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[23 - 30 Dec] 5 nights in Etosha (2 Halali, 2 Okaukuejo, 1 Olifantrus), 2 nights in Hoada camp, Damaraland.Etosha
So the excitement for Etosha wasn’t misplaced. A very different, but as worthwhile, experience this time around. At a different time of year with far busier, bustling campsites, large herds (of springbok & zebra especially) & far less sightings of predators. Some spectacular thunderstorms too, which is great for the wildlife & the skyscapes, but not so much for viewing. |
| View from site, Halali Campsite |
Halali campsite is one of Etosha’s 3 main campsites & was full of life with a mix of Namibian & foreign campers, including a few overland tour buses. Christmas eve was especially festive & friendly, with brief spurts of music (soon turned off per park regulations), singing & plenty of “happy Christmas”es being handed out to fellow campers. Certainly not a “traditional” christmas for most, but what a great alternative!! Back to nature, back to basics, & not a “Christmas Sale” sign in sight!
At the campsite waterhole, a short walk away, there was a reverent sunset viewing, with lots of visitors gathered, drink in hand, to take in the beauty… & hope for a day’s last animal sighting or two.
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| Okaukuejo waterhole at night |
It was on to Okaukuejo campsite (the administrative hub) on Christmas day, with a distant viewing of a lioness with a kill on the way. At Okaukuejo, sporadic electricity & no diesel/ petrol caused a bit of hassle through the stay, but animal distractions in the campsite helped - jackal, squirrel, various birds. We’d planned to do a night drive, but first night cancelled due to rain & second due to no electricity (no card facilities). Instead we had one relaxed eve at the bar playing cards & the other at the campsite waterhole where we had an amazing sighting of rhino (black I think).
With both rhino species under such sustained threat of extinction, the sighting seemed all the more poignant. The rhino was twitchy, starting to drink, stopping to look around, moving location a little & then starting the routine again. At one point the great beast was on the nearside of the waterhole in clear sight, pausing for a good while to stare in our direction. Yes, I’m going to anthropomorphise - to me, from where I was sitting with my thoughts, it seemed like s/he was reproaching our kind.
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| Rhino sighting at waterhole |
On our last night our supplies were low & fancy dining was ruled out as electricity was down - no card, only cash. We were just starting to scrape a meal together, when some serious storm clouds began to gather. A gorgeous eerie light fell over camp, the wind picked up, whipping sand along in it’s path. Then, from this build up of suspense, the rain broke in a heavy hard stream accompanied with a visual & audio show of lightning & thunder. We made a staged retreat, until we were tucked away in the laundry room with dinner on pause. Had to hand it to our Dutch neighbours who’d popped a bin lid over their fire, ducked into their car for a little R&R, emerging about an hour later to continue the bbq as the storm subsided, totally unphased.
That night, finally fed & in bed, the night was alive with sounds - first hyena which triggered a chorus of jackals (I’m guessing here - a dog-like whingeing sound), followed later by clear close lion’s roars. What a bedtime lullaby!! :)
Incoming storm, Okaukeujo campsite
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| Reception, Olifantsrus Campsite |
As sun set a sandstorm rolled in & over the campsite, obscuring the sinking sun & forcing everything in it’s path to hunker down. Afterwards the night settled in & 4 of us in the hide were treated to another rhino sighting - this time a mother & calf. Again lion calls accompanied the night, feeling very close in this little campsite!
We had a great drives to & from Olifantsrus, with barely any vehicle traffic. On the way to, we had close clear sightings of hyena, elephant, sightings of honey badger (honey badger don’t care!) & numerous herds & birds. On the way from, we were up & out early as usual & started off with an extremely rare & special sighting of a wildcat (sorry, no photos - I wasn’t blinking to miss a second). Thereafter we saw warthog, giraffe, kudo, gemsbok, vultures, jackal, elephant, red hartebeest, springbok, zebra, tortoise. We exited the park with an animal control check & spray, before heading on to Kamanjab for diesel, cash & food & drink supplies. Kamanjab is a tiny village with 2 ATMs, 2 petrol stations, 2 stores - manage expectations as the maps claim it as a major town!
Damaraland
From Kamanjab we continued on the our next stop, Hoada campsite in the Grooteberg mountains of Damaraland. No more tarred roads after Kamanjab. Not a long drive, but DRY DRY HOT DUSTY. The landscape had changed significantly as we drove from Olifantsrus & continued to change as we approached Grooteberg. The camp is in a section dotted with rocky outcrops & small shrubs, & is a lovely wilderness rustic site, part of a conservancy area & run in partnership with the local community & private business.
Facilities brief: no electricity, rock pool & sunset bar in the outcrop behind reception, site consists of bbqs, hot water boiler, shaded kitchen surface & sink, shower wet room & open-to-the-elements loo. Midday is breathtakingly hot, too hot for anything but the flies & lizards to move… & the occasional sand swirl… we survived in the pool on the first day & made a day trip to Twyfelfontein (or ǀUi-ǁAis) on the second. As the day winds down, the sunset & surrounding landscape are striking, with the cool starry night sky finale making it idyllic.
The campsite was laid-back friendly, and the problems were dealt with pragmatically & timely. As we arrived the baboons had just been through the site, ripping up the toilet for water & trailing the loo roll behind them (mischievous whatsits), but this was sorted within 15mins. The water cut out late on the first night, as baboons had ripped up the pipes (!!), but this was fixed by the mid-morning the next day. Not much you can do about marauding troops of baboons… & the battle for the precious resource of water!!
Twyfelfontein/ ǀUi-ǁAis is a UNESCO World Heritage site, containing San rock engravings. Our day trip started with an amazing if long drive (~2.5hr one way) on rocky/ sandy roads through various different striking landscapes. Landscapes & scenery so striking it defies capture on camera/ video. At Twyfelfontein we checked in at the sustainable-style building (made from recycled materials, structured to enable removal). We (or Mum) opted for the short tour (35 mins vs 45 mins) & our young guide talked us through the history of settlement in the area, the technique of the San engravings (aged between 2,000 to 6,000 years old) & some of the meanings behind.
Coast
On the 30th we packed up once again to start our way south, leaving having had a great time in the north - amazing landscapes, wildlife & lovely people, from our experience. Our route took us pretty much directly west toward the coast & into the Skeleton Coast National Park, transiting through to Mile 108 camp for the night. Amazing vast expansive & changing scenery. Not much that we saw in the way of shipwrecks, just a few remnants - but the roads were often screened from the shoreline or a distance away distorted by mirages. Fascinating drive nonetheless & much cooler, very quiet & “empty” most of the way. Such harsh landscapes to live in. We arrived at Mile 108 camp ~2.30pm. The camp is wholely a fisherman’s stop & we felt like the interlopers! In fact on our drive down we’d seen barely any travellers & only a number of fishermen over the ~300kms. Again no electricity & charges for drinkable water & showers, campsites terraced on the beach. Some impressive mini-villages set up by obviously experienced fishing parties.
[Ben's post on Skeleton Coast here]
Only phone pics for now (rookie), so some 'holes'! Vids to follow.
Love it! Sounds absolutely awesome. What a brilliant adventure xxxx
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