Etosha & Sand

Etosha National Park is the Serengeti of Nambia.  We had been warned that it might feel a little Disney-fied, so we only booked two nights, but to be honest I very much enjoyed it, and could have easily stayed longer.  The set up in Namibia is a little different than Tanzania.  In Tanzania, to go camping in the Serengeti as a self-drive, you pay a pretty penny to have the privilege to use a postage size area of bush, where you can set up your camp.  There is no loo/showers/water/waste disposal – it’s just a lovely piece of land that you can call home for the 24 hours you have booked it.  Bring everything in. Take everything out.  In Namibia the national parks have ‘resorts’ which feel like gated communities and are government run. They cater to everyone.  You can opt to book rooms, or a campsite.  The campsites have flush loos, hot and cold running water, a BBQ pit, a washing up stand, a water point, and multiple bins for different items of recycling/rubbish.  Furthermore, there is a shop that is better stocked than some of the smaller-town supermarkets (they sold magnums – can you believe it?).  There was a restaurant, a choice of bars, a pool, a fuel station, and the main attraction – a flood lit watering hole whereby you can sit on the terraced benches, and watch animals come and go.  Like most gated communities, you are shut off from the ‘dangerous’ outside world by a monster electric fence – nothing can get you without being introduced to a couple of zillion volts first.  This electrical safety blanket results in people and children wondering around, all hours of the day, and night. The gates open at 6:25 AM and shut at 19:02, and in between those hours you are free to drive around on game drives.

 

Ok – I appreciate I’m not selling it, but we still enjoyed it.  The flood lit water hole was a new concept for us, and there was something special about being able to see animals at night.  Our first night on the benches there was about 20 of us: sitting in the dark, sitting in silence. When a family herd of elephants appeared, there was a slight gasp.  It was the sound of awe, fascination, excitement and joy, and I couldn’t help but think that if people were still able to react like that on seeing the animals, then I was happy being there.  The second night was even better! On approach to the water hole, between the fence posts, I could make out a couple of figures, but had to do a couple of takes before realizing they were Rhinos! And not just one, there was seven in total!  Made my day.  We will be the first to admit we are safari snobs, so sitting in the stands, surrounding by people enjoying the wildlife in their own way (some focused on the animals, others focused on themselves, with a lovely wildlife background 😊) is not what we would usually sign up for, but if it meant being able to see 7 black rhino, in the wild, for an hour – without hesitation – I’m in!

 

The game drives were also great – especially as we got up at sparrows, and were at the park gate at 6:24AM being one of the first to be released. We avoided the main drag and spent our time off on the little loops. Col spotted two white rhinos in the distance which was extra special.  We saw a cheetah which was grand! At one point we found ourselves at a water hole with every other Tom, Dick & Harry.  We were tucked in the corner on the far left, and all of a sudden, we noticed 3 lionesses under a tree to the left of us.  From what we could tell, only one other car noticed them.  When we left, they took our spot, and there was a look from the driver letting us know ‘mum is the word’.  There was a nod from both cars confirming this would not be advertised to the greater public, and we left feeling quite smug. 

We then decided we would tell any car that had their windows down – we only found one car, gave them our top tip, and passed on our smugness 😊.

 

From Etosha, we spent a couple of nights in the desert of Damaraland.  The desert is all about extremes.  It is as beautiful, as it is harsh.  We saw the incredible Welwitchia plants (the oldest plant in the world). We saw landscapes that looked like we had arrived on the moon. We drove through temperatures so hot, its what I imagine hell feels like, and at night it cooled down to single figures.  We visited some of the oldest rock art in the world, which was incredibly impressive. The starry skies where phenomenal.  The sundowner sports were dramatic.  It was a fabulous way to spend a short week.

 

Speaking of extreme – we did a small shop in an old, uninspiring, one horse, tin-mining town called Uis – the characters in that duka, were no less extreme than the landscapes we had driven through. People in the shop ranged from totally normal and boring (me 😊) to a lady from the Himba tribe, still sporting the traditional bare chest, laplap skirt – but paid with a card? To an older hippy man, long hair, no shoes –  to the great white hunter man (who I didn’t look at too long or too hard, as he didn’t have friendly vibes)…. I got back into the car and told Colin I have never seen such a mixed bag of people, doing what must be the most boring of daily tasks – food shopping.

 

Up Next: Escaping the sand for a bit and heading to Swakopmund.