Namibia 19.09.2015 - 03.10.2015

Arrival in Windhoek. Time to discover the centre of the 200.000 inhabitant capital of Namibia and to adapt to the desert sun.

With the child of a former freedom fighter we will make our way through the history of Namibia. Discover the different parts of the city, including one of the big townships. Have a look at one of the schools in the township and talk with a teacher about the Namibian education system.

Head south through about 500 km of sparsely populated land and desert to one of the most stunning regions of Namibia, the NamibRand Nature Reserve. Spend the next days together with a group of students from the south of Namibia in the environmental education organisation NaDEET. Learn about solar cooking and discover how animals and plants can survive in the extreme conditions of the Namib Desert by walking in the sand dunes. Experience a program which will show us many little challenges of the people’s everyday lives.

Last day at NaDEET and then drive 150km south to a family of farmers, who have sustained a farm in the arid land amongst the sand dunes of the Namib Desert for nearly 100 years. Enjoy a sunset in the dunes.

Starting with a fresh breakfast directly from the farm we will be given a tour around the premises and an introduction to desert farming.We will also discover some contradictions to what we learned the day before at NaDEET. Meet the former head of the Namibian Farmers Union. There will be plenty of time to discuss, not only about the contradictions we saw, but also about the role of the European-Namibians in the Apartheid.

See the petrified trees in the famous Sossusvlei, climb dunes and discover the Sesriem-Canyon.

Discover the world-famous desert-research-station Gobabeb. The station lies at the meeting point of three different important ecosystems. After meeting scientists and students there, we will continue to the coastal city of Swakopmund.

Discover one of the most extraordinary plants, the Welwitschia mirabilis, an endemic plant which can live for up to 2000 years with only two leafs. Meet a member of the ruling party in Namibia, the SWAPO. As this party came to power after the civil war, they will tell us a different part of the story to the one we will hear from the Farmers Union.

Explore one of the biggest manmade holes in world, an open pit uranium mine. Enjoy the cool breeze of the ocean in this coastal town.

Learn about a special ecosystem, the Inselberg. It provides valuable water in the desert. It is also one of the first points of settlement of the Khoisan, the natives of this region. The Spitzkoppe has a wonderful landscape, rock paintings and a community project for promoting sustainable tourism in the region.

Meet a representative of the Namibian Mineworkers Union and get a good insight into the worker’s situation in Namibia. Drive back to the capital.

Meet a representative from the GIZ, the German Federal Enterprise for International Cooperation. They have gone through a deep change over the past years, going further and further away from classic development aid. Talk to the head of the Institute for Public Policy Research in Namibia. On a regular basis they publish good reports about Namibian Society, Politics and the Economy. They will help us to sort our impressions we collected during this trip.

Enjoy a relaxing day off and appreciate the great food of Namibia for a last time

Flight back home or optional safari tour with other group members!