fragile area. It covers a protected area of 1 million hectares of unspoiled wilderness in the far East part of Namibia that borders Botswana.

In proximity to the Nyae Nyae Pans and Khaudom National Park, Tsumkwe Country Lodge is an ideal adventurous starting point to reach the Zambezi (Caprivi) Region as well as Botswana via the Dobe border post to experience the famous Okavango-Delta. Tsumkwe is still a wilderness paradise, off the beaten track!

Accommodation Configuration - 21 Twin rooms and 1 Triple room:  

Each room has two large single beds – Twin rooms with mosquito nets. The bathroom has a shower, washbasin, and flush toilet. Due to our outlook on less electricity consumption, the rooms are not air-conditioned. Each room has a powerful fan with a speed setting for those warmer nights.

Camping:

The 10 individual campsites can each take up to six guests with tents and two vehicles per site or one vehicle with a trailer. Four campsites have private showers, basins & toilet facilities, while the remaining six campsites share a communal ablution facility.

Families with Children: 

One triple room is available for two small children to share with their parents. 

Children from 0 to 4 years sharing with parents – Free of Charge (FOC)

Children from 5 to 11 years sharing with parents (Half Price)

Since 2014 Tsumkwe Lodge did not increase their rates. Due to the sharp rise in costs across the board, Tsumkwe Country Lodge has no option but to increase its 2023 rates. Without this increase, it will not be possible to continue improving the quality and service consistency they wish to imbed going forward.

Bookings already confirmed or in the process of being confirmed will be honored at the previous 2023 rates they were quoted. The amended rates will be applicable to all new bookings for 2023.

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South Africa: Loeriesfontein in Northern Cape & Windmill Museum

Loeriesfontein is a small town in the Northern Cape of South Africa. The town of Loeriesfontein is within a basin surrounded by mountains, and it is accessed from the N7 highway (north out of Cape Town), turning off on the R27 at Van Rhynsdorp to Nieuwoudtville, then following the R357 to Loeriesfontein (a further 65 km north).

Loeriesfontein became a municipality in 1958, but it has since lost that status in a re-organization of municipal responsibilities that incorporated it into Hantam Local Municipality.

Windmill Museum: The late Dr. Walton, a British born Capetonian was well known for his interest in different aspects of conservation, including the conservation of water-pumping windmills or wind pumps. He wrote a book on this subject with the late Mr André Pretorius ("Windpumps in South Africa", published by Human and Rousseau in 1998 but currently out of print).

In order to share this collected knowledge with a wider audience, he invited potentially interested organisations and places to start a windpump museum. The Fred Turner museum at Loeriesfontein was the only respondent. Since its establishment there, the museum team and interested persons all over South Africa have sponsored and collected 27 wind pumps, now assembled and on display.

The town grew around a general store established in 1894 by a travelling Bible salesman, named Fredrick Turner, the son of the sister of Charles Spurgeon. He came from Norwich, England. The store still exists. It is currently owned by Victor Haupt, the grandson of Fredrick Turner. The shop is currently called Turner & Haupt SPAR, and is 113 years in the family.

Southwestern Loeriesfontein forms part of the wider region known as Namaqualand, an area well known for its spring flowers (August and September) and its great variety of different plants - some 4,000 varieties are said to be evident in this region. The flowers attract visitors to the region, but at other times agriculture (sheep) and mining (salt) are the main commercial activities.

Loeriesfontein Renewable Energy The Loeriesfontein and Khobab Wind Farms are part of the South African Government’s Round 3 Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPP) and are managed both in terms of construction and operations by Mainstream Renewable Power South Africa.

The Loeriesfontein and Khobab Wind Farms, are expected to be operational by December 2017. Situated in the Northern Cape, which has the highest volume of renewable energy utility power plants in the country, these sister wind farms comprise a total of 122 wind turbine generators, spanning 6,653 hectares. Collectively the wind farms will power circa 240,000 South African households, positively impacting the country’s economy and its people.

