Under normal circumstances, I don’t really like to get up very early.
However there is something magical about getting up before the sun when you are
on a safari. So, when the alarm goes off at 5, we don’t have any problem
getting up. The adrenaline gets you going, and after a wake-up shower, we are
sitting on our deck over-looking the savannah sipping a mug of coffee as the
sky begins to lighten up. You can hear the sounds of the animals, but
everything around you is still. It is also nice to feel some cool air on you,
before the intense heat of the day.
We make our way down to the breakfast buffet at 6, expecting to see a
few other people as eager as us. It turns out we are the first, and by the time
we are done, nobody else has shown up. Breakfast is good though, and we fill up
to be sure we last for a while. There is just the practical issue of not
wanting to have too much coffee, as once out in the game reserve there are no toilets, and you can’t leave the car…
Having checked the map of the area we are in the night before, I decide
to head straight for a water hole that is right next to the camp. There is not
a lot of wildlife as we approach, but there are 4 black-backed jackals (that we
later learn to call bbj’s). In previous trips to Africa we have seen jackals,
but they have always been pretty rare. Here in Etosha we will find that they
are quite common, but they are just so cute. We also see a kori bustard, the heaviest flying bird in the world.
We decide not to hang around for too long here, and instead keep
driving slowly further in to the reserve. The growth next to the road is quite
thick, and driving and spotting at the same time is not particularly simple.
Progress is slow, but then this is by far the best way to spot the more rare
wildlife.
We come across some more common wildlife, such as a lone springbok and
a blue wildebeest. Although these may be common, together with the zebras, they
so much form the basis for the African savannah, and are quite beautiful. Well,
perhaps not the wildebeest…
Having already seen one yesterday, we again come across the stunning
lilac breasted roller. This is probably the most beautiful bird in the world.
Not quite beautiful, but always fun to see, we come across a small family of
warthogs. Shortly after this spotting, I notice just next to the car an unusual
yellow mongoose.
At the next waterhole, there is a bit more wildlife at this time. The
usual suspects are there, and we see more springboks and also the emblem of
Namibia; the oryx.
A stunning goshawk is spotted in a tree just next to us, and he poses
patiently for us.
Time is moving on, and we decide to head back to camp for lunch and
then a nap to make up for the sleep we didn’t get during the night. On the way,
we get to spot the diminutive steenbok as well as an impressive kudu. Arriving
back to the camp near noon, we were surprised to meet a couple that were just
then going out. Seriously, if you want to go on a safari, you don’t sleep in!
There is fish on the menu for lunch, and it is obviously fried. We ask
if they can pan-fry it with as little oil as possible, and they do their best
for us. It turns out quite good, and a great change from all the meat. With our
bellies full, we head back to the welcoming bed for a well needed nap.
After getting up, and grabbing our gear and water, we head back out.
This time we decide to head back towards the gate we arrived through the
previous day, given that some have seen lions in that area. With the afternoon
being well advanced, it may just be the right time to see them as they begin to
prepare for their dinner hunt.
It turns out we really have no luck. There is actually very little to
see all through this drive. However, I do spot a magnificent black rhino in the
distance, and we feel that this rare sighting makes up for it.
Getting back to camp, we decide to skip trekking all the way to our
cabin before dinner, and instead sit down in the lounge for a cold drink, and
then watch yet another incredible sunset. Tomorrow we will begin by heading east
and towards the main part of Etosha.
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