Etosha National Park

To Etosha National Park, Namibia -- September 17-18

We left the beautiful Brandenberg Mountains on Saturday morning, knowing we needed to get to Etosha park to check in before sunset. It was an incredibly beautiful morning and super nice to wake up without a fence around us.  I walked around trying to get the perfect picture, the full moon just setting as the sun illuminated the nearby mountains.

On the way out, we stopped at the reception office, and the woman at the desk, Claudia, asked if we could give her a ride north towards Etosha. We agreed getting a nice chance to learn a little about her. At twenty-eight, she is the oldest of five and grew up in the north part of the country. She was telling us how much easier it is to feed yourself up there (fish, fruit, grains…) as compared to the dry, sparse land that the local Himba people have available.

The Okaukuejo camp, where we’re staying for two nights, is fenced in and consists of three dozen or so dirt sites, a few trees, a restaurant, store, reception office, and some thatched circular “chalets” -- for those wanting a bit more comfort -- built around one side of the waterhole.  When I first read about it, the waterhole sounded a bit hokey, especially the spotlights used to illuminate it at night, but what's great is you can walk to it in less than two minutes from the campsites, and there is almost always something to see.

Campsite seen from water tower

When we first arrived, we wandered over and saw a rhino, springbok, wildebeests, and an oryx -- all at the same time! There is only a two foot high stone wall between the viewing area and the vast plane stretching off into the distance.  The animals change continually as one group finishes and moves on while a new group wanders down -- zebras, impala, kudu, springbok, giraffe and rhino. How I had hoped I would spy a lion creeping up on some I unsuspecting prey, but no luck.

Springbok Antelope, Black Rhino, Wildebeest, and Oryx

Black Rhino

Tawny Eagle

This is such a desolate landscape, it's hard to believe anything lives around here sometimes. Most trees are dry and, in fact, look dead. With the grey white dust that covers everything within a few yards of the road, it sometimes looks like a bomb site or war zone. On the other hand, with the right lighting and some water to reflect the morning or evening light, the stark landscape can be quite striking. I can only imagine how it must be transformed with the rainy season, which apparently starts around November and lasts to February.

Jackals and Kory Bustard

Both yesterday and today, with temps in the low 90’s, we walked to the camp pool for a rejuvenating swim. It's quite a sight to see the clear, blue pools in this drab, brown environment. Even Dex ventured in and dunked his head despite the fact he’s grown increasingly allergic to cold water over the last few months.  At one point, we invaded the circular kiddie pool and sloshed along until we had the world’s best whirlpool, flopping down and letting the water push us around.

With the hot, dry, and dusty conditions, we seem to be covered in a perpetual layer of dirt. Meg’s been complaining her hair is totally straight  -- she can't do a thing with it. Kylie, on the other hand, says her skin, even under her clothes, is hurting. We finally convinced her to slather on some lotion, which seems to be doing the trick.

Driving around inside the park has been super simple. You just need to leave after sunrise and return before sunset. We're not sure what happens if your late, maybe they leave you to fend off the lions. There is a small network of roads with water holes spaced out here and there. The roads vary from super flat to moderately washboardy.

Lion print on top of rhino print

On Sunday morning, we signed up for an early morning game drive with one of the rangers. We were frantic trying to get there by 5:50 a.m. (after losing track of Dex). To our surprise, we were the only four in the modified land cruiser designed for at least 12.  Even after the sun came up, it was freezing. Thank goodness for the warm, fleece-lined ponchos. It was apparently a slow morning; however, after three hours, we had seen springbok, a hyena, a lion, hartebeests, impalas, kudus, zebra, wildebeests, and, at the very end, three elephants and a couple giraffe just by the road. Pretty cool.

Hartebeest

On Saturday night, just as we were going to sleep, the low murmur of camp activity was suddenly broken by a deep, reverberating, otherworldly roar, followed by a high pitched trumpeting, and then again, the loud, low roar. This went on for only ten seconds or so, but left us in awe.  Whatever had upset those elephants, I'm glad there was a fence between us and them.