Wouter was in Etosha National Park and had the following to share. The Etosha saltpan in northern Namibia is an area stretching 120 kilometers from west to east, and about 50 kilometers from north to south. It forms a big part and the main feature of the world famous Etosha National Park. The soil here is salty, and thus nothing grows here in an area covering almost 5000 square kilometers! Etosha meaning ‘Great white place’ ,this white salt is also what has given the park its name.

The climate of Etosha is very dry and harsh, almost like a true desert. In summer, there is just enough rainfall in the surrounding area to support some acacia and mopane woodland. Most of the browsing animals (for example Kudu, Giraffe and Black Rhino) rely on the acacia woodlands for their food, while most of the grazing animals stay on or close to the open plains to eat their grass. Yet, in the dry season, there is absolutely no water for animals to drink, so how do they survive?

Most of the animals in Etosha are already perfectly adapted to living in extremely dry conditions. Some of them, like Springbok, Steenbok or Gemsbok are what we call waterindependent antelopes. They can easily survive in the desert withouth drinking for a week or two, and they can often still be active during the heat of the day, while others remain in a state of sleep during these hours. But when water is available, also these animals will drink so that life is even a bit easier.
Most animals need to drink almost every day though, and rely on permanent waterholes to obtain their water. Okondeka, on the picture below, is one of these natural waterholes, located at the edge of the (completely dry) Etosha salt pan. So where does this water come from? The answer lies deep below the surface. Okondeka’s water is groundwater from another waterhole which is located about 10km more west, and this waterhole only fills up during the rainy season. However, most of the year, the groundwater will still be flowing softly and because of small altitude differences and impermeable rock layers the water flows to the surface again at Okondeka. Now, in a landscape that looks unsuitable for any type of animal, you find a whole spectrum of different species coming to drink together, sometimes hundreds of individuals together!

I think this is one of the most spectacular sights you could ever see on a safari, and it’s only possible in Etosha. If you want to see it for yourself, you should do one of our Namibia tours in the dry season! I think the below picture that I took is a classic Etosha shot and I am very proud of it. It has
Springbok, Gemsbok, Zebra, Wildebeest, Ostrich, Jackal and Lion, all in one frame, how amazing!!