Photo Album: Etosha Nation Park Day 1
Note: Click on any photo for a better view, tap "ESC" key to return.
Links for previous posts are on the left. Expand the month tags to see posts for that month.
After 3 weeks and nearly 5000 Km on the continent of Africa, started from Johannesburg, traveled through the northern parts of Botswana, I was now at the Von Lindequist ( eastern ) gate of the large salt pan, Etosha National Park of Namibia. All that was done using a small 2x4 sedan.
My plan was to spend 3 full days in Etosha, staying in their designated camping grounds for 2 nights. These camps are the only safe place to stay, they are fenced and gates closed between sunset and sunrise. I later found out that these fences, are not necessarily leopard proof !
In order to maximize the dawn and dusk times, when the animals are still very active at those cool temperatures, and our camera can work properly with the lightings, I had to leave before sunrise.
I checked out of my 5 starred camping site at Onguma Bush Camp and arrived at the Von Lindequist Gate of Etosha 5 minutes to 6, when the first lights started to break over the horizon. I was the first car there.
Soon I was joined by long queue of cars, some self drivers, some small safari tour groups in their 4x4 open trucks.
The gate was supposed to open at 6:00, nothing happened........whilst waiting, I got into a conversation with couple of the safari tour rangers and a professional photographer. They were giving me pointers as to where to find some lions...
The gate was opened 15 minutes late, well passed the published time, at which time, being without a ticket, I had to go through the process of filling a form and keep a copy, but not payment. I was supposed to pay at one of the internal camps, and keep the receipts for the exit gate.
It was about 10Km on bitumen road before I reached the gate of Namutoni Camp, which I would be staying for the first night. It is also the starting point of my first morning of safari drive.
This was to be last bit of bitumen I would see for the next three days. The dirt roads ahead seemed to be in good shape, nothing challenging for this little car of mine.
I turned left , based on my earlier conversation with some of the safari guides, and headed northeast to Tweet Palms and Aroe waterholes, to find my first lions.
Every other cars went passed me and headed west instead, they must know something that I did not, I thought....
As soon as I turned, all by myself, just beyond a football field outside the gate, there were these two male lions, with their manly manes.....
And they were so relaxed, without even so much a glance, passing a Wildebeest.
I sat there for a while and savored the moment, my first capture of lions on my own ! This was to be the first encounter of a few more over the last couple of days.
Further down the track, there were plenty of sighting of wild lives.
Signs of elephant presence with the damaged tree, but no sightings of the animals yet.
Traveling beyond the south eastern corner of the vast Adoni Plain.,
Although I did not encounter any more lions, nor did I find the leopard still missing in my sighting log, but on the grassland and the nearby salt pan, there were....
and many kind of birds...
Prior to capturing the above photo, she was flying in front and along the side of my car as I was moving. She stopped many time, just to lure me out of my car, and flew away the moment I point my camera...
Only until finally, after a 30 minutes or so of playing fly-a-way and chase....may be she was tired too !
A lone elephant dwarfing a herd of impalas / springboks in the background.
Just before midday, I decided to check into Namutoni Camp which I had a booking, and setup tent etc., as during midday, most animals are taking their siestas as well.
Namutoni was an Old German Fort in the 19th century, and has retained the original big walls, and the battlements.
Like other camps in Etosha, it also featured a waterhole at one of the corners, with a shelter allowing us to observe animals coming in for their drinks during the evening.
Inside the camp, it has all the bells and whistles of a small tourist trap, restaurants, gift shops, tour agencies etc. And there are different type of lodgings from cabins, huts, prefab tents and free campers like myself. My camp site comes with its own table and a fire place.
During the setting up, there were a bit of commotions, as a few children found a snake nearby their camp, here it is, in our Garden of Eden.
After using the laundry facilities and have my clothing hanged, I was ready to get out, and continue capturing wild lives with my lens.
There are these few memorials just outside the camp, remembering some early German pioneers,
Before sunset, I did one last drive towards Tweet Palm waterhole where I visited in the morning, and saw a football game just outside the gate of Namutoni Camp. The same football field where I saw two lions roaming in the morning....I was wondering, hope they know what they were doing! Such is life here, the intermix of human and wild lives.
My plan was to spend 3 full days in Etosha, staying in their designated camping grounds for 2 nights. These camps are the only safe place to stay, they are fenced and gates closed between sunset and sunrise. I later found out that these fences, are not necessarily leopard proof !
In order to maximize the dawn and dusk times, when the animals are still very active at those cool temperatures, and our camera can work properly with the lightings, I had to leave before sunrise.
I checked out of my 5 starred camping site at Onguma Bush Camp and arrived at the Von Lindequist Gate of Etosha 5 minutes to 6, when the first lights started to break over the horizon. I was the first car there.
