As students we used to ski down sand dunes on pieces of plywood. Pretty unsophisticated technique but the result was always a lot of fun (and occasionally some missing skin).
I'm sure there are still plenty of plywood dune boarders around, but today there are more sophisticated dune skiing and dune boarding options available. Have a look at the stylish video below (posted on youtube by CorCash):



If you'd like to give dune boarding or dune skiing a go it can be arranged in a number of excellent locations including Namibia (some of the largest dunes in the world), South Africa (right outside Cape Town) and Mozambique (Bazaruto).

(Readers on FaceBook etc... please go to original post for video)

First time visitors to southern Africa seldom visit the Kalahari. They are typically more focused on Cape Town, the Winelands and a Safari in greater Kruger area. But the Kalahari is a spectacularly beautiful part of Africa with huge skies, few people and abundant wildlife.

The Kalahari is a semi-desert covering 900,000 Square kilometers (350,000 square miles) in the South West of Africa. It covers parts of South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. The desert is characterized by recent windblown red (iron) sands over white calcite deposited salts of thousands of millions of years ago and as with all deserts there is no surface water.

Amazingly large predators, antelope, birds and insects exist – all waiting for the annual rain which creates windows of survival or death. During August/September winter slowly regresses from the bone dry land and temperatures start to rise. This is when the small carnivores start their breeding activity.

A magnificent Black-maned Kalahari Lion photographed on my last trip to the Kalahari

More on the lions here

By the end of August the Sociable Weaver chicks are hatching and clambering for food in the large family nests, each nest can accommodate more than 100 families. As it is still too cold for reptiles such as snakes these chicks survive well, even when wind and dust storms blow over the trees and nests. By September the harvester ants can been seen collecting grass cuttings to take down into their mounds. The insect eaters are feathered and furred and ant bears have a time of plenty.

Unfortunately the antelope suffer their most at this time as feed value is almost nil, temperatures are rising and there is no available water, in light of this they lose weight and many die. This is when the predators and scavengers have their time of plenty.
The acacia trees start flowering – insects and animals utilize these flowers to their full extent. All is tinder dry and large clouds with lightning bolts occur. At this time fires are devastating to the animals and limited grass cover, often bird, insect and reptile homes in trees are burnt.

Short swift localized cloud bursts occur and the intensity of a sudden deluge can be devastating especially near river beds where the clay beds are impervious. The little creatures are drowned and the river floods the river bank areas with plant and debris being washed away. Water drips down from the trees and water may even flow in the river beds for a short while.

Millipedes and beetles emerge to take advantage of soft soil on the riverside. Trees and grasses burst into life providing the time of plenty for the antelope which are now calving. Insects appear by the millions and set about breeding. The rains are brief and short lived. Temperatures soar into November, December and January. The grasses and Tsama melon sustain life until the next rains……

Famous inhabitants of the Kalahari are the San or Bushmen people who have lived in the Kalahari for 20,000 years as hunter-gatherers. Today there are more luxurious options for accommodation. For example Tswalu Kalahari in South Africa.

You'll find more on this beautiful lodge on our website here

One last thing- the night sky has more stars than you can possibly imagine. Period!

We're proud to announce that Southern Africa (and the Indian Ocean islands), the home of Roar Africa, has 11 entries currently competing for inclusion in the New7Wonders of Nature. Of those 11 the Kalahari Desert (Botswana/Namibia/South Africa) is the current front runner. We have two coming in at number 7: Sossusvlei (Namibia) and Table Mountain (Cape Town, South Africa). Not bad!

Wonder, Country, Current Rank
Kalahari Desert, BOTSWANA/NAMIBIA/S.AFRICA, 1
Sossusvlei, NAMIBIA, 7 (group A)
Table Mountain, SOUTH AFRICA, 7 (group C)
Mount Karthala, COMOROS, 11
Okawango Delta, BOTSWANA, 18
Victoria Falls, ZAMBIA/ ZIMBABWE, 25
Aldabra Atoll, SEYCHELLES, 26
Malolotja Nature Reserve, SWAZILAND, 29
Mount Nyangani, ZIMBABWE, 30
Avenue of the Baobabs, MADAGASCAR, 35
Maletsunyane Falls, LESOTHO, 57

And we can think of far more than 11 reasons to visit southern Africa!

The New 7 Wonders of Nature will be determined by votes from the public.
Vote here.

Why elect the New7Wonders of Nature?
The campaign to choose The Offcial New7Wonders of the World was a resounding success, in which more than 100 million votes were cast and which took democracy to a new, global level. The New7Wonders of Nature campaign will raise awareness of the incredible variety and beauty of nature around us. “If we want to save anything, we first need to truly appreciate it!” This is something that is very important - more awareness and more tourism income means that these natural treasures can be better preserved for future generations.

The New7Wonders Foundation, which is behind the New7Wonders campaigns, has the express aim of undertaking documentation and conservation works of monuments worldwide under the motto: "OUR HERITAGE IS OUR FUTURE". The Foundation was established in 2001 by the Swiss-born Canadian filmmaker, author and adventurer Bernard Weber to contribute to the protection of the world’s human-built and natural heritage and to foster respect for the cultural diversity on our planet. Fifty percent of net revenue raised by the New7Wonders Project is to be used to fund monument documentation and conservation efforts worldwide.

We're proud to report that seventeen lodges from Africa have made the latest National Geographic Adventure World's Top 50 Ecolodges list and nine of these lodges are in Southern Africa and neighboring islands.


"A decade ago, you could count the number of true ecolodges in the world on two hands. But today we are witnessing one of the most significant transformations in the history of modern travel. And ecolodges are at the center of this movement. Once located exclusively in the African bush and Central American jungles, these retreats now span nearly every ecosystem and every budget—and their mission has never been more vital. "
National Geographic Adventure

Ecotourism is "responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people" (Ecotourism Society). A good ecolodge should engage in responsible travel practices which can broadly be defined as:

1. Environment: travel that minimizes negative environmental impacts and, where possible, makes positive contributions to the conservation of biodiversity, wilderness, natural and human heritage.
2. Social/Cultural: travel that respects culture and traditions and fosters authentic interaction and greater understanding between travelers and hosts.
3. Economic: travel that has financial benefits for the host community and operates on the principles of fair trade.

The nine ecolodges in Southern Africa which have been recognized by National Geographic Adventure are Phinda Private Game Reserve (South Africa), Tswalu Kalahari Reserve (South Africa), Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve (South Africa), Desert Rhino Camp (Namibia), Wolwedans (Namibia), Vumbura Plains Camp (Botswana), Zibandianja Camp (Botswana), Vamizi Island (Mozambique) and North Island (Seychelles).

Congratulations from Roar Africa!