Not Corona, but rather the sensational rain was the dominant theme in Namibia in the first few weeks of 2021. Video clips of rushing riviere (dry rivers) were circulating on WhatsApp. At one of ONE’s partner lodges, a river turned the last few meters of the guests’ journey into an adventurous experience …
Seascape in the Namib Desert
A cyclone from southeast Africa caused exceptionally good rainfall almost everywhere in Namibia. Only the far north and the strip of the Namib Desert along the coast received little or no precipitation.
An unusual amount of rain fell in the south. The Sossusvlei in the Namib Desert, the end point of the rarely flowing Tsauchab River, formed a seascape. The recently completed Neckartal Dam, which contains more water than all other Namibian reservoirs combined, overflowed.
Waiting by the river
In the cities, many Namibians drove to the nearest rivier (dry river) and were as happy as children about the raging brown waters. On smaller gravel roads outside the cities, drivers sometimes had to wait for hours at the fords before they could cross the rivier.
At Ondekaremba, a partner of ONE Namibia at the international airport, the Seeis Rivier was not passable by car even after the water ran off. Ondekaremba describes how the guests of the lodge got to their destination and had fun doing it in his news report.
The rain news from ONE’s partners Ghaub and Waterberg Wilderness are exciting, too …
Waterfall on Ghaub. Photo: Maren Hellweg