The two wind farms achieved over 2 million man-hours of construction activity without a single lost-time-incident during their construction period. “Considering the sheer scale of these power projects, the multiple levels of activities and the complexities involved in building these very large wind farms, it is an impressive achievement for our construction team.

Fred Turner folk and culture museum

The culture and historical way of life of the "Trek Farmers" of Namaqualand (also known as Bushmanland or Hantam) is displayed in this museum which is housed in the old school adjacent to the Windmill display (which is in what was the school playground). More than 1000 items are on display, including a trek wagon, equipped tent, kook skerm and a horse mill.

Salt pans

100 km from Loeriesfontein in the spacious plains of Bushmanland are salt pans (dwaggas) that are still in production.

Quiver trees

Large quiver trees (sometimes referred to as "Aloes") can be seen on the road from Nieuwoudtville to Louriesfontein.

Loeriesfontein - небольшой город в провинции Северный Кейп в Южной Африке. Музей ветряных мельниц: покойный доктор Уолтон, капетонец британского происхождения, был хорошо известен своим интересом к различным аспектам сохранения, включая сохранение водяных ветряных мельниц или ветряных насосов. Он написал книгу на эту тему с покойным Андре Преториусом («Ветряные насосы в Южной Африке», опубликованной Human and Rousseau в 1998 году, но в настоящее время не издаваемой). Чтобы поделиться этими собранными знаниями с более широкой аудиторией, он пригласил потенциально заинтересованные организации и места для открытия музея ветряных насосов. Единственным ответившим был музей Фреда Тернера в Лорисфонтейне. С момента его основания команда музея и заинтересованные лица со всей Южной Африки спонсировали и собрали 27 ветряных насосов, которые теперь собраны и выставлены на обозрение.

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Namibia: Dornhügel Guest Farm special

En-route to Bushmanland, home of the San people, and midway to the lush Caprivi region is Dornhügel Guestfarm – 45 km north of Grootfontein and only 3 hours drive from Etosha National Park.

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Our eight spacious guest rooms are all individually decorated and surround the lush green courtyard and facilities that include a children-friendly playground and a variety of games to keep the kids occupied while the parents relax. All the rooms are equipped with mosquito nets, air conditioners, WLAN (Wifi) reception, mini-fridge, and an en-suite bathroom with a shower and a separate toilet.

Farm dinners are always wholesome and full of goodness. Chose a prime cut of beef from the meat curer and let our chef flame grill it to perfection, served with the freshest vegetables from the farm garden. Enjoy a nightcap at the fire pit and under a blanket of stars before retiring for the evening.

Our special runs from today until the end of April 2021 and is based on a minimum stay of 1-night “Dinner, Bed & Breakfast basis”.

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Namibia: Dornhuegel Guest Farm | Дорнхюгель Намибия

Namibia: Dornhuegel Guest Farm | Дорнхюгель Намибия

In the North of Namibia, en route to the untouched Bushman country and the Caprivi region, and only two hours away from the Etosha pan lies Dornhügel Guest Farm. We offer you a unique combination of a guest farm with a homely atmosphere, stylish ambience and rustic farm life.

Accommodation

Our eight spacious and newly renovated guestrooms are all individually decorated and surround the lush green courtyard – our Oasis in the middle of the farm.
All rooms are equipped with mosquito nets so that you can choose to enjoy the African night air seeping in through the windows or you can escape the heat and have a restful sleep by making use of the air conditioners that we have installed in each room.
Each room has WLAN (Wifi) reception, Mini-Bar and an en-suite bathroom with a shower and a separate toilet.
Each room has an animal name that is indigenous to the area – Suricate; Kudu; Guinea Fowl; Gecko and Zebra look toward the bush. Porcupine and Giraffe room has a view of the garden and fruit-trees growing in the courtyard.

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