Places to See and Stay: Nyae Nyae Conservancy - Namibia

Visit Northern Namibia

Nhoma San Village, Nyae Nyae Conservancy, Namibia

Fifty years ago, the Ju’hoansi (one of the several groups of people classified as Kung, Bushmen or San) lived traditional hunter gatherer lifestyles. Whilst their technology initially seemed simple it soon became clear that these people possessed a knowledge of their environment that we can only begin to understand. Hunting with arrows tipped with the poison of beetle larvae, sourcing water from tubers and dancing long into the night with the cocoons of lunar moths around their ankles these people are in total harmony with their environment.

In the 70s these graceful people suffered marginalisation, thus huge tracts of land - conservancies - have been put aside for them. The Nyae Nyae Conservancy is one of these. It is a long way off the beaten track, a few hundred kilometres east of Etosha. There are a number of scattered villages in a beautiful area, with prehistoric dunes, huge baobabs and terminalia forest. Nomadic game is present and during the rains pans fill and clouds of pink flamingos come to breed. A handful of villages welcome guests to stay with them and learn about their culture. It is hoped that by placing a high value on this knowledge it will not be lost.

 
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