Acacia News April 2008

The Year 2007 was a year of Centenary Celebrations. The most important landmarks were the 100 year centenary of Etosha National Park and 100 year centenary of the Namib Naukluft Park.

Mata Mata border post: Now open!

After many years and lots of controversy, the Mata Mata gate has finally been opened again, providing easier excess between Namibia and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in South Africa.

In terms of SANParks regulations, Tourists are required to stay over for two nights in one or more of the official overnight facilities of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. This regulation will be strictly enforced and no commercial traffic is allowed through the park.

Tour operators and guests would be required to do their planning thoroughly and well in advance as the camps in the Park operate at high occupancies, which could result in guests being unable to use the Mata Mata Tourist Access Facility, should they not have a confirmed booking for one of the official overnight facilities in the Park.

Tourists from Namibia may make use of the new entrance to Kgalagadi, as a day or overnight visitor access point without checking in with the border officials at Twee Rivieren as long as they return to Namibia. If, however, a tourist leaves the Park to go in to South Africa or Botswana they will have to go to the passport control at Twee Rivieren, the only full passport control post on the South African side of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.

Opening Hours Mata Mata – Namibia: Summer and winter 8:00 – 16:30

Twyfelfontein: Namibia's First ‘World Heritage Site’

Our famous Bushman Rock engravings at Twyfelfontein have been declared a ‘World Heritage Site’. UNESCO considers Twyfelfonteins Rock Art of ‘Outstanding Universal Value’.
Around 3000 rock engravings in Damaraland form an extensive and high quality record of ritual practices relating to hunter-gatherer communities in Southern Africa of more than 2000 years.
All the rock engravings and rock paintings within the core area are without doubt the authentic work of San (Bushmen) hunter-gatherers who lived in the region long before the influx of Damara herders and European colonists.
Most of these well-preserved engravings represent lion, rhinoceros, elephant, ostrich and giraffe, as well as drawings of human and animal footprints.
The site also includes six painted rock shelters with motifs of human figures in red ochre. The objects excavated from two sections, date from the Late Stone Age.
The setting of the Twyfelfontein rock art is authentic and represents one of Africa’s most important rock-art concentrations. The core area was designated a national monument in 1948 and is now protected by the National Heritage Act.
Tourists visiting Namibia and Damaraland in particular cannot miss a visit to ‘Twyfelfontein’. The Old Fort Museum in Windhoek has an ongoing exhibition of Rock Art in Namibia, which explains the meanings of the paintings.

Tourism Radio Namibia

Fully independent travellers have the opportunity to hire their own ‘electronic touring guide’ while travelling in Namibia.
The device which uses GPS technology, broadcasts interesting information relevant to the area the tourist is passing through. Light hearted shows keep tourists entertained while points of interest, landmarks or accommodation establishments are pointed out on approach.
The same intelli-point system will also alert drivers of road hazards, high accident areas and invaluable road safety information.
Tourism Radio is easily installed into your hired vehicle and is available from all major car-rental companies.
The device can be rented for a fee of N$75 per day at the booth of ‘Tourism Radio’ at Windhoek International Hosea Kutako Airport.

For info:
info@tourismradionam.com www.tourismradionam.com

The year 2008 has started off busier than ever in the Tourism Market and we experienced the opening of some exciting new properties in Namibia.

Andersson Camp:

The lodge, which opened in February 2008, is situated close to Etosha. It caters primarily for independent travelers and lies in the medium price segment.
Surrounded by plains teeming with wildlife, the resurrected 'Discoverers' farmstead now forms the anchor fronting onto a thriving waterhole and the 20 tented guest units with en-suite bathrooms have raised on decks for an enhanced view.
This model of eco-sensitive lodging provides an authentic, safe and down-to-earth experience for small groups, families and independent travelers to Etosha. The camp is enclosed to keep out big cats.

Etosha Safari Camp

Since January 2008, this Camp is part of the Gondwana Collection group, who has embarked on an extensive upgrade and the building of 23 new chalets to be completed by Sept 2008, after which the Camp will have 50 units all together. Etosha Safari Camp provides affortable mid-market accommodation and is situated 10 km south of Etosha's Andersson Gate

Dietlind Dietterle

(updated April 2008)