Fire hazard

In Namibia it is dust dry again. Nice for gliding, that gives strong, high-reaching thermals. Just not for the country. The vegetation is extremely flammable. And there are always bushfires.

The drought is hard to imagine, as it rained so much in January. Suddenly everything was green. Sinks and pans overflowed. The grass shot up. And that is now the problem, it is now everywhere as hay on the stalk. When there is a thunderstorm, lightning sets it on fire. Driving cars off the beaten track is forbidden. Hot catalysts can easily ignite the dried out stalks.
Areas around Bitterwasser and the neighboring village of Hochanas have also been colored black. Luck for Bitterwasser, the fire around the mast of the directional antenna near Hochanas spared the mast itself. If it had been flared, there would be no telephone and no internet in the lodge.

Go back

The 2025/26 Bitterwasser season is coming to an end

At around 2 p.m. on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, the first truck carrying one of our seven containers set off. This marked the end of another impressive gliding season in Bitterwasser.

Christmas in Bitterwasser – at 33°C and glorious sunshine

In Europe Christmas is usually associated with cold temperatures, early sunsets and, in the best case scenario, snow. In Bitterwasser, the world looks very different.