Salty Jackal Backpackers, Namibia

How a small surf hostel in Namibia is changing the world around it

“The way the human race is leaving can’t continue anymore.” 

That’s why Oliver, co-owner of Salty Jackal hostel in Namibia, and his wife Iris, prioritized sustainability in its hostel and their daily life.

But before we dive into all the fantastic things they are doing in the hostel, you need to hear about Oliver’s journey into the hostel world.

 

From engineer to the hostel owner

 

Oliver used to study engineering in South Africa, and while he was working on his degree, at the same time, he was trying to figure out what to do in his life. 

“I like surfing, cooking and traveling and also trying to live sustainably. So after a very long time figuring out what to do with my life, I concluded that the hostel might let me combine all these things.” – Oliver says. 

But it wasn’t this kind of decision where you’re like, “yeah, I’m going to open a hostel!”. You see, Oliver saw a market gap in accommodation for surfers in his home country, Namibia.

He connected the dots, and that’s how his idea for a surf hostel came to life. 

Five years later, and here they are: voted as the best hostel in Namibia in Hoscars Awards by Hostelworld in 2020 and one of the finalists of EXTRAordinary Hoscars 2021 in the sustainable hostel category.

 

Salty Jackal hostel was the best hostel in Namibia in Hoscars Awards 2020, by Hostelworld (photo source: Facebook)

 

Based in the world’s oldest desert

 

Although he had never worked in a hostel before, he experienced hostel life as a guest during one of many surfing road trips around South Africa. 

“I had good ideas from there, and I realized that this might also work in Namibia. We have a lot of tourists, a beautiful country, and good waves, so all the right ingredients.”

He knew he wanted to live close to the ocean from a very young age, and his passion for surfing only deepened that desire. That’s why he chose Swakopmund as his hostel location – “a relaxed town on the wave-rich coastline, buzzing with good coffee and nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the Namib Desert dunes.” 

By the way – the desert in Namibia is the oldest one in the world!

A dream come true for surfers.

“We have five rooms: one dorm and four private rooms. It’s very small –14 beds in total. It feels like a house, and that’s what guests like about it. They feel at home, and they can easily meet other people. It’s small and very intimate.”

 

“I don’t want to be paid for destroying the planet with my engineering knowledge.”

 

Whether you’re a beginner or pro in surfing, in Namibia you’ll find perfect conditions for all levels. Here surf class with Salty Jackal (source: Facebook)

 

But truthfully, what’s unique about this hostel is its environmental and social responsibility. 

Oliver worked for two years as an engineer in a company that manufactures equipment for the oil and gas industry. That’s when he realized this was not the way he wanted to be. 

Instead, he used his engineering knowledge for the benefit of the environment and community.

“So what we’re doing is trying to save on energy: we have diesel timers, LED light bulbs, water flow restrictions on the showers and taps, and we recycle all of our trash. 

Namibia recycles quite a lot, and all the organic waste we use on-site for compost. Later we use that compost in our vegetable and herb garden, where we’re growing a lot of stuff that guests can use for cooking. 

We also have a prototype biogas plant. That’s also for organic waste. We can use that gas for cooking in the outside kitchen. For now, it’s a prototype, so it’s not working perfectly yet. My brother is a biogas engineer, and it’s his prototype project. 

We want to go all out with solar water heating and electricity in the future. Since it’s quite a big capital investment, it will take a few years before we will do it, but that’s a big step to produce 80-90% of electricity with solar,” – shares Oliver.

Meanwhile, they’re also motivating guests to participate in recycling by indicating with etiquettes on how to do it correctly and with reminders to save on electricity.

This hostel is also free of single-use plastic! 

Now, that’s what we call a true dedication towards one goal: saving the environment.

“As a mechanical engineer, you understand energy and the physical world quite well, so it makes you realize where you can improve in terms of efficiency. 

Since I specialized in renewable energy and sustainable development, it gave me an extra push to realize that the way the human race is living can’t continue anymore.”

 

But here’s the thing…sustainability isn’t only about saving the environment.

 

You see, Oliver reminds us that all this “sustainable living” isn’t only about saving the environment. It’s also about people. 

That’s why in 2020, together with his wife Iris, they started a community project involving surfing – Namib Sustainable Waves.

“We have a group of children from the local township that we take surfing and try to clean up the beach. We teach them what we know about sustainability and the environmental issues that the planet is facing. Also, we organize events or meetings with experts or guests from overseas that have specific knowledge about different topics. 

Surfing is for them to have fun and get together every couple of weeks. In the future, we want to do it much more regularly. 

We also try to teach them what options are out there for them in life that they maybe never heard about and that the world is facing some big problems that we need to start thinking about,” – explains Oliver.

If you want to support the Namib Sustainable Waves project, you can do so by donating money on its crowdfunding page here.

 

A paradise for adventure seekers

 

Namibia is the ideal place for surfers and those who want to start their adventure in this sport. It has excellent surfing conditions consistently throughout the year. On the Salty Jackal website, you can find detailed information when it’s the best time to visit, based on your skill level.

They have created a separate business in the last two years, which works closely with the hostel – Salty Jackal surfing school. That’s where guests and kids from the town gather together and learn surfing under Oliver’s eyes, an ISA certified surf coach.

But surfing isn’t the only thing you can do once you visit. There’s a lot to do in this Namibian town: from sand-boarding and quad-biking to cooking communal dinners for guests or barbecues around the fire (which, by the way, are a very popular thing in Namibian culture, as Oliver explained to us).

 

Evening chill at the Salty Jackal hostel (source: Facebook)

 

“The town center is in the one corner, and our house is in the old part of Swakopmund, and you just have to cross a dry river to be in the dunes (which is a 10 minutes walk).”

Can you imagine?! 10 minutes from the hostel and you’re on the desert dunes, watching the ocean!

 

Ok, but how do they manage to do ALL those things? There’s only 24 h in a day

 

You can see that a lot is going on around the hostel: hostel operations, surf school, and their social project. It keeps Oliver, Iris, and their team of regular staff and seasonal volunteers quite busy. 

So what helps them keep on top of all the tasks and hostel operations?

“FrontDesk Master. I managed booking channels manually for the first year, and that’s an absolute no-no. It’s important to have FDM or similar software – that’s critical to manage bookings. 

It’s also the main point of information that all of us rely on: managers and volunteers. It keeps track of everything we do in the hostel and what’s happening. That’s the most important tool that we have.”

As Oliver says, it’s also essential to have detailed checklists with the daily tasks and written manuals, especially if you have seasonal staff. 

 

Salty Jackal Backpackers hostel became a way for Oliver and his family to serve its local community and improve the world around them. 

If you would like to support this mission, you can visit their crowdfunding page and learn more about the Namib Sustainable Waves project. Or book a surf camp with Salty Jackal and finally visit Namibia 🙂