Stephanie has just returned form a Cape To Vic Grand Explorer CVag21 and visited Etosha National park and had the fllowing to share with us.. Etosha is Namibia’s biggest national park and well known for its excellent game viewing due to the vast plains and sought after waterholes. The park gets its name from the large pan that covers over 20 % of the whole park. In the dry winter months the animals around the waterholes are plentiful and there is always a good amount of action to be seen.
On this tour we get to spend a whole day in the park game driving and since it is the first game drive on this tour, the excitement of everyone is usually pretty high at breakfast already. There is just so much this place has to offer and you never know what you come across. Standing in line at Anderson Gate and waiting for the gate to open gave everyone time to open their windows, prepare their camera and put on their many layers of clothing. Because the best way to experience a game drive is to use all your senses: sight, hearing, smell …
Driving into the park it was clear that the crisp, chilly air will keep everyone awake and alert. But the sun was rising and warming up the dry ground around us, coating everything around us in beautiful golden light. zebra, springbok, oryx, ostrich … the animals were all there to be seen and photographed. A pair of jackals crossed the road in front of us and then lay down close by, facing the sun. Simply a stunning image. Jackals are mostly seen in pairs as male and female are said to mate for life and will take care of each other. Even the youngsters will stay around to help raise the next litter until it’s time for them to leave and go out on their own. This pair seemed to have come home from a night of scavenging and now wanted a bit of a rest in the warming rays of sunshine.
On we drove to see kori bustard, the heaviest flying bird and black bellied bustard to cover some birds. The most stunning of all though being the lilac-breasted roller, showing us his amazing colourful plumage by flying off the branch he was roosting on. We continued to see quite a bit of traffic ahead of us and in the distance we could make out the distinct shape of the culprit that caused it. A young male lion was lying next to a bush, also enjoying he sun. He was staring off into the distance not moving much at all until he gave us a beautiful yawn, showing us his remarkable teeth. Then he started to roar and what an incredible sound that is! Everyone was quiet to appreciate this sound of the african bush. The roar is a way of communication and lions use it to either contact their pride/coalition members or to tell other lions that this is their territory. When the vocalising stopped and everyone gathered their breath, it was clear by the chitchat in the back that the cold air was forgotten and this is why we have the windows down! We left this handsome cat and slowly made our way towards Halali. More zebras, more springbok, more oryx and then the first of many blue wildebeest.
While it is normally pretty easy to spot animals in the flat, vast plains of Etosha, we most likely drove past quite a few steenbok until we finally spotted one in time that we could stop for and that didn’t run away from us. This small antelope is mostly brown in colour with a few white patches and it blends in extremely well into the surroundings. A ‘journey’ of giraffe made this first part of the game drive perfect and it was time for a warm brunch at Halali.
With full tummies and in high spirit we left Halali camp and chose to mostly check waterholes as the heat picked up quite a bit and the park is famous for the gatherings of animals around the water sources. Rietfontein waterhole proved to be a hive of activity and one wasn’t sure where to look as so much was happening when we arrived. Seemingly hundreds of zebras and springbok were standing in a daze around the parking area, at least three different herds of elephants plus some wrestling bulls were taking turns at the waterhole, a black rhino was snoozing at the side and went almost unseen as its mud covered skin made it look like a rock. Kudu and giraffe were also joining for a drink. We were spending almost an hour observing the different antics and behaviours of various animals. The highlight being the elephant calves that were stumbling around the slippery edges of the waterhole.
After this brilliant sighting we slowly made our way to Okaukuejo camp to check on the famous waterhole there. It is known to be one of the best waterholes to watch game especially at night when the floodlights allow for some amazing sightings. Again we found lots of elephants and it was wonderful to watch the interaction between two bulls that entertained us for a while.
However gate closing time was approaching and so we got back on the truck to do one last loop and what a choice that turned out to be! A game drive vehicle parked across the road could only mean something special. At first we only spotted four jackals and everyone was trying to spot whatever else was hiding in the bushes. And then there she was, a magnificent female cheetah walking across the plains with the jackals following her in the hopes of her being successful at hunting. She was alert and would stop every few meters to check her surroundings. The setting sun cast a beautiful golden glow around her. Everyone was awestruck and when she crossed the road in front of us only the clicking of the cameras could be heard. Off she went into the bushes, the four jackals on her heels and soon they disappeared. What an incredible ending to a long and intense day in Etosha National Park. 