Soon I was joined by long queue of cars, some self drivers, some small safari tour groups in their 4x4 open trucks.
The gate was supposed to open at 6:00, nothing happened........whilst waiting, I got into a conversation with couple of the safari tour rangers and a professional photographer. They were giving me pointers as to where to find some lions...
The gate was opened 15 minutes late, well passed the published time, at which time, being without a ticket, I had to go through the process of filling a form and keep a copy, but not payment. I was supposed to pay at one of the internal camps, and keep the receipts for the exit gate.
It was about 10Km on bitumen road before I reached the gate of Namutoni Camp, which I would be staying for the first night. It is also the starting point of my first morning of safari drive.
This was to be last bit of bitumen I would see for the next three days. The dirt roads ahead seemed to be in good shape, nothing challenging for this little car of mine.
I turned left , based on my earlier conversation with some of the safari guides, and headed northeast to Tweet Palms and Aroe waterholes, to find my first lions.
Every other cars went passed me and headed west instead, they must know something that I did not, I thought....
As soon as I turned, all by myself, just beyond a football field outside the gate, there were these two male lions, with their manly manes.....
Once they noticed my presence, they turned and walked away in a measured pace, heading into the vast grassland to the north.
And they were so relaxed, without even so much a glance, passing a Wildebeest.
I sat there for a while and savored the moment, my first capture of lions on my own ! This was to be the first encounter of a few more over the last couple of days.
Further down the track, there were plenty of sighting of wild lives.
 |
| Kori Bustard |
Signs of elephant presence with the damaged tree, but no sightings of the animals yet.
 |
| Gemsbok |
Although I did not encounter any more lions, nor did I find the leopard still missing in my sighting log, but on the grassland and the nearby salt pan, there were....
 |
| Wildebeests |
and many kind of birds...
especially this very playful Lilac Breasted Roller
Prior to capturing the above photo, she was flying in front and along the side of my car as I was moving. She stopped many time, just to lure me out of my car, and flew away the moment I point my camera...
Only until finally, after a 30 minutes or so of playing fly-a-way and chase....may be she was tired too !
And at the waterholes...
A lone elephant dwarfing a herd of impalas / springboks in the background.
Just before midday, I decided to check into Namutoni Camp which I had a booking, and setup tent etc., as during midday, most animals are taking their siestas as well.
Namutoni was an Old German Fort in the 19th century, and has retained the original big walls, and the battlements.
Inside the camp, it has all the bells and whistles of a small tourist trap, restaurants, gift shops, tour agencies etc. And there are different type of lodgings from cabins, huts, prefab tents and free campers like myself. My camp site comes with its own table and a fire place.
During the setting up, there were a bit of commotions, as a few children found a snake nearby their camp, here it is, in our Garden of Eden.
After using the laundry facilities and have my clothing hanged, I was ready to get out, and continue capturing wild lives with my lens.
There are these few memorials just outside the camp, remembering some early German pioneers,
 |
and one for the tribal warriors who were killed during the German-Namibian War in 1904.
One of the best ways to see animals, is to go to the various waterholes marked on the map, where during the dry winter season, animals are most likely to appear, for quenching their thirsts. Having said that, not all waterholes are the same, some are bone dry due to the lack of precipitations, however, the most frequented ones, are usually kept filled with water by mechanical means.
At the nearby Klein Namutoni Waterhole, when I first got there, there were a few giraffes having their drinks,
 |
| Notice the way a giraffe has to stand to get a drink. |
 |
| At Klein Namutoni Waterhole |
As I was ready to leave, suddenly coming from the south, first there were a couple of elephants stomping their way to the waterhole, then more, then....it was like a parade.
There must have been 50 -60 elephants on the march.
Looking back at their trail, there was no question of their pathway, with their gigantic sized droppings.
First they walked into the waterhole, and had their drinks,
and some played..
No, they really are just putting on their sun block, the sands, over their body.
The elephant spectacle went on for about an hour, then all of sudden, they started marching again, and headed into the vast Etosha Salt Pan in the north, the whole pack.
The rest of day hanging around other waterholes, seemed mundane relatively speaking,
Before sunset, I did one last drive towards Tweet Palm waterhole where I visited in the morning, and saw a football game just outside the gate of Namutoni Camp. The same football field where I saw two lions roaming in the morning....I was wondering, hope they know what they were doing! Such is life here, the intermix of human and wild lives.
Soon the sun was lowering, and it signaled that I must retrace and get into the safety behind the gates of Namutoni. Got there just in time.
The night was spent chatting to my neighbors and exchange experiences, especially to hear from those who were coming from the other directions.
So this is the footprint of the first day in Etosha.
awesome .... great photos and description !!
ReplyDeleteVery nice pictures David.
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures! Excellent and detailed description of the tour. Very useful as a reference to those who plan a similar trip.
ReplyDelete